Salinity help

Sexytang

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I just set up a 32g biocube I bought used off someone when I got the tank is had about 40lb of livesand and a few inches of water went to the store yesterday and got saltwater and a hydrometer well when I got home from work I check the salinity and it was off the charts on the hydrometer what should I do. Drain some of the water out tomorrow and add some distilled water to the tank? I’m to far from them petstore to go get rodi on my old 75 I used distilled to top off a lot
 

CoralB

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First make sure your reading it right . Check it a few times . If it is indeed super high then I would do a waterchange and add back straight Rodi water to bring it down , keep doing this til u bring it to the correct parameters giving at least a hour or two of mixing in your tank in between to get proper reading of the current status . Distilled would be ok for this , they do sell deionized water as well at most grocery stores but you really should invest in a Rodi system at some point as your not near a lfs, the price , and the fact like in this situation you need it now
 

ZombieEngineer

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Don't trust a hydrometer. Get a refractometer if you're on a budget or either the Hanna salinity probe or a digital refractometer if you have a high budget.

If it still reads high on a good measurement device, then yes drain some out and add RODI. Since the water hasn't sat long and fouled, you could save this and use for a future water change.
 

PatW

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Refractometers work well. If you get one, be sure to get some calibration fluid also. Calibration fluid is of a known salinity … usually about 35 ppt.
 

James5214

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You can get RODI water from Walmart in gallon jugs that's what I do sin e I have a smaller tank and don't need but 4-5 gallons worth for a water change
 

NowGlazeIT

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I just set up a 32g biocube I bought used off someone when I got the tank is had about 40lb of livesand and a few inches of water went to the store yesterday and got saltwater and a hydrometer well when I got home from work I check the salinity and it was off the charts on the hydrometer what should I do. Drain some of the water out tomorrow and add some distilled water to the tank? I’m to far from them petstore to go get rodi on my old 75 I used distilled to top off a lot
Are you putting the hydrometer directly in the tank to grab your reading or taking a cup of water out and testing from there?
 

ZombieEngineer

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Are you putting the hydrometer directly in the tank to grab your reading or taking a cup of water out and testing from there?
They come with a pipette and you put 2 drops of water from the tank on the glass and hold up to the light. 35ppt is what you want to target if you will have corals in the tank eventually or 30ppt if it's going to be fish only. Rinse, dry and clean with a microfiber cloth when done checking.
 

NowGlazeIT

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They come with a pipette and you put 2 drops of water from the tank on the glass and hold up to the light. 35ppt is what you want to target if you will have corals in the tank eventually or 30ppt if it's going to be fish only. Rinse, dry and clean with a microfiber cloth when done checking.
That’s for the refractometer. OP said they’re using a hydrometer
 
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