Introduction
As you well know the major difference between a freshwater aquarium and a saltwater aquarium is the salt you add to the water to keep your fish alive. So how do you know you have the right amount of salt in your aquarium?
Salt Content
If you operate a saltwater aquarium, congratulations, they are one of the most beautiful pieces of decor you can add to your home, office or business. But you need to know how to maintain your aquarium, especially the salt water content of your tank.
The amount of salt content varies depending on the type of tank you keep. For the basic saltwater tank Pros will keep the specific gravity at their tank at 1.020 to 1.025. Reef tanks are kept by most people in a range of 1.023 to 1.026.
For the optimum amount of salt you need for your aquarium, do some research and find out what the salt content is where your fish or coral come from.
Specific Gravity
I made mention of measuring the salt content of your tank by using specific gravity. Specific gravity is the measurement of the density of water compare to pure water at a specific temperature and pressure.
You can measure the salinity of your aquarium's water by determining its specific gravity by a device called a hydrometer.
Hydrometer
A hydrometer is a must for your saltwater aquarium. It will measure the specific gravity of your aquariums water providing you with information on how much salt you have in your aquarium.
Though not a direct measurement of salt content, it does measure the density of the water that can be related to the amount of salt in your aquarium.
Using a hydrometer to measure the salinity of your aquarium is a lot easier and cheaper than other methods available to measure salt content in your aquarium. Other methods to measure salt content in water include such things as using electrodes (expensive) or boiling a sample of your water down (complex).
Using a hydrometer is accurate and cheaper.
Conclusion
If you own a saltwater aquarium, you will need to have a hydrometer as part of your equipment to successfully keep your tank. You will need this to easily and cheaply measure the salinity of your tank.
There are other methods to measure salinity, but the use of a hydrometer is a lot easier, cheaper and accurate.
J.W. Chase is an amateur Aquarist who has successfully been keeping both fresh and saltwater aquariums for over 35 years. He has extensive knowledge on how to manage an aquarium, keeping all his fish healthy and smiling. His web site has information on keeping salt water aquariums so if you want more tips, strategies and secrets on how to manage a saltwater aquarium go to his site http://homesaltwateraquariums.blogspot.com.
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