Rescued fish have salinity off the meter

[Lucky713]

I rescued a clown and damsel that was being kept in a 5-gallon tank. When I got home I immediately checked the salinity in the water they are in and according to my hydrometer, the salinity level is literally off the charts. I initially thought it was a calibration issue so I check my 32 Biocube and it read 1.027 as expected. What would be the best way to adjust the salinity for them as I am worried about a potential system shock if I go too quickly. I am equally as worried about them remaining in those conditions. Also sorry I haven't been on in so long had a ton of stuff going on lately. 2020 has definitely not been uneventful. Thank you in advance for any advice

 

[James M]

What salinity was the other fish at ?

 

[Lucky713]

What salinity was the other fish at ?

Literally completely off the meter. The needle was as high as the hydrometer would allow and above all the numbers so I have no idea how high it actually is. The highest number is 1.032 but it was well above that

 

[mort]

The good thing is you can drop the salinity much quicker than if you had to raise it as dropping salinity decreases the stress on the fish. You shouldn't have a problem just dripping them down to you current tank sg over a couple of hours but you can take a little longer if you need.

 

[Lucky713]

The good thing is you can drop the salinity much quicker than if you had to raise it as dropping salinity decreases the stress on the fish. You shouldn't have a problem just dripping them down to you current tank sg over a couple of hours but you can take a little longer if you need

That is definitely good news I was completely unprepared for seeing salinity that high. I figured it would be a little off but I think this lady literally just dumped salt into the water without any measurements, or did top off with salt water