got some questions please

so ive setup my tank now but i have some concerns, first the water level in my sump keeps going down fairly fast, is this attributed to the dry rock absorbing water? That leads to my second question....when do i, or should i already have added my salt...i didnt want to add salt till i was totally sure there was no leaks. Im certain theres no leaks but where the heck is the water going and if it is being absorbed by the rocks should it be saltwater...

any help would be appreciated

 

Sounds like there is a leak in your tank or sump. Dry rock woul displace water and make the water level higher.

 

right? thats what i thought, but eventually wouldnt that dry rock become saturated rock and would that cause the water level to drop....i am certain there is no leaks, ive checked, checked, and rechecked, im losing about an 1/16th of an inch an hour average...

Its kinda like ice in a water glass, as the ice melts your volume stays the same, is that the same rule with water and rock lol?

 

I don't think the rock would pull that much out though. Unless it had a lot of pinneaple sponges on it...
Check under the sump maybe?

 

If the SG specific gravity is staying the same most likely a leak, if the SG is climbing most likely evaporation. Evaporation happens a lot faster than most newer people think. A tank with an open lid display and sump can loose a lot of water in 24 hours during the summer.

 

+1
kind of like the 12 to 15 gallons a week my setup uses.

 

Yeah define fast? how big is the tank? how much water are you loosing? What is your s.g.? is your s.g. staying the same?

 

The op staed losing about 1/16" per hour.

 

I saw that, but what the heck does that mean? How big is the display and how big is the sump? I have no idea if that is a lot of water based on the size of the system, or how much water that is, as I don't know the size of the system. For example, if you have a 100g display, with a 10g sump, that would be nothing and probably typical evaporation. If you have a 100g display with a 100g sump, that would be a lot and would suggest a leak. So, we need more info or we are just throwing darts blindly at the board...

 

If I was you, I would go ahead and add salt. I would do this simply because like Corailline said, you will be able to tell if you have a leak or if it is simply evaporation.