Salinity level WAY too high

[rtparty]

Correct me if my math is wrong. IO sea salt. 1/2 cup for 1 gallon so 1/2 tablespoon for 1 cup?

There is zero reason to do this. You need to weigh salt to be accurate anyway.

Follow the advice above and you are set. Those instructions come directly from Milwaukee.

 

[JosephM]

There is zero reason to do this. You need to weigh salt to be accurate anyway.

Follow the advice above and you are set. Those instructions come directly from Milwaukee.

Okay well how many grams of salt to grams of water. My issue is the only calibration fluid I have came with the Milwaukee and is not reading properly. I just tested with hydrometer and it’s off the charts so the refractometer is obviously wrong I just need the Milwaukee to be accurate

 

[JosephM]

I only have a small RO filter and it takes about 2 hrs to make 5 gallons. I used up all my stored RO to make salt water as I was preparing for the round of water changes ahead. Is this a call for tap water or just wait it out?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

The digital one is temp calibrated. Refractometer is supposedly for beer and wine and other threads said those won’t work

Missed the beer refracto part. If using the Milwaukee, 0 out with distilled and check. If adjustment needs to be made aim for a reading of 1.024 when done adjusting. This gives you room for error.

 

[JosephM]

I have about 9 gallons of water sitting at 1.020 salinity, maybe a gallon of RO, and unlimited tap...

 

[JosephM]

Missed the beer refracto part. If using the Milwaukee, 0 out with distilled and check. If adjustment needs to be made aim for a reading of 1.024 when done adjusting. This gives you room for error.

Yeah I think I got her working. Now the matter of how to safely bring it down

 

[Gtinnel]

Okay well how many grams of salt to grams of water. My issue is the only calibration fluid I have came with the Milwaukee and is not reading properly.

I just got a Milwaukee refractometer recently and I checked it against the test solution that was provided and mine tested off also. I made my own test solution with regular table salt and rodi water based on directions I found from Randy Holmes-Farley and it tested perfect.
I wouldn't worry too much about the test solution that came with your Milwaukee.
Also if you have some cheap kitchen scales it's very easy and cheap to make your own test solution.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Yeah I think I got her working. Now the matter of how to safely bring it down

What is it reading now?

 

[JosephM]

I just got a Milwaukee refractometer recently and I checked it against the test solution that was provided and mine tested off also. I made my own test solution with regular table salt and rodi water based on directions I found from Randy Holmes-Farley and it tested perfect.
I wouldn't worry too much about the test solution that came with your Milwaukee.
Also if you have some cheap kitchen scales it's very easy and cheap to make your own test solution.

Okay thank you for that. I’m confident in it too as hydrometer read off the chart and it goes way past any safe level. Just looking for advice if tap water would be appropriate to use in this situation versus waiting hours for more RO

 

[JosephM]

What is it reading now?

1.039

 

[Eagle_Steve]

1.039

Ok, that’s about why I soak KP rock in for 10 minutes to make critters run out of it lol.

My suggestion is to start making rodi and change out some every 30 minutes to an hour and then retest. Being as their are no fish, it could all be done at once, but I like to take things slow.

Also, has anything run out of the rocks yet? Should at least be some worms and brittle stars. Unless you got the basic live rock from them, but usually those are loaded with amphipods.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Ohh how many gallons of water do you estimate the tank to be. I can do some math and figure out how much you need to take out and how much fresh you need to add in.

 

[JosephM]

Ohh how many gallons of water do you estimate the tank to be. I can do some math and figure out how much you need to take out and how much fresh you need to add in.

I would estimate about a 40 gallon system

 

[JosephM]

@Eagle_Steve
I got got their premium and have seen some bristle worms, a pencil urchin, couple pistol shrimp, a brittle star, a fleshy limprey. I was wondering why they weren’t moving much...

 

[Stuartmercer]

This is something that you have to do gradually otherwise it'll add more stress then what's there. I'd say create a batch of saltwater that is 0.001-0.003 less and over the course of maybe 1-2 weeks bringing it back down to 1.025.

But it would be better do do it a little slower.

 

[JosephM]

This is something that you have to do gradually otherwise it'll add more stress then what's there. I'd say create a batch of saltwater that is 0.001-0.003 less and over the course of maybe 1-2 weeks bringing it back down to 1.025.

But it would be better do do it a little slower.

I feel like at the point it’s at now it’s doing more damage being so high then with a quick change. And they’ve only been in there a few hours. Maybe not all the way to 1.025 but at least to like 1.03 and then go more gradual

 

[JosephM]

I was planning on doing a 12 gallon water change about this time anyways so what if I put in 9 gallons of 1.020 water and 3 gallons of RO water. Not drop all the way to 1.025 but make a significant drop hopefully

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I think you are on the right track. Bring it down fairly quickly to 1.03 and gradually to where you want it.

 

[JosephM]

I think you are on the right track. Bring it down fairly quickly to 1.03 and gradually to where you want it.

Does my water change plan sound pretty decent? KP says to do daily water changes for the first few days so this will help

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I wouldn't dump in the 3 gallons of RO on top but rather do it over the course of a few hours.