can any one tell me about my salt level

[RedDragon]

ok I know my salt needs to be at 1.25 but right now Im at 1.18 on my 120g is it too salty or too fresh

[RedDragon]

Ok thanks Josh I'll go put some more salt right now thanks

[RedDragon]

ya well I had salt water mix since this morning so I was just about to put that mix in the tank I just need to make sure it needed more salt or fresh,

[captexas]

Are you measuring this with all that sand blowing around the tank? If you are using a plastic swing arm hydrometer, they can be inaccurate as little air bubbles and such can cling to the arm and either raise it or lower it and give you false results. I would let the sand completely settle first. As long as your salinity is close you will be alright for now. As long as there is no livestock in there yet, you can adjust the salinity fairly easily. Just add more salt a little at a time and take measurements until it is ok. Once you have livestock in the tank you will have to adjust it through water changes. If your salinity is low in the tank, you can do a water change and replace the old water with some that is higher in salinity. If the level is too high, just replace the water with some that is lower so it will balance out.

You will want to get it raised up to a normal level before you add any livestock to it. Also, you will want to know the salinity of the water your livestock is currently in before you add them to the new tank. You may need to acclimate them for awhile if the levels are not close.

[Tim Marvin]

Air bubbles would make it look higher in salinity though. Do like Josh said and do your make up with salt water. I a few days you will probably be at 1.026

[MikeP]

Jaime, 1.018 is actually ok for just fish but for reef tanks (coral and invertebrates) it should be higher - I keep mine at 1.023 at 80 degrees. Remember that the specific gravity varies with temperature so get your heater in there and set it to 78 or so and let the temperature stabilize and take another reading.

It's easier to go up in SG than down (taking water out and replacing with fresh) just do it slowly till you get it right. Also once you get fish and corals in there do not make sudden changes to salinity. A sudden variation of more than .01 can cause osmotic shock to critters, especially shrimps IME. Fish are more forgiving but sudden shifts will stress them also and leave them more susceptible to disease.

[RedDragon]

wow I will watch what I am doing, I forgot to check the level before I left the house but will check how it's doing when I get home,

[Hammer]

The heater is already set to maintin the tank at 79.5°, so that part is good to go.
I would do it the simple and safe way. Let the water evap and replace that way. This is also the preferred method for later on with the tank stocked.
And by just waiting now you will also have more sand and stuff out of the water column for a better reading.
And something I have done with cheap plastic testers is to compare it to other testers. Best thing is to take yours over to some one's place that has a refractometer like was raffled off at the meeting. And you can see how yours measures up.

[RedDragon]

well I checked my salt level is at 1.20 now i added little salt It should get up to 1.25 soon

[captexas]

Earlier when I mentioned adding salt directly to the tank, I meant that only when you first put water in the tank, never after that. When I set up my 58, I filled it only with water and mixed the salt in with power heads until it was around 1.025. Then I drained some out so it would not overflow when I put the sand in, that way the salinity was ok. As in your case, I had to wait a few days for the sand to settle.