Almost water changes in a year low Salinity

[leighton.bingham]

I stopped doing water changes when I was having so many issues with my tank and everything died off do to Dino minus one fish. So i haven't done water changes and now my salinity is low like a 1.019 . What would cause this?

 

[Boehmtown]

Possible precipitation. Possibly your way of measuring salinity has become I calibrated. Possibly your pump has slowed and the water level has went lower and lower and your ato added fresh to compensate

 

[Lavey29]

Well various things such as skimmer cup filling up and then being emptied.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Thank about anything you do to your tank that would remove water. That is your answer. Salt water out fresh water in.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

I stopped doing water changes when I was having so many issues with my tank and everything died off do to Dino minus one fish. So i haven't done water changes and now my salinity is low like a 1.019 . What would cause this?

From my experience and research, anything that seems 'weird' I do a water change.

 

[bushdoc]

If you have skimmer, than you empty collection cup every now and then ( removing saltwater) and ATO or yourself manually add RODI water, so there's one explanation.

 

[jda]

Simmer cups, drip acclimation, salt creep, etc.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Do you know it was higher previously?

 

[dschuffert]

I am guessing if you have a skimmer, then any skimmate would remove salt water. Over time, adding fresh water from an ATO will slowly lower your salinity. If you have any type of automated water testing, that too takes salt water out of your system for the tests.

 

[leighton.bingham]

Do you know it was higher previously?

Yes it was at 1.026 about two weeks ago. I top off about 1.2 to 1.5 gallons daily. I rechecked the salinity cause my Alk was low. So I was checking everything.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes it was at 1.026 about two weeks ago. I top off about 1.2 to 1.5 gallons daily. I rechecked the salinity cause my Alk was low. So I was checking everything.

Unless you have a massive leak or skimmer overflow, one or both salinity values are test error. To drop from 1.026 to 1.019 means that 27% of the tank water volume was removed and replaced by fresh water (in 2 weeks). There is no other possible explanation.

 

[leighton.bingham]

Unless you have a massive leak or skimmer overflow, one or both salinity values are test error. To drop from 1.026 to 1.019 means that 27% of the tank water volume was removed and replaced by fresh water (in 2 weeks). There is no other possible explanation.

Thank you. I'll recalibrate my Milwaukie tester and try the salinity again.

 

[exnisstech]

Thank you. I'll recalibrate my Milwaukie tester and try the salinity again.

If you don't already have one I would get a second method to test be it a cheap refractometer or a hydrometer. It's always nice to have a second way to test when readings seem off using one method.