Fishroom Reality Check

[User]

Some parts of this hobby suck.

I prefer to say some parts of the hobby don’t suck.

1/2 full 1/2 empty kinda thing

 

[User]

Got a weird salinity issue in my tank- over the course of 2-3 weeks, my salinity drops from 1.025 to 1.022 or so. I’ve checked the ATO and it’s not overcompensating, the sensors are also very close so demand is frequent but small and the level in the return chamber is spot on consistent

I skim pretty dry.

No leaks.

Where else can salt go, if it’s not a dilution thing?

 

[CL_]

Got a weird salinity issue in my tank- over the course of 2-3 weeks, my salinity drops from 1.025 to 1.022 or so. I’ve checked the ATO and it’s not overcompensating, the sensors are also very close so demand is frequent but small and the level in the return chamber is spot on consistent

I skim pretty dry.

No leaks.

Where else can salt go, if it’s not a dilution thing?

Is your refractometer calibrated? If you use a digital one, do you wait a moment for the temperature to equalize with the glass so the refractometer knows the actual temp of the water it’s testing?

 

[User]

Is your refractometer calibrated? If you use a digital one, do you wait a moment for the temperature to equalize with the glass so the refractometer knows the actual temp of the water it’s testing?

No problem on that front. I use a manual and I check calibration once a week, and every time before the last 7-8 readings since I noticed this issue.

Really racking my brain trying to figure out how I’m getting reduced salinity.

 

[Victoria M]

Leak from plumbing is possible.

 

[Victoria M]

I prefer to say some parts of the hobby don’t suck.

1/2 full 1/2 empty kinda thing

Still true either way...some parts do suck.

 

[User]

Leak from plumbing is possible.

I’ve scoured every inch of plumbing and put paper towels over every joint to visualize any damp spots, but nothing.

Besides- any water lost to leakage gets replaced by ATO. It’s a 300 gallon system. To drop that much salinity I’d have to be losing almost 70 gallons a week.

Definitely scratching my head on this one

 

[CL_]

Something causing it to precipitate out? I’m about out of ideas if there are no leaks and it’s not a measurement error.

 

[Victoria M]

How is the salt creep? Eh, it is a big tank, I dont think that would be it.

 

[Victoria M]

My calibration fluid was off once. I did not know it could go bad.

 

[User]

How is the salt creep? Eh, it is a big tank, I dont think that would be it.

Since switching out the overflow, practically zero. Few grams at most. The change seen would need about 16lbs of salt to come out.

I can easily see that happening with the “supersilent synergy reef shadow overflow” but not with the EMS replacement, since it has a lid that actually works

 

[CL_]

Is your ATO output ever submerged in the tank water? If so, the salt could be diffusing into your ATO.

Do you have any strong fans blowing on the tank? I suppose it’s possible that there’s some spray from the tank water (ie bubbles popping) that’s getting blown away.

 

[User]

Is your ATO output ever submerged in the tank water? If so, the salt could be diffusing into your ATO.

Do you have any strong fans blowing on the tank? I suppose it’s possible that there’s some spray from the tank water (ie bubbles popping) that’s getting blown away.

No on both. I have a peristaltic pump for my ATO and the outlet is 12” above the water surface. It’s never submerged even when my return is off.

Plus, if salt was diffusing into the ATO line, it’ll just end up back in the tank the next time the ATO turns on. Besides, it would need to diffuse 16lbs of salt that’s never replaced to get 300g of 1.025 down to 1.022. I’m not a believer in the theory that this mechanism is relevant to >gram quantities of salt. Even in nano tanks.

 

[User]

This just happened!

 

[User]

Let’s try this again. I like the colour of the red tiger pistol more, but my lfs gave me a big discount on their last brown tiger after I described the doa from the other day. He thinks maybe rough handling made it eject it’s small claw then it got stressed since it couldn’t escape.

 

[User]

Pinchy McPinchyface made it through the night. Once he molts, into the DT with Anna Beth, never to be seen again.

Also- my coral qt has a couple white bugs and a red bristleworm in it. So much for dipping.

So I’m going to redip on the 23rd and move them to the clean 20l to hang out while I go on vacation on the 3rd. Redip again on the 30 day mark and put them in the DT.

They still aren’t doing great. My big gsp hasn’t opened up all week, since I prodded it to try to make the bristleworm move. I’m hoping a dip, then some nice clean conditions for a month will make him happy again

 

[User]

Well, that sucks

Thanks for the non-standard outlet positions, Neptune!

 

[CL_]

I used some 1ft extension cords for my apex to solve a similar problem.

Granted, that’s one more connection for salt to enter [emoji16]

 

[User]

Yeah, I have those, but I’m making custom extension cables to hardwire my equipment into conduit in my fishroom. I’d hoped to use the right angled plugs to reduce the depth of the final cabinet fascia (I wanted the eb8s hidden instead of on show like similar builds) but I can’t get more than 2 plugged in before I get crowding issues.

Basically doing a version of this-

Large Build - Paul’s 240 gallon upgrade!

Junction box is done. We’re past the half way mark. I’ll keep filling hoping to be close by the end of the weekend but I doubt it.

www.reef2reef.com

But cooler because I’m hiding the outlets and adding flashing lights and sirens and that kinda ****

Hi @Dubs83 lol

 

[User]

I was suppose to have this all wired in like 8 months ago- but I’ve been hanging out with this little tornado instead...