Aquarium Salt Mix

Aquarium salt mix is obviously essential to saltwater aquariums.

There is a number of salt mixes out there. And many people have used a variety of them with great success.

Consistant water changes in your saltwater aquarium are very important to keep nutrient levels low as well as replacing trace elements.

The two of the most popular question about saltwater aquarium salt mix are:

Where do you get salt to make saltwater for the fish?
How do I know if I mixed the salt correctly?

Where do I get aquarium salt mix?

Nowadays, hobbyist can simply purchase any one of many manufacturers' salt mixes packed dry in boxes, plastic bags or in buckets.

Synthetic sea salt mixes are an easy and convenient way to make your own saltwater at home.

Salt mix is available at your local aquarium and pet stores and on the internet.

Just follow the directions on the label adding the recommended amount of salt to water.

Then stir the water allowing the salt to dissolve. Salt mix may turn into a rock after you had it for a while.

This happens because of moisture. Seal the container well as soon as you're finished with it to prevent this from happening.

If you have an aquarium salt mix that you bought and packed in a bag, it will be best to store it in a plastic container with a good seal.

Target Specific Gravity Ranges:
1.020 to 1.024 for fish only systems;
1.023 to 1.025 for reef systems.
Target Temperature Ranges:
72-80°F for fish only; 75-78°F for reefs.

It is also a must to have a refractometer .

It measures the salt level in the water accurately.

Just place the refractometer on the aquarium water, dipping it in an angle.

Saltwater should then pass through an opening and will fill it. Simply look through the viewing lens. The line where the blue and white areas meet is your salinity or specific gravity.

Add salt if the reading is too low or water if the reding is too high.

How do I know if I mixed the salt correctly?

Stir the water after adding the salt mix into the water until the salt is dissolved and measure the mixture's specific gravity.

Click here to learn more about salinity and specific gravity.

Use a hydrometer to measure the reading. It's easy to use and they make mixing saltwater a breeze. The most popular style of hydrometer is a plastic box with a floating swing-arm.

As you fill the plastic box with saltwater the swing-arm floats to a scale. This scale tells you how much salt is in your aquarium.

Learn more about the two kinds of hydrometers on this page.

Final Thought

Salt never evaporates, so anytime the water in your aquarium drops due to evaporation, add plain water (without salt added) to fill your aquarium back up.