salinity help!!

[dandoozled]

hey! I went to my LFS today and they said my salinity is 1.031 ! My tank is 13.5 gallons, I don't have a proper hydrometer reader and I'm not fully sure how many gallons to replace with freshwater to drop to around 1.023ish... can someone assist me with the math because I have no idea.

 

[Cjud7982]

It is slightly dependent on what salt you are using. Not to sound offensive, but if you plan on keeping a saltwater system a hydrometer is a minimum requirement. If you are unwilling to purchase one, I would ask your lfs to mix up water at your requested salinity and buy it from them.

Being that it is only 13.5 gallons it is super critical to get the salt mix accurate because you do not have much room for error. I would probably start with a 50 percent water change with known 1.021 to 1.026. then have it tested again.

Final word, if you plan on staying in the hobby do yourself a favor and get a refractometer.

 

[LesPoissons]

Yeah, sorry but you have to invest in the right equipment, esp with a nano tank where small mistakes have a bigger impact. They are around 20-30$ on Amazon. It’s going to make things a lot easier.
Also, I use this site;

Hamza's Reef

www.hamzasreef.com

For calculations. It is dependent on the salt mix though but this can give you an idea

 

[CoralBuddy]

Just buy a refractometer from Amazon or BRS, will be one of your best investments. Salinity is often overlooked, but it can really be the difference in between a "ok tank" and a "wow tank". I for months ran my salinity at 1.025 SG, after increasing it to 1.026 SG I did see a considerable improvement in coloration.

 

[madweazl]

You can lower the salinity pretty quickly without harming the inhabitants (you just cant go up quickly). Before you change anything, invest in a refractometer and calibration fluid. I've used this cheapie for over three years now and it has served me well (with this calibration solution.

 

[madweazl]

Just buy a refractometer from Amazon or BRS, will be one of your best investments. Salinity is often overlooked, but it can really be the difference in between a "ok tank" and a "wow tank". I for months ran my salinity at 25ppm, after increasing it to 26 I did see a considerable improvement in coloration.

Salinity is usually measured in parts per thousand (PPT) and typically 34-36ppt at that. Are you referencing specific gravity (i.e. 1.026)?

 

[CoralBuddy]

Yeah I am sorry, I use conductivity probe and I do read SG instead of PPT. But I am so used to test my water that I wrote PPM lol.

 

[S2G]

Personally I wouldn't do a big swing all at once. I would do it like acclimation. Drop your water down and add a little rodi then check.

You really need to buy a refractometer and pay more attention to your water parameters. Don't trust premade water either. Nano is smaller and cheaper. The downside is things are a lot more volatile with water.