Raise sg

[aaclown]

Hi
We have a new clownfish in a 35 litre aquarium with sg of 1.017. We are desperately trying to raise sg by increasing evaporation and adding salt water. We are using a dehumidifier in the room to increase evaporation and the rate of evaporation is too slow. I am about to use hairdryer near surface as well as the dehumidifier. I'm worried as our picasso clown is always in one corner and not eating after four days. How do we increase the sg safely and faster? Thanks

 

[KrisReef]

The fishes behavior seems more like a sign of potential sickness than anything that might be caused by low levels of salt.

Raising salinity too quickly can be stressful and dangerous.

Can you post a video or a picture under white spectrum lighting so the fish medicine folks can see what it looks like?

Raising salinity is fairly easy and straightforward, but as it is stressful a sick fish might be better served with medicine first, and raising salinity after treatment.

@Jay Hemdal

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

You don't need to wait on evaporation and can instead remove water and add increased salinity water until it equalizes. Maybe a gallon at a time and wait 30 minutes and do it again.

 

[aaclown]

The fishes behavior seems more like a sign of potential sickness than anything that might be caused by low levels of salt.

Raising salinity too quickly can be stressful and dangerous.

Can you post a video or a picture under white spectrum lighting so the fish medicine folks can see what it looks like?

Raising salinity is fairly easy and straightforward, but as it is stressful a sick fish might be better served with medicine first, and raising salinity after treatment.

@Jay Hemdal

I don't think the fish is ill as we have only had him 4 days and he isn't appearing to show signs of illness. I think it's normal that they hide away at first.

 

[KrisReef]

I don't think the fish is ill as we have only had him 4 days and he isn't appearing to show signs of illness. I think it's normal that they hide away at first.

Sure. Not eating is the same as slowly starving, and that concern is more important than salinity. Once it’s eating, then slowly raising salinity will be fine.

 

[Fish Fan]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

#WelcometoR2R

Don't raise your salinity quickly, do it slowly over time.

1.017 sg is a bit low, but not nearly low enough to be harming your Clownfish, so the salinity is not the problem.

If this is a new fish, he may have some kind of fish illness. Could you post some clear pics and possibly a short video showing the fish and the unusual behavior? Try to use the whitest light you have, turning off all your blues for clarity.

 

[exnisstech]

I've seen stores than run 1.015 and it doesn't harm the fish but it does do a good job suppressing and hiding disease. I agree with others that salinty should not cause problems for your fish tho raising it slowly over time by replacing evaporated water with saltwater is a good plan.
Using a hair dryer seems drastic and sounds a bit dangerous actually and I'm a pretty reckless fella

 

[aaclown]

You don't need to wait on evaporation and can instead remove water and add increased salinity water until it equalizes. Maybe a gallon at a time and wait 30 minutes and do it again.

Ive got a gallon of 1.025 water. I'll add a load of that after taking out a gallon of my 1.020 water. Thanks

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Ive got a gallon of 1.025 water. I'll add a load of that after taking out a gallon of my 1.020 water. Thanks

I misread your first post and thought it was a 35 gallon tank and not 35 liters. Do a little bit at a time, maybe a cup or two, wait 30 minutes to an hour, repeat. You'll get closer to reef standard salinity but you will need more higher salinity water to equalize it.

 

[aaclown]

I've seen stores than run 1.015 and it doesn't harm the fish but it does do a good job suppressing and hiding disease. I agree with others that salinty should not cause problems for your fish tho raising it slowly over time by replacing evaporated water with saltwater is a good plan.
Using a hair dryer seems drastic and sounds a bit dangerous actually and I'm a pretty reckless fella

Thanks

 

[aaclown]

I misread your first post and thought it was a 35 gallon tank and not 35 liters. Do a little bit at a time, maybe a cup or two, wait 30 minutes to an hour, repeat. You'll get closer to reef standard salinity but you will need more higher salinity water to equalize it.

Thanks. I'll do a cup I stead then

 

[aaclown]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

#WelcometoR2R

Don't raise your salinity quickly, do it slowly over time.

1.017 sg is a bit low, but not nearly low enough to be harming your Clownfish, so the salinity is not the problem.

If this is a new fish, he may have some kind of fish illness. Could you post some clear pics and possibly a short video showing the fish and the unusual behavior? Try to use the whitest light you have, turning off all your blues for clarity.

Here is a video. Sorry I can't work out how to get the white light on, any tips?

 

[aaclown]

I gave him a small.tea spoon of pellets just now and they've gone straight to the bottom so outsude of his known territory Now worried that I'm going to pollute the tank because there too much uneaten food in there.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Hanging at the top of the water at the corner like that might be normal for new clowns, I've seen them do that. However just in case they are looking for oxygen, I would try to get some kind of surface agitation going on to help oxygenate the water. Flat water surface is not good, and can see dust starting to collect on the surface.

How did the salinity get so low like that? Do you have an ATO?

How old is your tank?

What kind of food are you trying to feed? I would suggest frozen brine or mysis over flakes or pellets at first.

The tank really needs more rock IMO.

 

[Fish Fan]

I can't see much from the video, but the behavior seems odd to me. If this fish is very new, like a day or so, this could indeed just be stress from the move. But if you've had him a few days or more like this, then I think it's more likely he's got something else going on. I'm not sure what light you have, but if you can figure out how to turn the blues down and the whites up (if that's even possible on your light), it would be helpful. Healthy and well adjusted/acclimated Clownfish typically swim right up to the front of the tank, begging you to feed them.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi
We have a new clownfish in a 35 litre aquarium with sg of 1.017. We are desperately trying to raise sg by increasing evaporation and adding salt water. We are using a dehumidifier in the room to increase evaporation and the rate of evaporation is too slow. I am about to use hairdryer near surface as well as the dehumidifier. I'm worried as our picasso clown is always in one corner and not eating after four days. How do we increase the sg safely and faster? Thanks

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

That salinity is well within the range that is tolerated by clownfish. However, the not eating is something else, and is very serious....

More information is needed here. This post explains all that:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...sease-treatment-and-diagnosis-section.775547/

 

[NeMoo]

Hi
We have a new clownfish in a 35 litre aquarium with sg of 1.017. We are desperately trying to raise sg by increasing evaporation and adding salt water. We are using a dehumidifier in the room to increase evaporation and the rate of evaporation is too slow. I am about to use hairdryer near surface as well as the dehumidifier. I'm worried as our picasso clown is always in one corner and not eating after four days. How do we increase the sg safely and faster? Thanks

Pull some tank water in a cup mix in some salt, I’m not going to say I know exactly how much and slowly pour back into higher flow area or pump chamber