HELP HELP HELP SERIOUS PROBLEM!!!!!

[Aquattro]

Do a water change, buy some good test kits (Elos or Salifert) and retest. If your alk was 27, everything would be dead, so it's not 27. Ca is way too low and if you're using any good brand name salt, your number is off there as well.
To confirm, test the new water you make and post the brand of salt and the values. And find a good LFS that will give you better advice.

[Aquattro]

And get that refractometer and get your salinity to 35ppt.

[Nano]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

And get that refractometer and get your salinity to 35ppt.

money isnt exactly my strong point at the moment I had my hydrometer compared to a refractometer though and its .003 high

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by nanomano

money isnt exactly my strong point at the moment I had my hydrometer compared to a refractometer though and its .003 high

I did the same, but it will drift on you. Trust me. A refractometer is an essential piece of equipment

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

And get that refractometer and get your salinity to 35ppt.

Good point
Now I feel bad for not even spotting that
You're @ 1.023
You know that's low right?

[Nano]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

Good point
Now I feel bad for not even spotting that
You're @ 1.023
You know that's low right?

see now big als told me 1.023.. they are the reason I am failing at this! you guys are the reason I am correcting my mistakes. thanks so much so should I mix up some fresh saltwater at a higher salinity say around 1.026? to start raising it?

[gregzz4]

If you've been running it for awhile @ 1.023 I'd suggest you bring it up slowly. Like over the next week. Otherwise you'll just upset everyone
Remember, nothing good in a SW tank happens quickly

[Nano]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

If you've been running it for awhile @ 1.023 I'd suggest you bring it up slowly. Like over the next week or 2. Otherwise you'll just upset everyone
Remember, nothing good in a SW tank happens quickly

so if I have a 20 gallon tank, and I do a 20% wc at a salinity of say 1.024-1.025 is this too much? or should I do like 10%

[gregzz4]

Hopefully someone more experienced than myself will chime in here...
I'd think you'd want to change small amounts daily with a higher SG
How much I can't say, my reef is still on the drawing board

And stick to your regular WC routines
Don't go nuts...slow changes

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by nanomano

see now big als told me 1.023.. they are the reason I am failing at this!

That won't do anything bad, but the values people post for Ca and Alk are for natural seawater conditions, which, on most equatorial reefs, is 35ppt at 80 degrees F