evaporation....waterchange??
- Thread starter mic_1011
- Start date
- Location
- Flushing, NY
No, only water evaporates. Any impurities in the water doesn't get removed from evaporation and just gets concentrated and then re-diluted back to the way it was when you add water back. You still need to do a water change to balance things
You should be topping off evaporated water on a daily basis.
It is NOT something you want to do once a week. The roller coaster ride you send your corals on (regular/low/regular salinity...) is NOT good for your tank.
That would be considered an unstable parameter/tank.
It is NOT something you want to do once a week. The roller coaster ride you send your corals on (regular/low/regular salinity...) is NOT good for your tank.
That would be considered an unstable parameter/tank.
- Location
- Huntington
The swing from regular to high salinity and back is still very stressful for the fish and especially the clean up crew if you have one.
You do water changes with saltwater. If you add more than you take out to compensate for evaporation you will be increasing the concentration ever further.
- Location
- Brooklyn
It also largely depends on your return area of your sump. My old tank was like 5 gallons of water, my new tank is about 2 gallons. If I let it evap down to the pump and refill it (1.5 gallons) to the top, it's not going to make any real impact as far as density of waste. But if you have a larger return (<~2g), I agree with KC.
- Location
- Huntington
The SG of the water directly effects the fish through osmotic pressure which can be compared to us going through changes in altitude, like on a plane. The only difference is that water is denser and so the slight changes are that much more amplified. A swing of even .001 is enough to stress some fish who must then osmoregulate to equalize the pressure.
The best way to illustrate this is to stick your hand in your tank all the way to the bottom (doesn't matter how many gallons it will work with any tank). Take your hand out and stick it in a clean plastic bag, then put your hand back in the tank to the bottom with the bag on it. With the bag on your hand you should be able to feel the pressure at depth, that your fish live in.
The best way to illustrate this is to stick your hand in your tank all the way to the bottom (doesn't matter how many gallons it will work with any tank). Take your hand out and stick it in a clean plastic bag, then put your hand back in the tank to the bottom with the bag on it. With the bag on your hand you should be able to feel the pressure at depth, that your fish live in.
cool trick. i'm learning, some lessons the hard way. did a major boo boo yesterday! did a water change and cleaned the sand bed. didn't realize that would spike ammonia levels. setup a qt tank today with ready made water and moved all fish but chromis to it. hope it works out
- Location
- Brooklyn
Should be a short spike. Never ever touch the sandbed 
- Location
- Huntington
What would happen if you never flushed your toilet? It's a little more complex than that but you get the picture.
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