| Saltwater aquariums will experience salt creep, there | | | | near your aquarium. |
| is no way around it. You will probably find that it is | | | | Damage to Your Aquarium and Surrounding Area |
| best to not let salt creep get out of control. Salt | | | | Salt creep can damage many of the components |
| creep can quickly become cumbersome to clean if | | | | that are used in or around your aquarium. Salt can be |
| you let it go. Salt will build up on key hardware too, | | | | corrosive and fearsome if you let it get out of |
| and can hamper effectiveness. Salt will build up on | | | | control. |
| heaters. Salt will build up on your protein skimmer. Salt | | | | Salt will corrode cables in certain cases. Salt will |
| creep will build up on your aquarium hood and lighting | | | | sometimes damage wood, carpet, paint and |
| hardware. I could keep going, but you get the idea. | | | | varnished surfaces. |
| Carpet Destruction | | | | A Negative Effect on Aquarium Lighting |
| Salt will fall into the carpet, if you have carpet near | | | | Salt could possibly build up on aquarium bulbs and |
| your tank. Salt is tough to clean out of the carpet if | | | | lighting depending on how well the lighting is |
| it builds up to the point where it becomes a thick | | | | protected from the water. If salt layers start to build |
| crust. Ugh. This is especially a danger if there is | | | | up on bulbs, they will not be as effective in lighting |
| dripping or leaking from your tank or tank hardware. | | | | your aquarium. |
| Dripping and Leaking is a Bad Thing | | | | Salt buildup and is also not good on your acrylic or |
| Keep an eye on the area behind and around the base | | | | glass aquarium tops. This type of salt buildup will have |
| of your tank to make sure that you don't have any | | | | the same negative effect on lighting. Transparent |
| drip issues. You might have hardware or tubing that | | | | hoods need to be cleaned regularly if there is a lot of |
| drips or leaks in a way that doesn't immediately get | | | | salt built up on the surfaces. |
| your attention. You'll want to make sure that you | | | | Just Do It, Clean Up the Salt Creep Often |
| don't let any consistent leakage happen for an | | | | Take a few minutes to wipe down your aquarium |
| extended period of time for any type of aquarium, | | | | and remove the salt creep every couple weeks or |
| whether your tank is freshwater or saltwater. | | | | more often if required. This type of cleanup might |
| Saltwater leaks will have more cleanup consequences | | | | seem like trivial work at times, but it's much easier to |
| than freshwater leaks, at least in my experience. | | | | clean up salt creep before it builds up into a think |
| Saltwater has salt in it, obviously, and that is not a | | | | crust or starts to fall on the floor. Your aquarium will |
| good thing for carpets and other peripheral materials | | | | be much more presentable as well! |