Enigma

[KookyNewky]

I have had my tank running for over 4 years now and a few days ago I bought a bullseye mandarin and a foxface rabbitfish to add to my community. I had acclimated them both for about an hour as I normaly do with most of my stock. In doing so I lost about 2 gallons of water from my tank. Naturally I went to fill this missing 2 gallons with 2 fresh gallons of saltwater. After adding this water I got a disturbing reading from my Corallife Hydrometer saying that my water was running at 1.016-1.017. The last water change, about 3 weeks ago of 5 gallons, resulted in a specific gravity of 1.023-1.024. My question is where did this salt go?

I have not been expiencing excessive salt creep. The only additive I run is the 2 step calcium buffer system by B-Ionic. I have a 46 bowfront with about 50lbs of liverock, 6 mushrooms (3 green stripe and 3 red), a yellow watchmans gobey, a fiji blue devil damsel, and the 2 fish above with about 15 turbo snails. All under 192w PC lighting.

 

[Anonymous]

You removed 2 g's of salt water and added 2 g's of fresher water maybe.

Did you test the new water?

 

[KookyNewky]

I mixed 2 gallons of saltwater to 1.023-24 than added it to the tank.

 

[Anonymous]

Sometimes it is best to let the water sit/mix awhile. Could it have been a bad reading on the new water?

 

[Rob Top]

is the hydrometer the type you put water into and a gauge floats to the spot? I have heard they are unreliable, over time they get flim build up and become unreliable. Try cleaning it with some vineger, and re test

 

[KookyNewky]

It may have been a bad reading. Usually I have to take three to four readings then tap the hydrometer to remove any airbubble that have stuck to the needle before an accurate reading is given. I usually mix the salt, let it sit for about 10 mins then take my reading making sure there is no salt at the bottom of my mixing bucket. I have been rasing my tanks salinity over the past 2 days since this incident and now I am up to 1.021-1.022. I have been doing this for four years and can estimate how many cups of salt it takes to make a 5 gallon bucket at the right salinity and I do not think that I under estimated the 2 gallons I mixed, atleast not enough to drop the other 35-40 gallons in the tank by .008.

 

[Anonymous]

The salt mix can always be diff from batch to batch I reckon. I think it is always best to check. Good luck.

 

[ChrisRD]

Something doesn't sound right with your readings.

Even if you replaced 2 gallons of saltwater with 2 gallons of freshwater you couldn't have gotten that kind of drop.

You might consider getting your water tested at the LFS, trying another hydrometer, or better yet, just get a refractometer (they are cheap these days). If you're getting a bogus reading you might be raising your salinity too high right now...

 

[Anonymous]

Do you run your skimmer real wet? Do you have autotopoff? Is there anyway a leak could go undetected in your system?

 

[KookyNewky]

Skimmer running really wet? I have a Seaclone 150. It is a venturi style over the back type skimmer.

No auto top-off.

Anything is possible with water leaks but my guess is that I would see it being that I have hardwood floors and my cabinet is made of wood. Years ago I had a small leak that left unmistakeable swelling and warping on my floor boards.