hi been running my tank for 7 wks withliverock,inverts and 4 fish everything is doing well. used my hydrometer all this time with a salinty reading at the 1.023 mark. Well today i wanted to insure my investment for my fish one being a purple tang$$$ and bought a refractometer which gave me a different reading of 1.028 which is out of the window so to speak. that is quite a variance. What are the repercussions of the salinty being this high even though the fish are thriving, and how do i correct the salinty level in the proper way? Thanks
72G Bowfront w/ overflow
Megaflow 2 Sump
ASM G1X protein skimmer
200w heaters x 2
950 gph magdrive return
Koralia 4 powerheads x 2
Sundial lighting w/daylight/actinic/moonlighting
2 Ocellaris clowns, 1 yellow tang, 1 rigilius goby, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 lawnmower blennie, 1 flame angel, and a bunch of snails and hermits!
Posts: 346
To correct the salinity remove a small amount of saltwater and replace with ro/di water or whatever fresh water you use during water changes. Be sure to change small amounts, a gallon or two at a time, and that should do the trick. Just check the salinity after replacing with fresh water.
That actually was about the difference in readings from my hydro to me refracto. I agree, remove some SW and replace with FW.
Mtlion is correct, I would only add don't do a few gallons at a time if you have a small tank.
What size tank do you have?
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46g SW bowfront, 196W Coralife PC fixture, 2x 100W heaters on a Johnson Controls controller, AquaC Remora Pro skimmer (Mag3 pump), Marineland Magnum HOT cannister, Marineland 100 Penguin Biowheel (for transfer to QT), and a Koralia 2.
70 lb of live rock, and 4+" sand bed.
Various nassarius, turbo, trochus, astrea snails, a Tongan conch, and 4 small hermits, as well as a skunk cleaner shrimp.
3x Blue Chromis, Bangaii Cardinal, O.Clown, and a yellow clown goby.
Mostly LPS corals, with a few SPS thrown in high in the tank.
Agree with the others, but also want to add that 1.028 isn't THAT far above where it can be. Granted... FOWLRs often times run lower salinity, but having a salinity of 1.026 is pretty normal for a reef.
A refractometer is more accurate, just make sure it's calibrated. You can check the calibration by applying freshwater and making sure it reads 0 . If not adjust up or down.
__________________ "Ocean: A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills."
46g SW bowfront, 196W Coralife PC fixture, 2x 100W heaters on a Johnson Controls controller, AquaC Remora Pro skimmer (Mag3 pump), Marineland Magnum HOT cannister, Marineland 100 Penguin Biowheel (for transfer to QT), and a Koralia 2.
70 lb of live rock, and 4+" sand bed.
Various nassarius, turbo, trochus, astrea snails, a Tongan conch, and 4 small hermits, as well as a skunk cleaner shrimp.
3x Blue Chromis, Bangaii Cardinal, O.Clown, and a yellow clown goby.
Mostly LPS corals, with a few SPS thrown in high in the tank.
Better yet, get some 53.0 mS calibration fluid meant to calibrate electronic salinity meters. Using it, your refractometer should read 35 ppt, or a little higher than 1.026. That way, you're calibrating in the range you're normally measuring at.
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