Tank Salinity

[Reef lover24]

Hey all,


My tank salinity was around 1.025 and now all a sudden it has jumped up. What should I do to change this?
thanks

 

[empire]

Jumped up to what? You must be evaporating. Add some RODI. Read up on auto top off units.

 

[Reef lover24]

It jumped up to around 1.030

 

[bkstang]

What do u mean by "around"?

 

[Reef lover24]

My hydrometer I feel is never accurate, its always at something different. Its at 1.030 right now which is high

 

[edd]

get a refractometer their accurate and reasonably priced.
or check your hyd against a friends refract.
are you topping off?

 

[Rob&Gab]

http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/products.htm?item=MA887&ref=gbase&gclid=CJLf7qCKh74CFU4R7AodzCEA2g

a good tester. its very good to invest in All these test kits to make sure your doing good for the tank.

 

[Reef lover24]

I appreciate the help all. I am new to the reef scene and just want to make sure everything goes smoothly. Is this harmful to the fish I currently have in the tank?

 

[rkaragozler]

hydrometers are known to give inaccurate readings from time to time, make sure that when you put it into the tank that their isn't any micro bubbles on the white level. another issue is that the hydrometers are calibrated to a certain temperature. Did the tank temperature change from the last time you checked?

http://www.usc.edu/org/cosee-west/oceanglobe/pdf/temp_densal_chart.pdf

 

[Reef lover24]

The hydrometer sat in saltwater overnight which is recommended to calibrate the needle. And yes the temp is different then the original reading. Just want to know if this is going to harm what I currently have in the tank

 

[empire]

Yes it can be harmful to inhabitants. Definitely get a refractometer. Look into topping off with RODI water. Basically, have a set water level for your tank. When you notice the water level is below that point, add RODI water until you get back to that level. It's a lot easier when you have an auto top off unit. Do you have a sump? Can you post pictures of your tank?

 

[bkstang]

It may if you keep it constantly high. The reef fish live in salinity between 1.023-1.026 in different regions. Some stores keep salinity much lower than this for economical reasons. If you are accurate with the reading I would decrease the salinity by removing a small part of the water and adding RO/DI. You didn't mention how big is your tank and what else beside the fish you have. I assume you may have some CC and they don't respond well to sudden salinity changes so do it slowly, very slowly.

 

[basiab]

Not likely that it 'jumped' up. It takes time to go up due to evaporation. Unless the reason it went up is because you added higher salinity water to your tank. So if it was slowly going up your critters got used to it. And if it was all of a sudden than you would have seen the bad effects by now. In any case it is too high so start to lower it slowly by removing water and replacing the same amount with unsalted water till you get it down. Do this over a couple of weeks. A sudden reduction of salt is also harmful.

 

[Trump]

this might sound silly but I know a lot of people make this mistake as a rookie... when you top off you top off with fresh water, not salt water. you can also clean your hydrometer by letting it sit in some warm water and vinegar. what size is your tank?

 

[QueensRob]

Keep in mind also adjusting magnesium will change salanity. Pm me if interested and I will link u the parts from china to make a cheap auto top off.