What is salt creep?

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So could one person have that bad of salt creep that they have to re introduce salt to the aquarium

Do you think you have a salinity issue?

There are numerous way that salt is lost, and salt creep is a small one. A skimmer is a bigger one. Skimmate is basically salt water.

In many tanks salts are also added vie alk and calcium additions.

 

[ReefMan93]

It's just everytime I seem to top up i have to mix up a saltwater mix to keep salinty the same.. in the first 2 months when the water evaporated my hydrometer would tell me to add just rodi water to bring the salinty back to where it should be! And when I did water changes I needed to mix up a saltwater mix only!

Now it seems the only way to put water in my tank is to mix up a saltwaer mix as my hydro meter always says add salt after water has evoprated or splashed out and dried up i assumed i had a slow leak near the sump or to many bubble i get a lot of salt creep behing the overflow near the sump

I have an ato ready to go but im worried it's going g to dilute the salt too much

 

[VintageReefer]

It's just everytime I seem to top up i have to mix up a saltwater mix to keep salinty the same.. in the first 2 months when the water evaporated my hydrometer would tell me to add just rodi water to bring the salinty back to where it should be! And when I did water changes I needed to mix up a saltwater mix only!

Now it seems the only way to put water in my tank is to mix up a saltwaer mix as my hydro meter always says add salt after water has evoprated

Water evaporating will make tank salinity increase, needing rodi to be added

or splashed out and dried up

Water splashing out and drying up would have no impact on salinity

i assumed i had a slow leak near the sump or to many bubble i get a lot of salt creep behing the overflow near the sump

A leak would have no impact on salinity

I have an ato ready to go but im worried it's going g to dilute the salt too much

Adding fw top off will decrease salinity, skimmers can also.

I would focus first on sealing leaks, reducing splashing, and keeping the water in the tank then figure out why your tank water is decreasing in salinity without adding fw

If water is evaporating then salinity should be increasing

What are you measuring salinity with? Is it a “swing arm” hydrometer?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It's just everytime I seem to top up i have to mix up a saltwater mix to keep salinty the same.. in the first 2 months when the water evaporated my hydrometer would tell me to add just rodi water to bring the salinty back to where it should be! And when I did water changes I needed to mix up a saltwater mix only!

Now it seems the only way to put water in my tank is to mix up a saltwaer mix as my hydro meter always says add salt after water has evoprated or splashed out and dried up i assumed i had a slow leak near the sump or to many bubble i get a lot of salt creep behing the overflow near the sump

I have an ato ready to go but im worried it's going g to dilute the salt too much

Salt creep is not likely doing that. A liter of lost salt water would need a teaspoon of dry salt visible to you.

You skimming?

 

[ReefMan93]

Yeah I'm skimmin i empty it once a week dry skimming! Could I be over doing it!

I'm Measuring it with a floating thermometer looking hydrometer!
As cheap as you can get!

Refractometer should be here tomorrow!

I have almost 4 tablespoon worth of salt creep just behind my sump im assuming it's been getting out there!! Somewhere will have a look when I'm home to check for leaks!

I think you've answered my problem vintage as im losing water and salinty is staying the same thats why i mix saltwater evertime so i dont have a big swing!! I just macth salinty

So im losing my water through a leak or just spashing out.. thanks vintage reefer

With what you're saying, I'm now thinking that the issue is 100% a leak and or splashing out over.
This makes sense thats whys salinty doesn't change and water goes down its pretty cold here this time of year 10 degrees!
Maybe my water isn't evaporating it's all leaking out and drying up in the cabnet I found 2 teaspoons worth of salt behind my tank like it dried up on the carpet!!

thanks so much randy and vintagereefer

The Tanks 6 Months Old if it has leak il probably take it back