Salinity of sea water

[vincegoh]

Hi, guys.

After my tank is repaired (leakage), the manufacturer offer to ask a contractor to top up my tank with sea water instead of mixing water. Accordingly this will minimise the "new tank Syndrome" so that my LS will survive.

However, after tested the seawater, I noticed that the salinity is only 1.018 @ 27.2 degree celsius. Is it normal? is it alright?

The pH is pretty good at 8.4 @ 27.2 degree celsius.

First time using seawater hence a bit unsure...

[typrobin]

i believe new tank syndrome refers to ammonia spike during the initial stage of cycling...using seawater will not improve the situation...

i also noticed that the seawater that i get from t95 has lower salinity level...but i use it and add a little marine salt to bring it up to 1.022...

[vincegoh]

The tank manufacturer claimed that the seawater will have the bacteria needed so that the ammonia will not spiked up.

I am skeptical about their claim but have to ask u guys who has experiences on using seawater.

[typrobin]

if my knowledge serves me correctly, bacteria is in the LRs, sand and other filter media, never in the seawater...no matter wat kind of water u use, u still need to cycle a tank...which means a full ANN(ammonia,nitrite and nitrate) cycle, after tat 50% water change b4 any LS....ammonia spike helps the bacteria to grow, not the water...

and dun forget to cure your LRs too...if all your LRs are not cured, then just use it for cycling purpose, dun have to add market prawns...the amount of die off from the LRs should be sufficient...but to be a little kiasu, i would advise market prawns as well...dun take any chances...

[terryansimon]

even if there were free floating bacteria in the water, what are the odds of the water packing enough bacteria to cover the amount needed in the tank? for all you know, many organisms may perish during the transportation of the water itself. perished organisms, as we all know, contribute to decaying matter. decaying matter directly increases the amount of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. rather than seeding the tank itself, it may actually do more harm than good.

just thinking aloud. I may be wrong. but never substitute your cycling for any other process. even if you seed the tank with cured live rocks and all, make sure you monitor all water specifications before you do anything drastic...like introduce fishes etc.

even if you were to use back the old liverocks/sand, also make sure that it has no ammonia spike first. so monitor your water conditions carefully. (=

[vincegoh]

But I do have a dilemma like my thread on "Main tank leaking".

Now all my LS is in a temporary 3' tank in my kitchen. I have setup a PS, canister (chemical filtration), a powerhead for circulation and 2 sets of normal florescent lights. However, it will not last long since it is pretty small as compare to my 800L main tank.

Thus, it is difficult for me to decide whether to take a risk to place my LS back into my main tank. (hopefully not leaking anymore).

Anyway, the manufacturer is mostly likely trying to push away responsibility if any of my LS died by saying that the seawater will stable within 3 days!!!

[yangster]

the good thing about sea water is it is rich in phytoplanton and other beneficial marine organisms that your corals will feed on. The only problem is that they also come with other contaminants. possibly parasites and unwanted algae spores.

personally, I would rather keep my tank sterile!

[cornyfish]

The ammonia level will most assuredly go up esp in the first 2 weeks even if you use seawater...

But i do believe that seawater's as good as salt mixes in supporting lifestock, provided it was taken from a clean, unpolluted source and has been adequately filtered and matured before use. After all, that's where all our marine fishes come from. In fact, i'm planning to switch to seawater for my water changes after my current supply of saltmix runs out.

btw, i've seen bottles of pebbles and sometimes packets of sand being sold in LFSes claiming to be able to absorb ammonia, nitrites and nitrates from the water, thus preventing New Tank Syndrome. Anyone tried them and can verify their effectiveness??

[typrobin]

The ammonia level will most assuredly go up esp in the first 2 weeks even if you use seawater...

But i do believe that seawater's as good as salt mixes in supporting lifestock, provided it was taken from a clean, unpolluted source and has been adequately filtered and matured before use. After all, that's where all our marine fishes come from. In fact, i'm planning to switch to seawater for my water changes after my current supply of saltmix runs out.

tat's wat i do as well...

now i suka suka change water...whenever i have a car, i will go to t95 to buy 2 containers of seawater...the seawater that they are selling is seperated from the other tanks...so i dun think i have to worry about the nitrate problem...

it is also very well aerated with dunno how many air pumps running...i also heard that they use UV, but never see the thing personally b4...

[vincegoh]

Hi, guys.

After my tank is repaired (leakage), the manufacturer offer to ask a contractor to top up my tank with sea water instead of mixing water. Accordingly this will minimise the "new tank Syndrome" so that my LS will survive.

However, after tested the seawater, I noticed that the salinity is only 1.018 @ 27.2 degree celsius. Is it normal? is it alright?

The pH is pretty good at 8.4 @ 27.2 degree celsius.

First time using seawater hence a bit unsure...

Guys, anyone else has experience on the salinity?

"the salinity is only 1.018 @ 27.2 degree celsius. Is it normal? is it alright?"

[surfedelic]

I have used sea water before during that time i noticed the salinity was low 1.018 as you said and I bump it up to 1.025 before dosing into my tank. I gave up the whole idea because it was too troublesome - I was keeping mostly LPS and mushroom. Nothing happens but there was a lot of hydroid though.

[vincegoh]

I have used sea water before during that time i noticed the salinity was low 1.018 as you said and I bump it up to 1.025 before dosing into my tank. I gave up the whole idea because it was too troublesome - I was keeping mostly LPS and mushroom. Nothing happens but there was a lot of hydroid though.

You pump up it using salt mix as well?

[cornyfish]

From my readings as well as my personal experiences, it's not the absolute salinity that's most important for the fishes but that the water salinity, whatever it may be, should be kept as constant as possible. I think as long as the salinity is kept in the range from around 1.018 to 1.027 with minimal/no fluctuations, there shouldn't be much of a problem.

In fact, some books recommend that a lower salinity 1.018 - 1.020 may be helpful in reducing the risk of the fishes catching parasitic diseases. If you're keeping crustaceans (crabs, shrimps, lobsters...) though, it may be preferable that the salinity is maintained at a slightly higher level.

I personally have always kept my water at around 1.020 and it's been almost a year now with no problems at all...

[typrobin]

fishes are ok with low salinity as long as it is not a drastic change...but corals might not be able to take it...

[vincegoh]

How about BTA and leather? Is 1.018 fine for them?

[kareen]

How about BTA and leather? Is 1.018 fine for them?

What is your 3' tank salinity? Minimize any dramatic change for them is the best.