Urgent help needed

[Milton kranewijk]

Hey guys im setting up a 250 reefer here and im having a serious issue with the salt level in my tank
I added 50 cups of red sea salt to the 250
As i was told by my lfs but my salinity is off the charts

Took out 50 % water and added 50% RO Water amd its still rrading the same

Please advise
Any help would be appriciated

 

[kiMxD]

You need a refractometer. Go to your nearest LFS or Petco and grab one and measure it yourself.
Read the directions on the bucket, 1/2 cup = 1 gallon. This isnt so hard if you do it slowly and pay attention to what you doing.

50 cups = 100 gallons of saltwater using redsea, IMO.

 

[Sod Buster]

A 1/2 cup of salt per gallon of rodi water will get you close with most brands of salt.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Hey guys im setting up a 250 reefer here and im having a serious issue with the salt level in my tank
I added 50 cups of red sea salt to the 250
As i was told by my lfs but my salinity is off the charts

Took out 50 % water and added 50% RO Water amd its still rrading the same

Please advise
Any help would be appriciated

50 cups of salt is probably around 5X too much. You’ll just need to keep adding RODI water to keep diluting it down. How are you testing S.G?

 

[Milton kranewijk]

Latest reading after 50% water change

 

[Milton kranewijk]

Latest reading after 50% water change

 

[jsker]

You need a refractometer. Go to your nearest LFS or Petco and grab one and measure it yourself.

+1

Link get a good one, a refractometer is one of the basics to have with your system.

 

[jsker]

Latest reading after 50% water change

These are not very accurate. I used to have one back in the day like this one

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

That would mean your salinity was at least 1.064 which is very possible with 50 cups for a 65 gallon tank.

 

[Milton kranewijk]

Ok so keep taking out water out of the tank and adding ro water to it
And keep measuring basically

 

[Milton kranewijk]

That would mean your salinity was at least 1.064 which is very possible with 50 cups for a 65 gallon tank.

Im sure it was somewhere there yes

 

[Milton kranewijk]

Shoukd i drain the whole tank ? And start over

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Ok so keep taking out water out of the tank and adding ro water to it
And keep measuring basically

Yes keep removing saltwater and adding RODI

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Shoukd i drain the whole tank ? And start over

No, just take some out and dilute with fresh rodi

 

[ngoodermuth]

Do you have a big container (like a brute can) that you can siphon a bunch out to? I feel bad at the amount of salt you’ll be wasting... the frugal in me says to try to save it if you have something to store it in, can use it to mix for water changes or set-up a quarantine tank for livestock.

Also +1 to getting a refractometer... you’ll want one sooner than later.

 

[Phil D.]

Hydrometers stink! +1 for you to get a refractometer. As everyone has advised keep taking out water, save it if possible and add RO/DI.

 

[Milton kranewijk]

Do you have a big container (like a brute can) that you can siphon a bunch out to? I feel bad at the amount of salt you’ll be wasting... the frugal in me says to try to save it if you have something to store it in, can use it to mix for water changes or set-up a quarantine tank for livestock.

Also +1 to getting a refractometer... you’ll want one sooner than later.

At this point i already losthalf a bucket of salt so no use crying over spilled milk

I just want to get this under control

 

[eggplantparrot]

refractometer WITH CALIBRATION FLUID is a must.

 

[Reefs and Geeks]

Since you don't have any fish or coral yet, you're okay to just keep diluting untill you get to the correct salinity. Swing arm hydrometers like you have can be good to get you close, but can also have a fairly significant error. They can't be calibrated so if it's off from the factory, than your tank will always be off.

There's a good chance that with your salinity so high you may have some precipitation in the tank. This will result in lower than normal alkalinity and calcium when you get the Salinity back on track. Not a huge deal, it will correct itself over time with some normal water changes. Just keep an eye on the pH as a lower alkalinity may make your pH lower than normal.

 

[Mjrenz]

Latest reading after 50% water change

Take that hydrometer, put it behind the rear tire of your car, back over it and the pull forward again. Repeat until it is turned into a fine pile of plastic dust. I tried using one when I first got into the hobby and found out they are completely useless, definitely get a refractometer. Alternatively, gasoline and a match can be used just as effectively