Salt buildup

[Bashbro]

I am noticing a lot of buildup of hard salt on the glass top of my tank. The top is actually cracked too and on the crack lines i am getting a lot of salt just buildup up into clumps on the glass. Mostly even on top of the glass...

does everyone have this "problem"? Are my lights too bright/close? am i losing too much to evaporation? is there any way to prevent this?

 

[valasaraptor]

its salt creep,its completely normal i hope its all over my tank and equipment

 

[BL1]

It's normal, I just wipe it off once a week. Make sure not to get any of it back in your tank, as it will mess with your salinity

 

[dcantucson]

Normal. In the old days of undergravel filters and air stones there was tons of it. And I do mean tons.

 

[Solarfall]

It's normal, I just wipe it off once a week. Make sure not to get any of it back in your tank, as it will mess with your salinity

I actually read somewhere that you should wipe it back into the tank. Might've been "The conscientious marine aquarist". Not really sure though.

 

[dcantucson]

I actually read somewhere that you should wipe it back into the tank.

Words of caution. It can burn corals and such if it falls on them before it dissolves.

 

[Bifferwine]

Glass tops? Why? Remove them! Problem solved! And many other problems that you may have in the future averted!

 

[ccCapt]

+1 Biff :)

 

[Dakwan]

I actually read somewhere that you should wipe it back into the tank. Might've been "The conscientious marine aquarist". Not really sure though.

Yeah it's in there

he states to knock it back into the tank but to be careful it dissolves and to ensure you don't knock it onto any livestock.

His reasoning for this is because of the trace elements, that the salt creep pulls out of the water with the salt, should be put back into the system.

 

[Bashbro]

what if i just throw it back into the sump?

 

[Bifferwine]

That would be fine.

 

[Dantitan]

Glass tops? Why? Remove them! Problem solved! And many other problems that you may have in the future averted!

I have glass tops. What type of problems does it cause? (sorry, not trying to jack the thread) :D

 

[Bifferwine]

Probably the most common problem is overheating -- glass tops trap heat inside the tank and prevent evaporation -- which is the tank's way of cooling itself. Another problem is that they tend to block the light. But that's not such a big deal if you have good lights. A third problem is that they cut back on the oxygenation of the water. You run the risk of oxygen-depriving your livestock if you use glass tops.

They don't cause problems for everyone, and some people that have fish that are prone to jumping probably don't have any better options than glass tops.