Saltwater Help?

Question

I just recently bought a tank and tonight I started my saltwater setup. I bought a heater, a filter, a thermometer, hydrometer, test strips, sand, salt, and some fake coral.I put everything together, treated the water 5 gallons at a time, then added my salt. When I added all the water I tested it with my hydrometer and it read way over. Shoud I wait a few days before worrying about it? Or is this a problem that needs tend to immediately? If so, what do I do to correct this? Also there appears to be a very little bit of salt in the bottom, is this a factor or will it mix up eventually? Now, my setup right now consists of this; tank filled with saltwater, w/ running filter, running heater(78 degrees), and floating themometer. A guy told me I wouldnt need a skimmer yet since I wouldnt be keeping anything too hard, is this true? My final question, when should I add my bagged sand and fake coral? Please answer as many as you can, thanks for your help.

Thanks for your help blended. Oh by the way guys, im not a complete idiot. I took all the proper procedures and got a 5 gallon bucket and mix it all first, the guy told me to use warm water so I did. And this is week 1 of 4 before I even think about fish. And c'mon, does it really matter when you add the fake coral and sand? I mean, I plan on giving it sufficient time to adapt. Like I said i'm not a complete idiot. Everythings going to be perfect before I even think the word fish.

Answer 1

Well, I suggest you wait a couple days until all the salt has dissolved in order to get a proper reading from the hydrometer. It is advisable to mix the salt in your treated water in your bucket first, measure the salinity and correct other parameters, before putting it into your tank. The undissolved salts can be harmful to any fishies or other critters in your tank later on, also you can't accurately sustain consistent salinity that way--again why I recommend mixing it in the bucket first. It sounds silly but make sure you are using the hydrometer correctly, as this is a common mistake.

At this point, assuming and hoping nobody is in the tank, it should not be harmful. It will usually dissolve, unless you have WAY too much, pending good water flow. You will have to siphon out the water and add treated fresh water until you get the salinity you want.

You don't need a skimmer right now but it wouldn't hurt. Skimmers help remove proteins and other bio gunk that build up nitrates in the water. Once you are sure all that salt is dissolved, you can put in your sand and fake coral. I've had the best luck rinsing the outside of the bag and actually cutting open the bag inside the tank on the bottom, this way it doesn't cloud as much--you can imagine what it would look like if you just dumped it from the top, also not good for your filter. Course, fake coral, rinsed well, can be put on top thereafter.

Glad to help, keep asking questions first! Good luck and have fun.

Answer 2

Is your water the temperature you'll be keeping the tank yet (not your heater setting, but the actual water temperature)? Unless the water is 76-78o, you won't get a correct reading on the hydrometer. And the salt won't dissolve well if the water's too cold. If the temperature is correct and there's still salt that hasn't dissolved, the salinity will be too high. Siphon out any salt that hasn't dissolved into a clean bucket and replace with fresh water until the salinity is where you want it.

As long as there aren't any animals or live rock in the tank, you can wait a few days. If you have either of these, you need to correct the salinity as soon as possible. If you're only keeping fish, the reading should be 1.020 - 1.023. If you're keeping inverts, it should be higher (1.024 - 1.026). Newer hydrometers indicate a "range" but it's closer to what a fish-only tank should have (fish will do well in the level for inverts, it just uses more salt).

You should have added the sand and coral before you added the water - if you have the tank filled, you'll have to take some of the water out and hope it doesn't overflow when you add the sand and coral. If you didn't fill the tank, maybe one you've added the sand and coral and topped off the water, your salinity will be closer to what it should be.

As far as the protein skimmer, these are a good idea, even though not absolutely necessary for fish only. It will remove LOTS of organic matter that would otherwise add to the ammonia and nitrates in your tank. Marine fish are a lot picker about their water quality than freshwater. Since yours in a new tank, you can go a little while without one as long as you stock very lightly at first.

One thing I hope that you learn from this experience is to have a separate container to mixt the salt BEFORE you add it to the tank! If you had fish/inverts in the tank, overdoing the salt could mean disaster! Depending on the size of the tank, you should keep about 1/4 to 1/2 the tank volume for water changes or emergencies. I keep both a 5 gallon bucket and a 30 gallon garbage can with mixing saltwater. Both have powerheads to stir the salt so it dissolves.

Good luck with your tank!

Answer 3

You can always adjust the salinity by adding fresh water. Let it all mix in for 24 hours and check it again.

Answer 4

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