[slapshot]

I normally keep my salinity around 1.018 to 1.021. I have a fish only tank with a lionfish, snowflake eel, minitus grouper, and a yellow eyed tang with live rock in a 90 gallon tank. Is that a good level?? I am getting conflicting numbers, some say higher, others say lower.....

thanks

[jwtrojan44]

The 1.018 sounds low. I keep both of my FO tanks at 1.024-1.026. All inhabitants do great. I'll be switching my 55 over to a reef beginning after the first of the year. Curious as to whether corals and such need higher/lower salinity than FO tanks. JWT

[tendar]

It is supported by most all books and people that sallinity should be kept at natural sea water of around 1.025-1.026. Some stores keep thiers lower at around your level to help control disease and parsites for thier fish because when they first come in they are more sucseptial to it.

[FMarini]

Hi:
Total agreement here......
keep your salinity at normal ranges 1.024-26.
Its an old wives tale (or mis information) that lowered salinity keeps away disease, particularly ich. While the concept of hyposalinity is true for keeping ich away, you have to keep your water around 1.009-1.010 to prevent and cure ich, not 1.015- and up. IMO there is no need to use lowered salinity except to save money on aquarium salt. (not a good reason)
frank

__________________
To see my 180 gal tank of lions:
http://www.marshreef.org/members/fmarini/index.htm

[slapshot]

OK, thanks for the help. I was getting conflicting stories from different local shops. I will slowly start raising it over the couple of weeks then.......

[Dive_Master]

I had to respond to this one. Keeping salinity low to prevent ICH is bunch of BS. You have to keep it really low and that puts stress on the fish. I would not do it.

The reason the fresh water or lower salinity dips work is because that osmotic shock causes the parasite to die not the low salinity.

You can keep salinity at 1.015 and if it is constant, the parasite will thrive.

You should keep salinity at 1.024 to 1.026. I keep 1.026 in the Reef tank and 1.024 in the Angel tank. I keep it at 1.022-1.023 in my Eel tanks, because they don't care and I am saving on salt.

[slapshot]

OK, I wasn't doing it for any certain reason. I had been told by two stores to keep it lower (1.015-ish), but had been told by other stores recently that 1.022-026 is better.
I have already started to slowly raise it. I am doing a small partial weekly until it raises to .024-ish

Thanks for the help

[NaCl-H2O]

Be werrie of any advise the person you spoke to the fist time gives you. Some people just work at LFS's.

[Triggers]

What, if any, adverse effects could it have on fish if SG is kept at a lower level than natural sea water? i.e 1022 as opposed to 1024.

[Justler]

Doesn't low salinity cause Hole in Head disease? Which triggers can't get . hehe

[the_blue_tuna]

Do you mean LLHE? If so , its widely accepted that its caused from vitamin deficencies and poor water.

[Rin]

My understanding of low salinity is that the long term effects generally lead to an osmotic imbalance within the fish. This can effect everything from absorbtion of nutrients in the body to kidney failure from overwork.

[Triggers]

i thought i read somewhere that most fish can adjust to permanant changes in the sg. not sure how much of a change.

but i think that if you got a young juvinile that was kept at 1022 since you got him that he would adapt normally from the 1024-1025 that he originated from.

I am mostly just guessing here.