Salinity - what's the verdict?

[Macropora]

In the past few months I've bought corals from LFS and tested the salinity before acclimating my corals. From what I've seen, it seems that most stores keep their salinity around 1.020 - 1.022.

What's the verdict out there? Is keeping the salinity lower because it saves on the cost of salt AND because it helps to keep disease pathogens at bay? Or do we find that it improves the color on some of the exotic corals that we purchase?

Just want to get a general consensus of where we are. I've always kept it around 1.023 - 1.025, but use up more salt in doing so.

 

[ming]

Its probably when they sell corals, they remove saltwater and then top off at the end of the day for evaporation therefore lowering salinity. Most places won't check salinity until the end of the week and readjust from what I have seen.
I keep mine at 1.025-1.027

 

[MikeyZO]

I go by salinity not specific gravity on my refractometer... I keep it at 35ppm which I think translates to about 1.026 SG

 

[masterswimmer]

Natural Seawater (NSW) is approx. 1.0265.
I keep my home system at 1.0265

IMO most LFS's only keep the salinity at lower levels comparable to those you've mentioned to lessen the expense. It is cheaper that way.

In order to reduce the occurance of pathogens, the salinity would need to be lowered to approx. 1.009

swimmer

 

[tosiek]

lower salt does not mean better colors :smash:

There's a thread or 4 with nice polls giving approx numbers at what everyone keeps their salt at. And people were nice enough to explain a little why in the replies.

I try to keep mine around 1.025-1.026.

 

[rookie07]

1.026
If it is off(due to evaporation, etc), I will only adjust when I do my next water change

 

[Marteen]

LFS' maintain low salinity for a number of reasons, remember they are maintaining fish in those tanks as well and lower salinity tends to prevent the spread of pathogens across systems. I keep mine at 1.025

 

[e.muehlbauer]

I find that the better LFS keep their corals at 1.025-1.026...but their fish are kept lower, 1.019-1.023....the not so good LFS keep their fish as low as 1.014, and the corals only slightly higher.

 

[da5speed]

I keep mine at 1.025 and have auto top off.

 

[Macropora]

Has anyone ever compared if the readings on a refractometer the same as a salinity monitor? I wonder which is more accurate...

 

[jejton]

It's more important to maintain a stable SG/Salinity ( yes they are not exactly the same thing but for our purposes it doesn't matter but for those who care - specific gravity is the density of your liquid divided by the density of pure water, which is 1.000 at room temperature. Since density is temperature dependent, so is SG ) than a particular SG as long as you within an acceptable range. Constant changes will stress the creatures out but if its 1.024 or 1.027 wont make that much a of a difference as animals and plants are surprisingly adaptable.