Salinity low

Jl330 · Dec 4, 2017

I did a water change and then checked salinity today, 2 days later.

I assumed the new water was the same salinity but it wasn't. Not trusting the lfs on that again.

It's at 1.023, I'd like .026

Should I just top off with .026 water til its where I want it so it comes up slow? Not sure how i didn't get a crash with the big swing before.

Kershaw · Dec 5, 2017

You could top off with salt but. I would just add a little salt to tank a little by little

Jl330 · Dec 5, 2017

Kershaw said:
You could top off with salt but. I would just add a little salt to tank a little by little

My water level is a little low anyway. I'll just bring it up with my top off.

Wish I had something other than instant ocean available.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 5, 2017

Yes, bringing up the salinity by replacing evaporated water with salt water is the best way.

Jason mack · Dec 5, 2017

Kershaw said:
You could top off with salt but. I would just add a little salt to tank a little by little

It’s not recommended too add just salt too a tank with inhabitants.. I would recommend just adding extra mixed salt water in place of rodi top off !!

Kershaw · Dec 6, 2017

Jason mack said:
It’s not recommended too add just salt too a tank with inhabitants.. I would recommend just adding extra mixed salt water in place of rodi top off !!

Never noticed any negative side effects but if it’s bad don’t do it.

Tyler_Fishman · Dec 7, 2017

Yeah, rasing the levels too quickly can have some negative affects... take it from me

Jl330 · Dec 7, 2017

Tyler_Fishman said:
Yeah, rasing the levels too quickly can have some negative affects... take it from me

I mixed up a couple gallons at my desired level and added it slowly over a couple days. My water level was a little low so i was able to add quite a built.

It's pretty close to where I want it and used this as my opportunity to start making my own salt water rather than trusting the LFS and make the switch to reef crystals rather than instant ocean.

Crabs McJones · Dec 7, 2017

If you have an auto top off, turn it off and top off with 1.026 saltwater until your level gets to where you want it. Its not recommended to ever add salt directly into the tank as it can harm your fish and corals.

XNavyDiver · Dec 7, 2017

Jl330 said:
I mixed up a couple gallons at my desired level and added it slowly over a couple days. My water level was a little low so i was able to add quite a built.

It's pretty close to where I want it and used this as my opportunity to start making my own salt water rather than trusting the LFS and make the switch to reef crystals rather than instant ocean.

If ya wanna job done right, ya gotta do it yourself.

chipmunkofdoom2 · Dec 7, 2017

Jl330 said:
I mixed up a couple gallons at my desired level and added it slowly over a couple days. My water level was a little low so i was able to add quite a built.

It's pretty close to where I want it and used this as my opportunity to start making my own salt water rather than trusting the LFS and make the switch to reef crystals rather than instant ocean.

For what it's worth, there's nothing wrong with using plain Instant Ocean. There are plenty of show-quality SPS tanks out there that have used Instant Ocean since their inception. The only downside is that IO actually has fairly high magnesium, calcium and carbonate alkalinity. Most batches I have received measure 450ppm Ca, 10 - 11 dKh carbonate alkalinity and 1,400 ppm Mg.

That's if you consider high Ca, Mg and Alk a downside. If you don't then there really aren't any downsides to IO.

XNavyDiver · Dec 7, 2017

chipmunkofdoom2 said:
For what it's worth, there's nothing wrong with using plain Instant Ocean. There are plenty of show-quality SPS tanks out there that have used Instant Ocean since their inception. The only downside is that IO actually has fairly high magnesium, calcium and carbonate alkalinity. Most batches I have received measure 450ppm Ca, 10 - 11 dKh carbonate alkalinity and 1,400 ppm Mg.

That's if you consider high Ca, Mg and Alk a downside. If you don't then there really aren't any downsides to IO.

I've also heard that it's high in lithium also. Although, if true, I've never heard of negative side effects either.

Jl330 · Dec 7, 2017

I just assumed the reef crystals would be better. Maybe I'm wrong. I got the 44 pound bucket so I'll be using it for a while.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 7, 2017

Jl330 said:
I just assumed the reef crystals would be better. Maybe I'm wrong. I got the 44 pound bucket so I'll be using it for a while.

I don't consider Reef Crystals "better" than ordinary IO. For my circumstances, I actually preferred normal IO for two reasons:

1. I wanted to store the water for up to a month or more as I slowly used it for daily water changes. IMO, that means I do not want organic matter such as vitamins in it that may drive bacterial growth and degradation of the water if not aerated.

2. I used limewater (kalkwasser) for all calcium and alkalinity, and since that has a tendency to very slowly raise calcium, I prefered a lower calcium higher alk mix.

chipmunkofdoom2 · Dec 7, 2017

XNavyDiver said:
I've also heard that it's high in lithium also. Although, if true, I've never heard of negative side effects either.

I have not heard that claim. Ehsan Dashti at Triton claims that lithium contamination is universal in all US aquariums they've tested. Direct quote:

The Americans are all really high on lithium, we don't really know where it's coming from

I would think if all the Instant Ocean samples they tested had lithium levels off the chart and no other brands did, this would be a correlation they'd be able to make rather quickly. Randy Holmes Farley has also said that the typical high lithium results shown in ICP tests should not be of great concern in reef aquaria.

XNavyDiver · Dec 7, 2017

chipmunkofdoom2 said:
I have not heard that claim. Ehsan Dashti at Triton claims that lithium contamination is universal in all US aquariums they've tested. Direct quote: The Americans are all really high on lithium, we don't really know where it's coming from

I would think if all the Instant Ocean samples they tested had lithium levels off the chart and no other brands did, this would be a correlation they'd be able to make rather quickly. Randy Holmes Farley has also said that the typical high lithium results shown in ICP tests should not be of great concern in reef aquaria.