Head scratcher

[PhelpsTanks]

First off my test results

PH 7.4-7.7 was between (low)
Ammonia <0.25
Calcium did not change color
Phosphate 0
Magnesium did not change color
Nitrate 2
Nitrite 0
Kh/alk 12.1 kh / 4.33 Alk

Test kits used, all branded Salifert. Closest exp date 7/17 (ammonia).

Brief background, picked up the tank second hand on saturday 3/25. Habitants are 1 clown, 1 shrimp, 1 sea cucumber, tank is a 24 gallon nano cube. Corals softies, two rbta, zoas, frogspawn, Xenia, mushrooms, Duncan's, devils hand. Compact fluorescent lights >6 months old.

Did a 2.5 gallon water change yesterday, ran SG test with refractometer and got less than 1.000, new water SG was 1.030 to help raise SG in tank. New SG reads 1.008. All the Xenia look horrible, frogspawn is retracted.

I recently got back in the hobby and for the life of me cannot think of my next step, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[spiraling]

Get your salinity up, but not too fast. Daily partial water changes should do that.

what is the history of your tank?

 

[rock_lobster]

yes slowly raise the salinity and it should be fine.

 

[PhelpsTanks]

what exactly is the question?

Mainly do the test parameters indicate an issue that needs to be address right now, what my next step should be to correct parameters.

 

[PhelpsTanks]

Get your salinity up, but not too fast. Daily partial water changes should do that.

what is the history of your tank?

I planned to do a water change every other day as to not super shock everything. Last night mushrooms swelled up and a couple seem to have detached a little bit.

From what I was told, the tank is 6 months old, no issues with habitants in the past, guy started a business so he didn't have time to care for the tank. Based off the SG he wasn't tending to the tank for some time, seems like he was just RO topping off.

 

[JimWelsh]

ran SG test with refractometer and got less than 1.000

How did you manage to do that? Don't you find that result just a wee bit suspect?

 

[PhelpsTanks]

How did you manage to do that? Don't you find that result just a wee bit suspect?

Oh yea I was definitely thrown off. I calibrated with RO, ran the tank water and it was less than 1.000. Ran the water change and it was 1.010 raised it till it read 1.030 then added it to the tank. Took another tank reading at 1.008 and today I double checked and the reading was the same.