Messed up salinity and I am in trouble. What did I do wrong?

[Revnobody]

My advice is to focus on the issue making your coral unhappy. Now is not the time, in my opinion, to be treating cyano and algae issues. You will likely cause even more problems. Take it slow.

I would work on stabilizing salinity, bringing phosphates down and nitrates up, assuming your test results are accurate.

One thing at a time is best so that you know what is helping. And don't be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes.

 

[redeyejedi]

So less phosphate and more nitrates. Should I be using phosphate remover and feeding more. I feed once a day with a variety of frozen, flake and pellets.
I used phosguard in my freshwater tanks.

Dont shoot for other peoples numbers either. What works in their tank wont always work in yours.

 

[lefkonj]

Sorry if someone else already asked. You did a water change, where did you get the water from? Do you have your own RODI unit or do you get the water from the LFS? How long did you mix the salt for? Was the water being added at the same temp as the tank?

A salt water tank is like owning a wild tiger, some really good days and others it wants to kill you.... Hopefully you end on the sunny side more often than not.

 

[Chelymay]

To be honest I would say you nailed it when you said stability is key. Right now your salinity got out of balance. Which likely got your alk out of balance. No worries, has happened to pretty much everyone at some point. But, since then, you are having a reaction to every change. i.e. quick water changes, seachem reef dip, koral recovery, dose iodine, ultra life red slime, chemipure, more water changes, worrying about Nitrates and phosphates, etc.

My advice? get your salinity and alk stable and be patient. Take it one step at a time. Salinity #1. Alk #2. Then take on the rest slowly. Everything else on your list is a very distant second priority IMO.
(and I would stop listening to the LFS, that's just me)

That is precisely why on came here to you guys. I know you all have my tanks inhabitants in mind and genuinely care about their well being as do I. I just seem to panic at the LFS and bring home something that my tank isn’t ready for like the $100 Goni I put in my 3 week old tank. Any guesses on what happened? It was so beautiful and I was so upset. I kept the skeleton to remind me to think it through.
Salinity 1st Alkalinity 2nd. Heard.
Relax, breathe and enjoy, right!

 

[CoralB]

When slowly bringing down your phosphates don’t let them zero out as it could cause a Dino issue , your nitrates shouldn’t be zero either . 5-20 is a good range

 

[Chelymay]

Sorry if someone else already asked. You did a water change, where did you get the water from? Do you have your own RODI unit or do you get the water from the LFS? How long did you mix the salt for? Was the water being added at the same temp as the tank?

A salt water tank is like owning a wild tiger, some really good days and others it wants to kill you.... Hopefully you end on the sunny side more often than not.

I do have a rodi setup that goes into a large brute can with a heater and a pump to keep things whipped up. Then I use the pump and a long hose to pump it into my tank. The bucket brigade lasted like a second
I am enjoying the ride so far but the downhill is scary. I do enjoy the view from the top, I want to stay up there.

 

[terraincognita]

I didn’t rinse mine after each use and would shake the pointer loose so it would float freely. I think that may have had something to do with the inaccuracy.

Yeah you're supposed to soak them for 30Minutes in fresh RODI water before using in your salt water.

 

[Chelymay]

When slowly bringing down your phosphates don’t let them zero out as it could cause a Dino issue , your nitrates shouldn’t be zero either . 5-20 is a good range

I have heard that coral love fish poop. Good thing they do a lot of pooping . There’s plenty you know.

 

[Chelymay]

Yeah you're supposed to soak them for 30Minutes in fresh RODI water before using in your salt water.

I held it up to my husband and I said does this look right, it was pointing west with no water. He was like um no! Lesson learned and you would think it would be obvious but salt sticks to everything. You don’t have that with freshwater. Keeping my glass clean is maddening there are always drip marks.

 

[Chelymay]

I’ve successfully acclimated a lot of livestock; OTOH I’ve also killed a few....
If you gotta err, like in a emergency, I’d do so on going down in salinity, not up.
But take even that with a grain of salt as livestock’s sensitivity to salinity changes is pretty variable.

I read that high salinity is worse then low. So I would agree with you on that. I am just wondering if I should up my salt game and not buy on the cheap. I am willing to buy the best salt out there if I new what it was. Maybe it will help with my calcium always being high?

 

[Chelymay]

My advice is to focus on the issue making your coral unhappy. Now is not the time, in my opinion, to be treating cyano and algae issues. You will likely cause even more problems. Take it slow.

I would work on stabilizing salinity, bringing phosphates down and nitrates up, assuming your test results are accurate.

One thing at a time is best so that you know what is helping. And don't be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes.

It is so hard because you want everything to be perfect for you little guys and gals. I absolutely think of my coral as being more than a plant.

I love java fern in my freshwater water but it doesn’t seem the same as coral. I have never been devastated when my freshwater plants die.

Does that sound harsh, I do love my plants but it’s just feels different to me.

 

[terraincognita]

I read that high salinity is worse then low. So I would agree with you on that. I am just wondering if I should up my salt game and not buy on the cheap. I am willing to buy the best salt out there if I new what it was. Maybe it will help with my calcium always being high?

Red Sea Coral Pro is my favorite.

A lot of people love Tropic Marin PRO

Brightwell's mix is also apparently really good.

I'm so consistent with my RedSea Mixes adding 2.5 cups that every now and then I don't even check the salinity before I dump it (More accidental then intentional)

Nice to have a consistency like that.

 

[00W]

Okay so take a breath and just
CHILL.
Do one thing and only one thing at a time. Go slow.
You still have fish that need you too so put that in the forefront of your mind.
Now. Clean everything up in there. Anything dying or dead or too far gone. Make up some new water cuz you need to get that crap out of there and move on.
Now chill some more.
Don't go back to your LFS just for your own piece of mind for a bit and because you don't need to drive 90 minutes and waste that time.
Let us bring it right to you now.
Once salinity is great test for other parameters. Just concentrate on ammonia, maybe pH. Test all your other things and write them down.
You can start to get those in order little by little. Your fish don't care and neither does your rock so you have a running reef tank just not what you had or wanted but one nonetheless. So start there.
Everything is going to be okay. Stop listening to everything and take a step back and listen to yourself for a minute.
Instant ocean salt is 6 1/2 cup measures or 3 cups of salt per 5 gallons for about 1.025 or 6. Any of the big brands will bring your parameters in line in a tank that small with a water change a week for a bit. Need to just get everything stable for a minute or two.
Hopefully this helps a bit.
Don't ever be afraid to ask us questions on here. Were here for you.

 

[vetteguy53081]

take time to enjoy your tank and schedule tasks each day in small increments to balance the maintenance and enjoyment.
Bring salinity up slowly. If in doubt, always get a second opinion with water sample to your trusted LFS and have them check the readings and compare with yours.
These are safe range targets for you to keep in mind but at the same token, no need to chase numbers and obtain perfect. Stay in a range that pinpoint accuracy:

Temp 77-79
ph 8.1-8.3 (+/- 1)
salinity 1.025 (+/- 1_
nitrate < .4
phos < .04
Ammonia < .03
mG 1300
Alk 8-9
CA 440-450

 

[davidcalgary29]

I've been there and done it all with water issues. My one tip: invest in a glass hydrometer for salinity (not yeast, or alcohol.) Get a Tropic Marin hydrometer. If you can't , you can pick up a mini glass knockoff (again, for salinity, and not alcohol) off of Amazon quite cheaply, and they're pretty accurate (but should still be checked, in case you got a dud). Why? It's the only type of instrument which measures salinity that never has to be calibrated. Everything else, including electronic checkers, drifts. The one con: they're usually big and awkward to use.

Salinity issues caused at least 90% of my problems when I started my builds.

 

[OREGONIC]

Quick change of boosting salinity like further hurt your stressed corals. Likely some corals dying off are driving up your phosphates. There is no magic number for nitrates and phosphates, stability is key for all parameters. I personally aim for nitrates between 2-6 and phosphate.03-.05. If I am in those ranges I dont make any adjustments. If I am low I add dose a little over a few day period and feed a little heavier, If Im high I increase export a little. Think of your tank as steering a boat, you make small corrections and let it slowly drift back in the correct direction. In the future if your salinity is off there are 2 easy ways to adjust it slowly. If your salinity is low, add just a little salt to your top off water. It will slowly raise salinity over a long period of time. If your salinity is to high you can remove a little bit of water daily and just let your ato of fresh water make up the difference. We all have made mistakes its part of the hobby. As you gain experience you make less mistakes but they still happen.

 

[driftin]

Great advice in here already, so I'm kind of parroting... Aim for stability and don't chase other people's numbers, especially right now after an upset condition in the tank. Try to settle into a routine for the tank - keeping the major parameters (temp, salinity, Alk/CA/Mg) stable, and your maintenance (all of it, even down to how much and how often you feed day to day) consistent. Slow changes will be key. Not knowing what corals you have in the tank, don't be surprised if it takes months for some of them to fully recover. Others may not at all. Either way, stability will make them happiest.

 

[Dom]

Ok... a few things...

Long, detailed posts are appreciated. The more information you provide, the more we have to work with.

DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO YOUR TANK FOR NOW. Let's figure out what's really going on. Adding solutions to the tank without identifying the cause of the problem will compound the problem.

You were correct to use a refractometer. Hydrometers can be inaccurate for many reasons. In my experience, air bubbles cause the arm to float, leading to readings higher then they actually are.

Your troubles began after a water change. And they have continued, even with two more water changes (getting your salinity back up).

Was it a new batch of salt? Is it the same batch you were using before this all began? And, which salt mix are you using?

Your LFS said you corals had a bacterial infection. What is this based on?

Ignore your local fish store. It seems to me that you present a problem to them and they sell you a solution in a bottle.

You have several issues and all are best resolved by identifying the source of the problem.

According to your post, your salinity issue has been resolved through a more accurate testing device and water changes.

The snail die off could be related to high magnesium, which you said you have.

If you have Cyano, don't add anything to the tank. Instead, increase flow in the areas of the tank where Cyano is present and reduce your light intensity for a few days.

 

[Chelymay]

Ok... a few things...

Long, detailed posts are appreciated. The more information you provide, the more we have to work with.

DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO YOUR TANK FOR NOW. Let's figure out what's really going on. Adding solutions to the tank without identifying the cause of the problem will compound the problem.

You were correct to use a refractometer. Hydrometers can be inaccurate for many reasons. In my experience, air bubbles cause the arm to float, leading to readings higher then they actually are.

Your troubles began after a water change. And they have continued, even with two more water changes (getting your salinity back up).

Was it a new batch of salt? Is it the same batch you were using before this all began? And, which salt mix are you using?

Your LFS said you corals had a bacterial infection. What is this based on?

Ignore your local fish store. It seems to me that you present a problem to them and they sell you a solution in a bottle.

You have several issues and all are best resolved by identifying the source of the problem.

According to your post, your salinity issue has been resolved through a more accurate testing device and water changes.

The snail die off could be related to high magnesium, which you said you have.

If you have Cyano, don't add anything to the tank. Instead, increase flow in the areas of the tank where Cyano is present and reduce your light intensity for a few days.

Ok... a few things...

Long, detailed posts are appreciated. The more information you provide, the more we have to work with.

DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO YOUR TANK FOR NOW. Let's figure out what's really going on. Adding solutions to the tank without identifying the cause of the problem will compound the problem.

You were correct to use a refractometer. Hydrometers can be inaccurate for many reasons. In my experience, air bubbles cause the arm to float, leading to readings higher then they actually are.

Your troubles began after a water change. And they have continued, even with two more water changes (getting your salinity back up).

Was it a new batch of salt? Is it the same batch you were using before this all began? And, which salt mix are you using?

Your LFS said you corals had a bacterial infection. What is this based on?

Ignore your local fish store. It seems to me that you present a problem to them and they sell you a solution in a bottle.

You have several issues and all are best resolved by identifying the source of the problem.

According to your post, your salinity issue has been resolved through a more accurate testing device and water changes.

The snail die off could be related to high magnesium, which you said you

If you have Cyano, don't add anything to the tank. Instead, increase flow in the areas of the tank where Cyano is present and reduce your light intensity for a few days.

Thanks for your advise. Here’s what I know.

Was it a new batch of salt?
I had pre-mixed a 20 gallon batch several days before.

Is it the same batch you were using before this all began?-
I used the same formula 1/2 cup per gallon of rodi water .

And, which salt mix are you using?-
Instant Ocean, which has always been clumpy or solid no matter if it’s in a sealed bag or sealed bucket.

Your LFS said you corals had a bacterial infection. What is this based on?-
He looked at the pictures and told me to dip them for 30 minutes to prevent more tissue loss from the infection. Wait a week and do it again until they recovered.

If you have Cyano.-
I am not sure if I do, he said I did by looking at the pictures.

Ignore your local fish store. It seems to me that you present a problem to them and they sell you a solution in a bottle.-
I bought the reef dip $15 and the red slime remover
They said I should be adding iodine so I bought the Red Sea Trace Colors PRO Multi Test Kit Iodine/Potassium/Iron $70. Plus the Iodine supplement $20 to find out that my iodine is .09 so that was a waste of time and money.

To be honest my corals have never been in great condition. They usually die or deteriorate. Some of the the coral I bought early on had no chance based on what I know now and my water parameters then. They just wanted a sell I’m thinking.

I am very open with my water parameters with them before I buy to make sure they are going to be happy in my tank.

I feel terrible about this.

 

[Chelymay]

Great advice in here already, so I'm kind of parroting... Aim for stability and don't chase other people's numbers, especially right now after an upset condition in the tank. Try to settle into a routine for the tank - keeping the major parameters (temp, salinity, Alk/CA/Mg) stable, and your maintenance (all of it, even down to how much and how often you feed day to day) consistent. Slow changes will be key. Not knowing what corals you have in the tank, don't be surprised if it takes months for some of them to fully recover. Others may not at all. Either way, stability will make them happiest.

I have reminders going off almost every day to check parameters and stuff. I am going to upgrade to a larger tank in the next couple of weeks just haven’t landed on a size 90, 150, 200 or 220 gallons and with that I know for sure I want to get the Apex controller with all the bells and whistles. That way my tank will tell me what’s going on in there