salinity spiked to 1.029 from 1.024

Nano · #1 11-11-2011, 08:02 PM

I dont know! lol evaporation perhaps? I could have made a mistake too though I am new... I have done a 25 percent water change and lowered it to 1.027 tomorrow I will try to get it back to 1.025 does this sound good?

Brightwhite · #2 11-11-2011, 08:05 PM

Any chance your adding salt into your top offs?

What size is your tank? That's quite the increase.

Wayne · #3 11-11-2011, 08:06 PM

How are you checking your salinity? What size of tank do you have to have that big of a salinity swing.

Nano · #4 11-11-2011, 08:10 PM

its only 20 gallons and The last top off I did I saw there was evaporation so I figured the full dose of sat was not required in fact I did less then half! I use a hydrometer by instant ocean. Should I just be adding fresh water for top offs? or very very mild amount of salt water? again guys I am new so I am making cllassic mistakes I'm sure

Ryan_Lap · #5 11-11-2011, 08:12 PM

When topping up your tank due to evaporation only use RO. No need to add any salt at all since the salt does not evaporate.

Nano · #6 11-11-2011, 08:13 PM

ok thanks I will do this in the future! Again sorry you guys I didnt know and thats why I'm here!

chopperman · #7 11-12-2011, 12:56 AM

One thing I learned when using my coralife hydrometer is that if I didn't rinse it out with freshwater everytime I used it, salt residue and bubbles would cause inaccurate readings (Learned the hard way) I have since got a refractometer because of better accuracy.

Nano · #8 11-12-2011, 01:16 AM

yes so I have heard. I am now in the market for one as well... didnt realize I was going to be spending $80++ ugh...

Nano · #9 11-13-2011, 12:59 AM

Nice. got it down safely to 1.026 today, still the only coral affected by all of this is my xenia.. I'm not sure its going to come back.

Myka · #10 11-12-2011, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanomano

I have done a 25 percent water change and lowered it to 1.027 tomorrow I will try to get it back to 1.025 does this sound good?

That will be fine. It is more stressful to inhabitants to go up in salinity than to go down. For example, when doing a hyposalinity treatment you can take fish down to 1.009 in 24 hours, but going back up will take 5-7 days depending how the fish are coping.