I cant raise my salinity!!!!

joshr

joshr

Member
Help I cant raise my salinity level!!

I took out 1 gallon then added a half a cup of reef crystals.
Waited an hour did the exact some thing no difference

And my hydrometer cant give an acurate reading one test it will be low then another it will be super high!!!
And their arent any bubbles in the hydrometer!
So what can I do to raise it!
 
forddna

forddna

Member
Wait longer. You have plenty of water movement? Take a sample to the LFS and have them test with a refractometer.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
first of all, it's common for a hydrometer to be innacurate.
a refractometer is much more reliable.
how are you adding salt? straight to the tank?
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
First, don't add salt directly to the tank. What is the SG reading now? Hydrometers are inaccurate. Bring a sample to your LFS to have it tested.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by forddna
http:///forum/post/2592409
Unless it's just being set up..then it's fine to add salt straight to the tank water.

It is not fine to add it directly to the tank if it is not just being set up. I wouldn't think that it would be an emergency if nothing was in there. We will wait and see what the OP says though.
 
joshr

joshr

Member
First off I took it off to the LFS they tested it they told me to do this.
I put 1 gallon of water into a seperate bucket then aded 1/2 cup of Reef crystals.
And I dont really have much movement I was thinking of getting a hydor koralia but didnt have money with me.
 
ibew41

ibew41

Active Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/2592416
It is not fine to add it directly to the tank if it is not just being set up. I wouldn't think that it would be an emergency if nothing was in there. We will wait and see what the OP says though.
agree dont add salt straight in the tank
 
ibew41

ibew41

Active Member
when you mix your new water you should do it in a container with a heater set at the same temp as your tank also with a power head and leave it for 24hrs
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by Joshr
http:///forum/post/2592421
First off I took it off to the LFS they tested it they told me to do this.
I put 1 gallon of water into a seperate bucket then aded 1/2 cup of Reef crystals.
And I dont really have much movement I was thinking of getting a hydor koralia but didnt have money with me.
Did they tell you what the reading was? Pre-mixing the water in a bucket is th way to go. Do you have any power heads in the tank? What size is the tank and what stock is in there?
 
dse

dse

Member
Originally Posted by Joshr
http:///forum/post/2592392
Help I cant raise my salinity level!!

I took out 1 gallon then added a half a cup of reef crystals.
Waited an hour did the exact some thing no difference

And my hydrometer cant give an acurate reading one test it will be low then another it will be super high!!!
And their arent any bubbles in the hydrometer!
So what can I do to raise it!
how long are you waiting for it to be tested?
are you putting the salt in the water in the bucket or add water to the salt to the bucket?
i use reef crystals best way to get it to mix faster is add salt to the bucket spead the salt evenly.

then add water slowly
the once the water allmosts starts to raise over the salt stir slowly keep in mind dont rush the water in.

once the bucket is half full add a power head whilst still stiring.
once you maxed the bucket to the level of require leave the salt to mix make sure theres no salt on the bottom of the bucket.

leave the power head in.
i use two tho mine are 3 imp gallons(buckets) thats like 4-5 gal usa.
leave it for approx two to three hours test it.
that should be anuff.
also make sure youra adding the correct ammount for the correct ammount of water.
use buckets with markers on to help you.
also is your reef crystals in date?
try that out you wont go wrong my salt is allways bang on 1.024
also make sure your hydrometer is allways clean and use a hydrometer thom.
i use both and cant go wrong i dont use the over the top stupidly priced refractrometer or how ever you spell it lol.
 
joshr

joshr

Member
Ok, I have no stock second I use reef crystals and yes the LFS showed me my reading.
My tank is still cycling and I have no clue what a power head is

It seems to be at 1.022 right now so its ok now.
However can someone tell me what a power head is
And This is a 24g aquapod
 
nordy

nordy

Active Member
Powerhead=pump and or circulator. I got a couple of really small/cheap ones to put in my 5 gal buckets and keep water circulating and to get the salt properly mixed for a day or 2 before doing water changes. When checking SG with a hydrometer, readings can differ greatly depending on where in the tank you get your water sample, if you don't have adequate circulation. If you still need to raise your SG, I suggest adding some premixed regular saltwater when topping off, instead of fresh water as you normally would do when topping off. Add less rather than more when going this way so as not to add too much salt.
 
forddna

forddna

Member
Powerhead is a small, submersible pump that just moves water in your tank. Pretty essential to a saltwater tank.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by Joshr
http:///forum/post/2592477
Ok, I have no stock second I use reef crystals and yes the LFS showed me my reading.
My tank is still cycling and I have no clue what a power head is

It seems to be at 1.022 right now so its ok now.
However can someone tell me what a power head is
And This is a 24g aquapod
You have nothing in the tank? It isn't cycling unless an ammonia source is added. 1.024 isn't terribly low. You will need a power head and a refractometer. Have you looked into buying live rock yet?
forddna, you have my apologies. There was nothing in this tank and the salt crystals could have been added.
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
Even though a Hydro is inaccurate, it should still show whether sg goes up or down if they're using the same one to do all tests.
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2592992
Even though a Hydro is inaccurate, it should still show whether sg goes up or down if they're using the same one to do all tests.
I have to disagree with this, back when I didn't know any better and used a hydrometer I could take five samples from the same bucket and get 5 different readings so when you get results like that it is difficult to tell whether you are increasing the salinity. Sometimes I would test and it would be low then add salt and retest and the reading would be lower than the first. It used to take me 30min to prepare water for a water change with the hydrometer because of constant rechecking to be sure it was right, now I can do it in less than five minutes with a refactometer.
 
joshr

joshr

Member
Heres the deal I intended to buy LR yesterday but thats when I found out my salinity was too low.
Then today i took out 2 gallons and added 1 cup of reef crystals.
Now it is currently 1.021 and was 1.022 a few hours ago.
I just bought a magfloat also
(BTW is an aquapod glass?)
 
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