Most beginning texts choose to describe the salinity in terms of specific gravity, and go on to relate how one measures it with a hydrometer. This reef gets 10% biweekly water changes with 100% Marine Environment® dual phase formula™. Making saltwater for your aquarium begins with finding a pure water supply. Normally a fresh water fish, they can acclimate to salt water. 79 degrees what specific specific gravity: dickbic: Water Chemistry Archive: 9: 2001-02-20 20:02:00: how to make a reef gravity drain: skilter: General Reef Discussion: 3: 2002-09-07 12:47:01: is specific gravity or conductivity more accurate in a reef tank: Dipstick: General Reef … how do i lower specific gravity in salt water tank? Specific Gravity is the measurement of the density of water, and is expressed as a decimal. Reef tanks do best with a specific gravity close to their natural habitat. To raise salinity, just top off with salt water instead of fresh water until it reaches what you want. 0 0. Do this in small batches until the specific gravity is right. If you're a fish fan with a saltwater aquarium, you probably already know that you need to keep the specific gravity -- a proxy for salinity -- within a narrow range, and to do that you add fresh water to replace water lost through evaporation. Ideally you’ll be looking for a salinity of 34 to 36 ppt or a specific gravity from 1.021 to 1.026. Some people take them from fresh water and put them into their salt water tanks with great success. Lv 7. An extreme case of this is the Molly. Safe Water to Use for Mixing Saltwater. Read on for another quiz question. add more salt or plain water. Answer Save. Within a species not all fish will react the same to a change in salinity. Marine fish do best with a slightly lower SG. Salinity is typically measured in parts per thousand (ppt) or specific gravity (sg). I am a fairly new salt water tank owner and have been suffering through initial loss of fish, difficulty maintaining specific gravity, algae growing abundantly. These devices provide values for specific gravity or salinity. Pure freshwater has a Specific Gravity of 1.0. Some species of fish are more sensitive to salinity swings than others. The salinity of the ocean is actually ~ 35 g/L, but for your saltwater aquarium, it is more common to measure the specific gravity of the water as a proxy for salinity, because of how easily specific gravity can be measured. Salinity is the measure of dissolved salt content in water. One question that every marine aquarist faces is the amount of salt to add to the tank. The best way to lower your tank's specific gravity is to remove some salt water and replace it with dechlorinated fresh water. Ideal reef tank salinity level–measured as specific gravity. Relevance. The more salt in your water, the higher your readings will be. Favorite Answer. Most people, if asked, would probably tell you that their reef aquarium is running at an S.G. (Specific Gravity) of 1.025. This 55 gallon reef maintains a specific gravity of 1.024 at 77°F/25°C. W elcome to the surprisingly complicated world of specific gravity!. Our reef tank is about 1.024 to 1.025 depending on its mood Normally it's stable at 1.024. Saltwater aquarium salinity is usually kept between 1.020-1.028sg. 2 Answers. Nex. 1 decade ago. To decrease it, take a gallon or similar measurement (depending on tank size) and add a gallon of fresh. Saltwater aquariums are usually maintained at a S.G. of 1.020-1.026, depending on the type of organisms maintained in the aquarium. specific gravity is how much a milliliter of water in the tank weights (in gram) to lower it you add RO water (free of any salt) to increase it you add salt. It'll take a few days, but that's a good thing. I was told not to start with fish first and then add the invertebrets and the tank was stable. When I first set up the tank I had visions of having a reef tank with only a small number of fish.