salinity too high! how to safely bring it down?

[scottayy]

I just measured my salinity with my refractometer at 1.027

I then put in a gallon of freshwater to try to bring it down. It did, but it's at 1.026.

Still too high, right?

I'm afraid to put in anymore freshwater as this will be too fast of a change in salinity for my livestock?

Will they be fine at 1.026 for tonight?

I don't know how it got that high. My tank was at 1.025 and I did a PWC today with 1.024 (I wanted to try to bring the 1.025 down a little). And I get 1.027 Maybe I just read it wrong earlier.

But I'm positive it's at 1.026 right now, and 80F.

 

[carey]

I would add the freshwater in the morning, .001 a day seems reasonable enough to me.

I had the opposite problem today, I was at 1.023 and mixed enuf to get to 1.024. lol

 

[hackteck]

i dunno how but i got mine at exactly 1.025 i thought for sure i didnt meaure it properly i did it by eyesight lol

 

[scottayy]

So you don't think my fish will suffer overnight at 1.026?
All other test readings are fine.

 

[hackteck]

i doubt it, havent they been in there for a while with it being 1.027? i doubt it will harm them any being at 1.026

 

[scottayy]

About 5 hours at 1.027, then added a gallon fresh to bring it to 1.026

I'm sorry to my little fellers

 

[scottayy]

i dunno how but i got mine at exactly 1.025 i thought for sure i didnt meaure it properly i did it by eyesight lol

wow, impressive!

 

[joy13]

How are you measuring your SG? It is worse to change the SG to fast than let it stay up awhile.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

1.026 is average for natural sea water. I wouldn't be overly concerned. Just mix your PWC water a little on the low side for a while until you get the tank where you want it.

 

[Krypt]

+1 for Kurt's tip. I keep my tank at 1.0267 for my corals and inverts, been that way since I started it over a year ago. Fish do just fine in it.

 

[iDream]

Yeah, that's what I've heard is that 1.026 is where you should be for a reef, and debating answers for FOWLR and FO tanks.

 

[Purevil21]

1.026 is absolutely nothing to worry about. Ocean water has an SG of 1.027. Just go a little light on the salt for your next water change, I keep my tank between 25-27. Back in my early days before I knew what a refractometer was, I was keeping my water at 1.030 because my hydrometer said it was 1.024. But that was long ago, never had a loss from it.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Yeah, that's what I've heard is that 1.026 is where you should be for a reef, and debating answers for FOWLR and FO tanks.

I know FO/FOWLR are often recommended to be kept at lower salinities than reef, but I've never really seen a good reason given for that. Fish are fish and they live in the ocean - which has a salinity of 1.026-1.027, on average. For the long term health of the fish, they should be kept in the environment they're made for. The whole "lower salinity prevents disease" doesn't scientifically hold true when you look in to it. The only thing good to be said about lower salinity is that you save $ on salt - but that doesn't really help your fish much.

 

[Purevil21]

I often wondered where the lower salinity numbers came into play, I was told by my lfs they can more efficiently profuse oxygen and food and therefore create less waste in lower salinity. The whole intent is to reduce the amount of waste put on your filtration, I have no idea how accurate that is. Lol

 

[scottayy]

Oh well all of that is very good news!

Before I read this, anyways, I exchanged a gallon of my tank water for a gallon of freshwater and got it down to 1.025.

I think I'll try to slowly bring it down to 1.024 and keep it there (it seems a safe, in recommended range, number)

All my fishies are golden

 

[scottayy]

Oh here's a good question.. as water evaporates does the SG go up?

 

[Purevil21]

Not usually, salt creep occurs.

 

[iDream]

It does actually. The water evaporates, but the salt doesn't, even if you're getting salt creep.

Hence why you top-off with FW, to put the salinity back in check, replace only the water that was evaporated, not the salt.

 

[amdninjaboy]

Yep, SG will rise as evaporation occurs.. Thats where an ATO comes in handy.. I have been running my tank at 1.023, its FO, using a swing arm hyrometer.. Just got my refractometer last night and checked it, according to that its at 1.028.. DOH! From what I understand with the lower salinity in a FO/ FOWLR it allows more O2 in the water and also helps with parasites/infections in the fish.. Read that a few times not sure if it is true.. Also it saves salt running the tank at 1.022 compared to 1.028..

Shane.