Does dosing sodium nitrate raise saltinity ?

[Backreefing]

Does dosing sodium nitrate raise saltinity? Because I had zero nitrates and the corals were fading. Btw the parameters measured are
Alk 8.3 selifert
Temp 78
Nitrates 0 selifert
Phosphate 0 selifert
Sg 1.025
I started dosing sodium nitrate for 2 days and got it up to 20 ish maybe 25 ppm . Cool , but the saltinity went up to 1.030 ??? Last night i changed some water with plain ro water and got it down to 1.027 . I will repeat today after work. But is sodium nitrate responsible for the increase in SG ? Thx for your replies in advance.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Not much, no.

Dosing 10 ppm nitrate with sodium nitrate instantly boosts salinity by 14 ppm (0.014 ppt). That would boost specific gravity from 1.02600 to 1.02601.

 

[Backreefing]

Thx I will take that as a yes. Last night I cut the dosage in half. Now that I’m at the nitrates level that I wanted.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thx I will take that as a yes. Last night I cut the dosage in half. Now that I’m at the nitrates level that I wanted.

Um...really?

Take it as an very clear cut NO. Dosing sodium nitrate for 2 days is not causing any change in salinity that you can detect, even with the most precise method possible to any human being.

 

[KStatefan]

If you dosed enough Sodium Nitrate to raise your SG from 1.025 to 1.030 it would have raised your Nitrate about 5000 ppm

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

 

[Backreefing]

Ok guys I misunderstood. Sheesh