Salinity question....

magickyl

magickyl

Member
Hello. I have a new 55 gallon that I set up 2 weeks ago. I just added 40 pounds of LR yesterday. I tested the salinity of the aquarium today and it is at 1.028. Did I add to much salt to the water? If so, what do I do to fix this? Any suggestions where to go from here? How long should I wait before I add a clean up crew? Is there anything else I need to add before I add livestock? What are the best cleaners? I'm new to this, so sorry about all of my questions. Thanks in advace for the help! :needhelp:
 
diadema

diadema

Member
First off - just an FYI.
What you're measuring is specific gravity, not salinity. I assume you're using a swing arm hydrometer to measure it?
You should probably consider getting a refractometer - or at very least double checking the calibration of the hydrometer.
That said, you can adjust the level of the salinity by adding more water. If you don't have the room, take some water out and add more freshwater :)
1.026 is ideal :)
 
f1shman

f1shman

Active Member
You may have added too much salt. To fix this you can continue topping off with freshwater and it should slowly go down, otherwise the next time you mix saltwater make it lower salinity. Wait until your nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia are at 0. When that happens do a 10% water change and if everything is still 0, you can get your first fish. Once you are sure your cycle is complete you can add your clean up crew. Most websites online has recommended clean up crews already made, click reef packages on the left bar on this website, it will help you know what to get. Feel free to ask any questions.
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
adding freshwater to a saltwater system as topoff for evaporation will not reduce the salinity of the water..... Only freshwater evaporates the salt remains in the system.
You will need to remove some saltwater and replace it with freshwater. You can do this right away since you have no livestock in the tank, I recommend a SG of 1.025 which is a salinity of 35ppt.
I second the recommendation to get your swing arm hydrometer checked against a refractometer.
After you get your salinity adjusted you need to start testing for the cycle, look for a rise in Ammonia, then a rise in NItrite, then a lowering of Ammonia, then a rise in Nitrate, then a lowering of Nitrite, then the nitrates should drop.
When Ammonia and Nitrite are 0 and Nitrates have dropped to at least 40, then your tank is cycled and you can do a 25% water change, test for another week to be sure it is stable then you can add a cleanup crew.
 
magickyl

magickyl

Member
Originally Posted by Birdy
adding freshwater to a saltwater system as topoff for evaporation will not reduce the salinity of the water..... Only freshwater evaporates the salt remains in the system.
You will need to remove some saltwater and replace it with freshwater. You can do this right away since you have no livestock in the tank, I recommend a SG of 1.025 which is a salinity of 35ppt.
I second the recommendation to get your swing arm hydrometer checked against a refractometer.
After you get your salinity adjusted you need to start testing for the cycle, look for a rise in Ammonia, then a rise in NItrite, then a lowering of Ammonia, then a rise in Nitrate, then a lowering of Nitrite, then the nitrates should drop.
When Ammonia and Nitrite are 0 and Nitrates have dropped to at least 40, then your tank is cycled and you can do a 25% water change, test for another week to be sure it is stable then you can add a cleanup crew.
Thanks for the help. where are you in Missouri? I'm in St. Peters, Mo.
 
diadema

diadema

Member
technically, Birdy the salinity level does go down over time as the evaporation process isn't as cut and dry (excuse the pun) as "the salt stays, the water leaves".
Over time, the salinity will go down with regular topoff.
But I do agree in this situation, it's best to just change it right away (that's after you confirm that the 1.028 is correct)
 
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