I think i messed up big time

[dankent]

For about 9 months I have done PWC's and always made sure my water going into the tank was at 1.023 - 1.025, what i failed to do that i was told last night was check my salinity at the tank as water evaporates but salt stays in the water .... i didnt know that so i have always been topping off with saltwater. So in the last 4 weeks I have noticed my inverts start dieing off and crabs ... couple fish ( blue/green chromis ) die. I have always practiced doing my testing of Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia and Ph :

Ph: 7.4 buffered to 8.2 with Seachem Marine buffer
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0

Even suspected a phosphate issue when i had some algea bloom action and that turned out 0 as well.

So anyway my salinity ended up climbing to 1.035

I am hoping that this will come down with straight RO freshwater PWC's

Any helpful hints other then check the tank water when doing my checks, I have ordered a full time Salinity meter that stays in the tank (PinPoint salinity meter)?

I did an immediate PWC that got it down to 1.030 how long should i wait to bring it down further ?

 

[roka64]

WOW! Sorry to hear about that. When did you do your last PWC? How much? I would give it about two days (I would put the new FW in a bucket and a heater and ph, to try to get the temp/pH as close to your main as possible). Lowering salinity (quickly) is easier on your live stock than trying to get it higher (quickly), so you are headed in the right direction.

 

[melosu58]

I agree that I would wait a day or two before doing another. Dont be in a rush to get it there . Go slowly.

 

[dankent]

Yea I did 10 % last night and did another 10 % this morning to get it to 1.030 of straight RO water. I added the buffer in the pale and had a PH in there as well I let it mix for a couple hours before adding it ... I was thinking I would wait and do another one tonight .. but i can wait 2 days if you think the longer the better but quickly heh ... poor tank inhabitants ... Well for the first time in a week or two the blue/green chromis and both clowns are swimming around, The clowns have been sitting on the anemones and the chromis was under rocks hiding ... but there all out swimming around as i type this, hope thats a good sign heh.


Oh i updated my info to reflect what i am running as that was old ...

 

[roka64]

Actually, if you are only doing 10%, I would get your water ready today and do another 10% PWC tomorrow.
It sounds like your critters are starting to feel better.

 

[tmkx3]

I maybe totally off the mark on this but when I treat my freshwater tanks with salt I always add an aerator. Would this be good also in reverse? Adding more oxygen always helps my freshwater fish when stressed. I also know that dropping your salinity to fast can cause ph problems

 

[roka64]

In SW, the O2 exchange happens at the surface, the more movement, the better the gas exchange. If you put an aerator in SW, it won't help the pH much because the gas exchange doesn't happen until the bubble breaks the surface. It is easier to point a ph at the surface, you will get more surface ripple that way.

 

[dankent]

I have a ph pointed sorta up ... it has a spinner on it and is constantly turning which breaks the surface of the water. I also have a PITA fluval 404 that shoots a bunch of micro bubbles into the tank. hehe which is going in the garbage soon as i have a better solution in place for a while.... big sump or something along that line.

To let everyone know i am sitting at 1.026 now as of this mornings PWC, and will continue to sleep beside the tank checking it ever few hours .... so far everything looks like its back to normal ... even seeing some inverts that i thought were dead moving around now ..

dan