help salinity at 41 ppt

[stokedmuffin]

After coming home from a two day trip, I found one of my seahorses laying on its side, breathing laboriously. It passed away about 18 hours later. I also noticed one of my fish had popeye. I immediately checked all parameters multiple times. When I tested the salinity with a Hanna tester, it was low, reading at 30 ppt. Over the next two and a half days, I slowly added salt. However, when I checked again today, it still read 30 ppt. Long story short, my tester seems to be malfunctioning.

The tank is a 200-gallon mixed reef, and I had performed a 40% water change just before I left, using the same Hanna tester. So, I’m assuming the water was way off from the start. Now, the entire tank looks absolutely horrible: two torch corals have died, and everything else looks pretty bad.

My questions are: Should I do a large water change to bring the parameters back to somewhat normal and then follow up with smaller changes to fine-tune the levels? Or should I do smaller, more spaced-out changes over the next few days? I’m really at a loss and don’t want to lose my stock. Should I also pull my more prized pieces and move them to another system?

 

[stokedmuffin]

i am now testing with a tropic Marin Hydrometer and refractometer

 

[crazyfishmom]

Recommendation is to bring salinity down slowly to 35-36. You’ll cause more damage than good if you correct too quickly.

I would consider removing some salt water and topping off with Rodi. In that size tank, 10-15 gallons at a time should bring you down 1-2 points at a time which would be safe.

 

[DaJMasta]

I'd agree that slow is better than fast. Aim for no more than 1ppt per day, but start immediately. I'd probably drop 1ppt per day the first two days, then switch to about 0.5ppt per day, but that's just me. If your remaining animals are adapted to the high salinity at least somewhat, lowering it too quickly can cause their cells to absorb too much water and burst.

Easiest way to do it is bail out a bit and then keep the ATO reservoir topped up. A small amount a few times a day to give you a total drop of 1ppt per day is better than all at once (not recommended).

As a sanity check, take a small amount of tank water out and pour it into some new saltwater. Salinities of more than a couple ppt apart will be visibly different, but if you pour in the tank water and can't see any wavyness in it while they mix, there may still be some measurement irregularities.

 

[stokedmuffin]

thats what im going do do and hope for the best the 14 or so other fish look fine.

 

[JayM]

If everything is dying/looking bad, I’d lower salinity sooner rather than later. It’s much more crucial to raise salinity slowly than it is to lower it.

 

[bobnicaragua]

On a 200 gal tank, I would just keep taking buckets of saltwater and replacing with freshwater over the course of a day. This absolutely does not need to take more than a day.

 

[suthersreef]

After coming home from a two day trip, I found one of my seahorses laying on its side, breathing laboriously. It passed away about 18 hours later. I also noticed one of my fish had popeye. I immediately checked all parameters multiple times. When I tested the salinity with a Hanna tester, it was low, reading at 30 ppt. Over the next two and a half days, I slowly added salt. However, when I checked again today, it still read 30 ppt. Long story short, my tester seems to be malfunctioning.

The tank is a 200-gallon mixed reef, and I had performed a 40% water change just before I left, using the same Hanna tester. So, I’m assuming the water was way off from the start. Now, the entire tank looks absolutely horrible: two torch corals have died, and everything else looks pretty bad.

My questions are: Should I do a large water change to bring the parameters back to somewhat normal and then follow up with smaller changes to fine-tune the levels? Or should I do smaller, more spaced-out changes over the next few days? I’m really at a loss and don’t want to lose my stock. Should I also pull my more prized pieces and move them to another system?

I’ve just had a very similar thing with a bloody hanna checker, I couldn’t work out why corals weren’t happy I checked everything. Lost some lovely toad stools, huge frogspawn and a large torch, was gutted. Did ICP test salinity 41! Dropping 1-2 a day. I won’t be buying another Hanna one that’s for sure

 

[stokedmuffin]

I even recalibrated mine with there solution and it was still crazy off .after the lost of many corals and 2 sea horses . I purchased a milwaukee salinty reader and a tropic marin hydrometer . The hydrometer is by far my go to . It does no lie just don't drop it . But over all I lost very minimum stock for what happened .

 

[stokedmuffin]

The next thing to go is my hanna master tester . It is so inconsistent with results. When I use salifert I don't have a problem with getting consistent results.