Two experiments over 21 days were conducted to assess the e¡ect of di¡erent ionic pro¢les (mainly K 1 ) of inland saline water (ISW) on the survival, growth, osmoregulation and moisture content of juvenile greenlip abalone Haliotis laevigata. In experiment I, the juveniles were cultured in ¢ve di¡erent water types: ocean water (OW) as a control, inland saline water (ISW or ISW K 1 0 ), ISW forti¢ed with 33%, 66% and 100% K 1 as in OW (ISW K 1 33 , ISW K 1 66 and ISW K 1 100 respectively). In experiment II, ¢ve di¡erent culture media, 100% OW(control), 75% OW mixed with 25% ISW (ISW 25 ), 50% OW mixed with 50% ISW (ISW 50 ), 25% OW mixed with 75% ISW (ISW 75 ) and 100% ISW (ISW or ISW 100 ), were tested. Within 21 days, all of the abalone in ISW (ISW K 1 0 and ISW 100 ; Na 1 /K 1 ratio of 111 L À 1 ) died compared with 100% survival in OW. One-hundred per cent K 1 forti¢cation of ISW increased the speci¢c growth rate (SGR) and serum osmolality of the surviving juveniles. The 96 h acute LC 50 value was between ISW 50 and ISW 75 . The increased proportion of ISW in OW resulted in signi¢cantly (Po0.05) lower survival, SGR and serum osmolality of juveniles. The moisture content of the juveniles was not in£uenced by any water type. The results suggested that abalone cannot survive in raw ISW, but survival can increase when it is forti-¢ed with K 1 and ionic ratios of ISW are brought closer to OW by mixing it with OW. Furthermore, abalone survival is in£uenced by other ions in ISW besides K 1 .