Auto Top-Off Question

[Mr Cob]

I lose about a gallon or more a day from evaporation on my 120gal w/30-40gal sump.

I'm adding a 10gallon tank this weekend as a top-off tank.

Question:
Should I make it freshwater or half saltwater?

With loosing so much water daily I thought 100% fresh would start to lower my main display's specific gravity, so I was thinking of having the top-off tank with maybe half the helping of salt.

I'm trying to keep the specific gravity in the main display at 1.024 - 1.025.

Thanks for your input...

[RayAllen]

As far as I know everyone does straight RO/DI freshwater. Your water evaporates but the salt stay is the aquarium due to being to heavy to go anywhere. So if you were adding saltwater to top off it would actually keep rasing your salt levels which you do not want.

[Mr Cob]

As far as I know everyone does straight RO/DI freshwater. Your water evaporates but the salt stay is the aquarium due to being to heavy to go anywhere. So if you were adding saltwater to top off it would actually keep rasing your salt levels which you do not want.

Thanks Ray.

[RayAllen]

Rob im curious to know which top-off you bought. I still need to buy mine and get it setup.

[erikharrison]

Fresh ro/di. Salt doesn't evaporate!

[RayAllen]

Fresh ro/di. Salt doesn't evaporate!

Nope it just likes to Creep:ph34r:

LOL

[erikharrison]

Nope it just likes to Creep:ph34r:

LOL

What's salt's favorite song? "Creep" by radiohead. lol.

[Mr Cob]

What's salt's favorite song? "Creep" by radiohead. lol.


LOL.

Ray I bought a used auto top-off.

http://www.aquahub.com/store/product26.html

got it from member: "hoho..."

[Mr_Cool]

Nope it just likes to Creep:ph34r:

LOL

I don't use saltwater as a top-off in my tank. But, I've often wondered about the salt creep. Didn't that salt USED to be in my tank?!? I know the salt does not evaporate. But, if it's not in the tank, and the water that evaportated is replaced, won't the salinity be lowered when adding non-saltwater?

[RayAllen]

You do not loose enough salt from salt creep to worry about it. Unless you just have a tank covered in salt because you are messy. I dont get hardly any salt creep at all. I probably wipe down the glass on the tank 5 days a week though.

[crossxfire2]

Salt creep happens because any micro bubbles that pop on the water's surface pops salt out with it too.

[crossxfire2]

Salt creep is the result of water movement-ish. The reason you sometimes see a ring of salt around your tank is because any tiny little bubble that pops on the top pops salt with it too. I know salt doesn't evaporate, but that tiny amount of water has salt in it. Salt doesn't evaporate, but gets carried with larger moisture parcticles.

[matt]

1 gallon a day from a 120 is not excessive evaporation, in fact it's kind of low. I add around a gallon of water a day to my 50 gallon corner tank, depending on the season.

Definitely use R.O. water. You can periodically check to see if you're losing so much salt from salt creep to noticably affect your salinity, but that's very unusual. If you're skimming like crazy and removing large amounts of skimmate, you'll lose some salt that way, but not much. If you're supplementing your tank with 2 part Calcium and Alkalinity supplements, you will slowly raise your salinity. That's because the Ca supplement is Calcium chloride, and the Alk supplement is Sodium carbonate. Your tank uses the Calcium and the carbonate, leaving the Sodium and chloride in your tank.

[erikharrison]

If you're supplementing your tank with 2 part Calcium and Alkalinity supplements, you will slowly raise your salinity. That's because the Ca supplement is Calcium chloride, and the Alk supplement is Sodium carbonate. Your tank uses the Calcium and the carbonate, leaving the Sodium and chloride in your tank.

Great info Matt! :) I never knew that!

[Mr Cob]

Thanks.