Salt spike????????

[KittenBoo]

Seriously guys help a girl out. I'm lost! Our premise water tests at 1.028. A little high I'll give you that. Water tested the same on Saturday in the tank. Tonight it's off the charts!!!!! Over 1.032. what the heck is going on????? I lost my blue hippo maybe losing my dart fish now too. We had a plate coral that died yesterday but that's it. I'm freaking out. I know it happens but I'm lost. Been at this for many years now off and on due to time and $$ [emoji6]

 

[cmcoker]

How are you measuring?
If refractometer, have you used a 1.026 calibration solution?
How is your tank setup for top off?

 

[KittenBoo]

I top it off manually. We have led lighting so it isn't usually the big of a deal. I'm measuring with a swing arm.

 

[KittenBoo]

Did a water change and got it down to 1.026-1.027. At least that's better than it was. Hopefully all my fish survive. I'm still stuck on what happened though.

 

[cmcoker]

I would verify your reading at a LFS, swing arms are pretty notorious for being inaccurate/inconsistent.
I use a refractometer and would recommend that over a hydrometer. Even with my refractometer, I use a calibration solution regularly to verify my reading.
If you are replacing evaporation to the same level with rodi, you shouldn't be seeing the level swing that much in a few days.
Do you make your own rodi? Saw someone that lfs put saltwater in their rodi jug, and they lost some fish before they realized what happened

 

[Paranoiattack91]

I top it off manually. We have led lighting so it isn't usually the big of a deal. I'm measuring with a swing arm.

You are topping it off with fresh water not salt water right? Also, never trust a hydrometer, spend a few extra dollars on a refracometer

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are you careful to make sure the tank water level is the same each time you measure salinity?
Or at least recognize that when the water is lower the salinity will be higher.

 

[KittenBoo]

Always using fresh water to top off. It's just really strange.

 

[jsker]

Were is the tank temperature at?

 

[KittenBoo]

76 are you thinking that could be part of it? I don't use a chiller on my nano but I always have on my 180.

 

[webbrage]

what do you want the water around?

 

[jsker]

When the temperature fluctuates your salinity. When the temperate is higher will go higher and when the temperature goes down the salinity will go down in the tank. I am also referring to the tank temp not outside of the tank temp. I am just putting this out there, for the reason that it spring and the inside of the house and outside temperature is staring to warm up and cool at night. I do not know if you have AC and if you have a inexpensive heater. The heater my not be able to keep up with the ambient temperature changes.

 

[KittenBoo]

Ok got ya! We always keep our house between 75-78. If it's hotter than that we usually turn on the ac. The tank isn't near any Windows or drafts so it's usually pretty consistent

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

When the temperature fluctuates your salinity. When the temperate is higher will go higher and when the temperature goes down the salinity will go down in the tank. I am also referring to the tank temp not outside of the tank temp. I am just putting this out there, for the reason that it spring and the inside of the house and outside temperature is staring to warm up and cool at night. I do not know if you have AC and if you have a inexpensive heater. The heater my not be able to keep up with the ambient temperature changes.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but temperature changes themselves do not alter the salinity or specific gravity of seawater.

Temperature will impact some types of salinity measurements if it is not properly accounted for.

 

[KittenBoo]

Hummmm. Interesting. I've never had this happen before in all my years. Hoping it was just something crazy and never happens again.

 

[Aznxgqboyx]

Seriously guys help a girl out. I'm lost! Our premise water tests at 1.028. A little high I'll give you that. Water tested the same on Saturday in the tank. Tonight it's off the charts!!!!! Over 1.032. *** is going on????? I lost my blue hippo maybe losing my dart fish now too. We had a plate coral that died yesterday but that's it. I'm freaking out. I know it happens but I'm lost. Been at this for many years now off and on due to time and $$ [emoji6]

salt swing arm measurement, get rid of that thing and get a refractor one, as for fish dying it maybe an ammonia spike because your salt cant jump that fast with just topping off with ro/di water

 

[jsker]

I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but temperature changes themselves do not alter the salinity or specific gravity of seawater.

Temperature will impact some types of salinity measurements if it is not properly accounted for.

Would that kind of be the same thing?

Here is my reasoning for my theroy, Once again I was doing tank upgrades last week and I switch around my Apex and had the temp probe in the wrong plug in. My tank heat is regulated by the Apex (finnex heater) and my temp was going up to 81.7 and over. My salinity was also going up and down, when I figured it out and made the corrections my tank temp came back down and my salinity came back down. I was testing also using a refactor, now of coarse this was not not scientifically I was just throwing it out there from experience

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Would that kind of be the same thing?

Here is my reasoning for my theroy, Once again I was doing tank upgrades last week and I switch around my Apex and had the temp probe in the wrong plug in. My tank heat is regulated by the Apex (finnex heater) and my temp was going up to 81.7 and over. My salinity was also going up and down, when I figured it out and made the corrections my tank temp came back down and my salinity came back down. I was testing also using a refactor, now of coarse this was not not scientifically I was just throwing it out there from experience

Presumably, you are measuring salinity with a conductivity probe. To convert a raw measured conductivity to salinity or specific gravity, the Apex does a temperature correction. If the Apex was getting the wrong temp input, it would be making the wrong correction, so the measurement will be in error. Perhaps that explains what you observed.

 

[jsker]

Presumably, you are measuring salinity with a conductivity probe. To convert a raw measured conductivity to salinity or specific gravity, the Apex does a temperature correction. If the Apex was getting the wrong temp input, it would be making the wrong correction, so the measurement will be in error. Perhaps that explains what you observed.

ahhh that make more sense Zin Master

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You're welcome.

Happy Reefing.