Salinity

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Coonie

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This mite sound dumb...or like jibberish lol....but what does everyone do if u did a water change...ur tanks full...but the salinity aint rite up to par? plus when i tested my tank before change ot was at 1.024....the water i mixed over a couple hours time ro/di water was also at 1.024 when i put it in??? any reasons for that? temp of tank is 80....the water i used for the change was 82
 
parksy

parksy

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Take out some water and add a higher strength of salinity mixed water  to bump it up to within range.
 
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Coonie

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could i not mix salty water in a measuring cup or something and add little bits at a time? or is that harmful?
 
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Coonie

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hydrometer...yes i know not that accurate....but i test it 3 times to make  sure...still not a accurate tool
 
davesolo29

davesolo29

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part of the problem is that your salt will not be entirely mixed after only a couple of hours.
pretty much all salts say right in the mixing instructions to mix 24 hours prior to using. 
 
C

Coonie

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oh alrite...ill have to do that next time....but if i mix it too salty and 24h later can i add a little more ro/di to it and dump it right in or wait a little bit? and y did it read 1.024 prior to putting it in my tannk.....i didnt test my tank salinity till 3-4 hours after and it's down to 1.021
 
davesolo29

davesolo29

Super Active Member
you may have taken water that had a lot of salt content..  hence mixing longer so you dont have high and low spots in the water.
also 24 hours gives you plenty of time to match your tanks temperature.
OR>>> using a hydrometer isnt really very accurate.  I know guys that range from 1.020-1.030 checking there tank and rechecking five seconds later.

your tank may not have been 1.024 to begin with or your new water was a lot lower.
 
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Coonie

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id prolly say #1 reason....cause when i first tested new water it was a little low.....stired it up then it was at 1.024...oops
 
davesolo29

davesolo29

Super Active Member
sorry... just realized i never really answered the question tho.

i have added salt directly to the tank many times to make up what i might be low.  just do it slow.  wont take much to get a small tanks salinity up.
 
C

Coonie

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i have a 55g...prolly 40g with all the rock n sand...ill have to try that tomorrow...too late tonite...thanks
 
sunnykita

sunnykita

Super Active Member
I have a spare 30 gal tank sitting empty, so one of the best tips I was given was to mix my water and salt approx - 25 gal WATER, (half the contents of a bag that makes 50 gal of salt water for example) I stir it and use an extra powerhead to circulate overnight and add a heater to bring it to tank temp, makes it so much easier for me, but I know not everyone has an extra tank sitting around empty.
Also, salt levels appear differently at different temps using a hydrometer? correct? The refractometer adjusts for the difference in temp I think? can someone verify that please?
 
Neopimp

Neopimp

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get a refractometer.... I have added salt direct to tank as well... small handful into the sump sometimes.  but mixing slightly stronger water will bring it up slow too. 

Do not get too hung up on numbers.... it more about consistency.  1.024 or 1.026  it doesnt matter too much.  1.021 is  fine for fish, and survivable for snails,crustaceans, and some corals. 

Until you get a refractometer you will be doing nothing but guessing.  Unless you get a good glass lab hydrometer.
 
C

Coonie

Guest
Yeah of course. Just a smaller one tho. I just didn't wait long enough I guess lol
 
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