Beneficial Bacteria vs. Specific Gravity

[Joe del Rey]

Good day everyone.

So... I just found out that my SG dropped from 1.019 to 1.014. Within the past 4 days, I slowly raise the SG from 1.014 and is currently at 1.021.
I'm planning to increase it to 1.025 or 1.026 to because I'm thinking of having corals someday. My question is, can beneficial bacteria in my tank survive with these changes? I need your help and advices.




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A bit of information about my tank:
•Size: 16 gallons (24 inches long and 11 inches deep) with 5 gallon sump
•Age: running for 7½ weeks now
•Lightning: 11W LED light (all white)
•Sand: Fine white sand that I got from the beach 3 years ago, 1.5 inch deep
•Temperature: 28.5°C
•Specific Gravity: 1.021
•Livestocks: 1 Yellowtail Damsel, 1 Hermit Crab, 1 Cerith Snail
Note: algae starts growing in my tank

 

[Smarkow]

Looking good. Don't think bacteria would be harmed by that level of increase, but to be safe raise it over a few days

 

[Joe del Rey]

Looking good. Don't think bacteria would be harmed by that level of increase, but to be safe raise it over a few days

Yes, exactly. Everything in saltwater must be done sloooooowly as possible (something I've learned recently). :)

 

[Smarkow]

@Joe del Rey do you have a full tank shot? Nice to see a nano size with a sump. What do you use for return and filtration? I’ve been thinking about setting something similar up

 

[Joe del Rey]

@Joe del Rey do you have a full tank shot? Nice to see a nano size with a sump. What do you use for return and filtration? I’ve been thinking about setting something similar up

Sorry for the late reply.
I just got home from the beach vacation with some relatives.
I just changed the set up of my tank with the live rocks I got from the ocean.
For the mean time, here's a picture of my tank when I initially set it up.
(I'll send you the new set up when the water turns clear)

 

[brandon429]

the bacteria would survive if you drained the whole tank, filled with distilled, waited overnite, put back and then retested new saltwater at 1 ppm oxidation test- they're that tough.

anyone with a spare bare nano, give it a whirl post back

nitrifier bac cells isolated out, teased onto a bare slide might die with salinity changes

but not ones housed in biofilms on live rock and sand

 

[diverpat]

I've been part of a few studies looking at raising saltwater fish in low salinity water. We anecdotally found that the nitrifiying bacteria shifted at around 12 ppt (1.009). We take full strength seawater biofilters down to 15 ppt (1.011) regularly and don't see any effect on nitrification. You should be fine.

 

[Joe del Rey]

I've been part of a few studies looking at raising saltwater fish in low salinity water. We anecdotally found that the nitrifiying bacteria shifted at around 12 ppt (1.009). We take full strength seawater biofilters down to 15 ppt (1.011) regularly and don't see any effect on nitrification. You should be fine.

This is interesting. Thank you for sharing your thoughts :)

 

[Joe del Rey]

the bacteria would survive if you drained the whole tank, filled with distilled, waited overnite, put back and then retested new saltwater at 1 ppm oxidation test- they're that tough.

anyone with a spare bare nano, give it a whirl post back

nitrifier bac cells isolated out, teased onto a bare slide might die with salinity changes

but not ones housed in biofilms on live rock and sand

Thanks. I think my beneficial bacteria are (seemingly) fine.

 

[brandon429]

I like to test them in neat ways too, here is me draining a 13 yr old pico reef with sps and lps into the air for half an hour, straight cold air. No recycle


I refilled based on max coral exposure time
the system could stay drained for days lol and still pass oxidation testing but sps w bleach / these bacteria rascals are tough~~when they’re set in. Cycles cannot be undone without medication events or severe/ sustained environmental changes

Scroll through the vid it’s one continual feed it’s half an hour all my corals rocks starfish sps lps fanworms pods all of it in the air, big risk seemingly.

Also, the reason it’s all crudded up/ being scraped in the video is because I used the video on two different example threads. One is for microbiology/ air exposure demo with no mini cycle and the other was for cyano restoration.

I purposefully invaded my old pico by stopping water changes and increased feeding till it was cyano invaded, then demonstrated that in one massive cleaning you can rid the cyano vs having to use meds or wait for it to go away. My fishbowl is tested nine times worse than anything I’d recommend to a large tanker yep

 

[brandon429]

12 hours later


I’m aware the music track was unhelpful lol


I’ve done this to the system since 2006.

 

[SliceGolfer]

Stability is key, even more so with only 16 gallons of water. What attributed to the drop in salinity? Are you using an ATO?

 

[Joe del Rey]

Stability is key, even more so with only 16 gallons of water. What attributed to the drop in salinity? Are you using an ATO?

Salinity dropped because of salt creep.
Now I have to buy salt again.