salt to high help please

[rainedaypard]

my salt is to high i have been adding regular water to the tank for a week and a half a gallon a day and it wont go down it just keeps going up the reading is 1.029 can anyone give me some advise please been cycling for 2 months know. thank you

 

[bigarn]

what are you using to measure the specific gravity? whatever you're using either isn't working properly or you're reading it wrong.

 

[lesleybird]

Make sure the thing you are measuring with is accurate. If it is then all you have to do is remove some saltwater and replace it with the same amount of freshwater. Do this a little at a time and check each time. Maybe if you mixed the saltwater yourself it was not completely dissolved when you first put it in and is now dissolved? Lesley

 

[patandlace]

What are you measuring with? A refractometer will give you the most accurate measurement. I would do water changes slowly. Remove tank water and add straight RO water. Just don't lower it to fast.

 

[rainedaypard]

i am using a hydrometer i know it is not the best thing. i have premixed my saltwater into a 32 gallon trash can it has been sitting there for 1 month

 

[rainedaypard]

i know the hydrometer works because the water in the trash can is right on
at 1.024

 

[lexluethar]

How do you know it is right on? You are using a hydrometer so it is sure to be off by quite a bit.
I just bought a refractometer from this site, originally my hydrometer was reading a SG of 1.027, with the refractometer it read less than 1.022

 

[trainfever]

Hydrometers are not as bad as everyone says they are. They may not be accurate, but they do not flucuate. Take your hydrometer to your LFS and compare it to their refractometer or anyone you know who has one . Both my hydrometers register 1.026 but on my refractometer it is 1.024. So I know that my hydrometers are off by .002. Compare yours and then you will know how much if at all it is off.
Anyway, I would drain some water in yor tank and add fresh water until your tank settles to where you want it. It could be that you are just replacing the water that is evaporating and not really dilluting the water at all.

 

[gypsana]

Okay I am confused. Why is that too high??

 

[lexluethar]

That is still a 10% margin of error, which is extremely high. Although mine was off by about .007, which is closer to 30%. Either way it is a very high error margin, and when you are dealing with sometimes hundreds of dollars worth of fish - a simle 35 dollar product will save you time, money, and frustration in the long run

 

[gypsana]

I was wondering about the original reading of 1.029.

 

[lexluethar]

Just continue to do water changes, taking out the salt water in the tank and replacing it with RO/DI water. It will not continue to rise unless someone is playing a trick on you and adding salt to the tank while you aren't looking.

 

[symon]

I think all hydrometers are off , take your water to the LFS and find out what your Salt level really is, then adjust accordingly! But they are right you will be much better off to get a refractometer!