Simple Salt Water Mixing Salinity Adjustment Calculator - Easily Correct Your Saltwater Mixing Mishaps
Welcome to Simple Reefs. Maintaining the perfect salinity is one of the most critical aspects of a healthy saltwater or reef aquarium. Even fairly small fluctuations can stress fish and coral, particularly in tanks with delicate SPS. But what do you do when you are mixing your salt water and just can’t get the salinity right? Well, we are here to help with just that as we are bringing you this Simple Water Mixing Salinity Adjustment Calculator.
This calculator is designed to help you get your water mixed up perfectly. Whether you have added too much salt and now need to lower the salinity or just can’t seem to reach that golden 36PPT number. Simple Reefs is here to help. We can tell you exactly how much water you need to add to bring the salinity down or how much salt to take it up.
Note: Please keep in mind that Simple Reefs is a very new website. Some information may be incomplete, some links may not be active, and some articles may be unfinished. Please bear with us while we build.
What Does The Calculator Do?
This calculator was born from a frustrating situation that I find myself facing all the time. When mixing salt water, I use a simple measuring jug that came with my salt. Seems like a great idea, right? Simple, quick, convenient. Well that’s all well and good until, for whatever reason, that mixture comes up short.
Unfortunately, it happens a ton. This can be down to different salt manufacturers having different mixing parameters for their salt other other external factors. You throw in what you think is the perfect amount of salt before realising that your salinity isn’t 1.025 like you wanted it to be, it is 1.022 or, even worse, 1.030. Now you need to add more salt or more freshwater and it suddenly becomes a big time guessing game.
Let’s be honest, guessing how much freshwater to add to lower your salinity, or how much salt to mix in to raise it, can be a frustrating and risky process. That’s where this calculator comes in. This calculator does all the work for you.
How Does The Water Mixing Salinity Adjustment Calculator Work?
This Salt Water Mixing Salinity Adjustment Calculator is designed to remove the guesswork. By simply entering the volume of water in your mixing bucket, the water’s current salinity reading, and your target salinity, this simple tool instantly calculates the precise amount of freshwater you need to add to lower your salinity, or the exact amount of salt required to raise it.
Even better, if you need to increase the salinity of your water, you can also enter the actual mixing requirements of your specific brand of salt to make the calculator even more precise. Say, for example, you are using Seachem’s more concentrated brand of salt mix, Vibrant.
You find the actual parameters on the box, in this case 31 grams of salt in 1 litre of water equals a salinity of 1.023sg, enter them into the bottom part of the calculator, and the calculator will do all the tricky stuff for you to dial in the amount of salt needed even more accurately. It’s ridiculously simple.
A Few Things to Consider
There are a few things to keep in mind when using this calculator. One is that the calculator assumes a standard water temperature of 25°C (77°F) when calculating the salinity. Salinity, especially where Specific Gravity (SG) is concerned is temperature dependent. I went for this particular temperature because it is fairly universal and I use a brand of salt that actually requires the water to be that specific temperature before adding the salt. Remember, I make these calculators to make my own life easier as well as the reader’s.
It also requires you to specify the quantity of water in litres or US gallons depending on your chosen unit of measurement. It should automatically detect PPT or SG when used in their standard format. Always be sure to add the salt gradually when trying to increase salinity. Add half the suggested amount, check with a refractometer, and then add the rest. The same goes for fresh water. Don’t dump it all in at once, add half the stated amount, check, and then add some more.
Always follow your salt manufacturer’s instructions. If it tells you to wait 24 hours before testing salinity, make sure you do just that. Always be sure to perform one final check of the salinity using your preferred method, preferably a calibrated refractometer, before adding to your tank.
Salinity Adjustment Calculator 🧂
The calculator will auto-detect if you enter Specific Gravity (e.g. 1.025) or Parts Per Thousand (e.g. 35).
Your Salt Mix Properties
Enter the information from your salt mix container to calculate how much salt to add accurately. You can usually find this on the box or bucket your salt came in or in an instruction leaflet included with the salt. It will typically include a value such as 25g of salt in 1 litre of water will create 1.023sg saltwater. If you don't know, leave it blank and the calculation will use a standardised number.
⚠️ Important: All calculations, especially those involving Specific Gravity (SG), assume a standardised water temperature of 25°C (77°F). This is not a perfect calculation. Salinity measurements are temperature-dependent. Always be sure to measure mixed water with a calibrated refractometer to confirm final salinity.
This tool is designed to be a helpful guide, but you are responsible for verifying all results in your own system. For more information, please read our full Disclaimer Notice before using the calculator.
