Help.....saltwater levels

[supersmile]

Just wondering what everyone keeps their salinity at for their reef tanks??? I know some people like to keep the levels higher. My dwarf angel just died and I am wondering if it could be from my salt water level being too high. I have noticed my Zenia hasn't been opening lately either.

[DanG]

How high do you keep yours? How are you measuring it? Are you using a float type hydrometer or are you using a refractometer? A refractometer is much more accurate than the hydrometers, some of which can be off (I've seen both high and low) by as much as .005.

Personally, I keep my tank at 1.024.

How are your other levels, Ca, Alk, MG? When was your last water change?

[supersmile]

I am using a hydrometer. I just tested my levels in everything else last week and they were fine. Since I noticed last night that my salt level was high I removed some water and just added plain treated tap water. The level has gone down to about 1.026. Should I keep doing that until the level comes down?

[justinl]

fish and inverts can do fine short term in low or high salinity. what really kills them in terms of salinity is quick change in salinity. If you want to drop your salinity, do it slowly over at least a day. I suggest a drip of freshwater.

[kwirky]

I don't know if having a high salinity could have been the sole cause of death in your fish. I'm thinking there are other factors involved too.

my own hydrometer was 0.003 off. I was first running my system supposedly at 1.026 when it was actually being run at 1.029. I discovered this after I bought my refractometer. If you can't afford one now, maybe see if anyone in the area will come over with theirs? Then you can find out where your hydrometer is really at and adjust accordingly. Remember to allways keep the hydrometer submerged in saltwater. Just leave it in your sump, or hanging off the side of the tank if it's sumpless. If it dries out, you have to soak it in salt water for 24 hours again, and it's reading will have to be re-calibrated with a refractometer.

FYI if you're wondering about my own tank's parameters:

I run my system between 1.024-1.025 salinity, depending on the month and whether I've been removing water from the tank due to acclimating new additions or frag packing etc. Each water change I bring it back up to 1.025, usually a .001 of a change. I have a ghetto air driven top off system with a 6g glass jug I fill every 2-3 days. I use a refractometer now.

my calcium's kept at 420, and alkalinity at 7-8 dkh. My ph is 8.2 mid day, and 8.0 late at night. nitrates are kept undetectable (below 0.2ppm with a salifert kit). I only have 4 small (<3") fish in my 120g tank.

[justinl]

you have to keep the hydrometer submerged all the time? wth, i... didn't know that. The package says you only need to calibrate once and then after use just rinse in warm freshwater.

[Joe Reefer]

I keep mine at a steady 1.026.:biggrin:

[muck]

1.025 - 1.026 here

[supersmile]

Why do you have to keep your hydrometer submerged in the tank all the time? How do you calibrate it? Mine had no instructions about that????

[kwirky]

My deep 6, on the package, said it should be soaked the first time for 24 hours, and again if it dries out. Might as well just leave it constantly submerged then. I've heard various others state the same. And my girlfriend's dad makes *ahem* moonshine, and he has to soak his hydrometer at all times or else he might make cyanide by accident lol. It's a swing needle hydrometer meant for wine/alcohol making.

from my own experiences, mine would fluctuate in reading according to my refractometer unless it was soaked recently.

I mean calibrating by finding the variance of your meter using a refractometer. here's a good article explaining hydrometers, their good accuracy, and how to get them accurate. A better term than "calibration" like i've used, would be the author's term "correction factor." It's about finding the correction factor for your own hydrometer.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/9/lines

sorry about the confusion over "calibration" lol. I meant "correction factor"

[midgetwaiter]

Having your salinity much over 1.026 will definitely make Xenia do that. I wouldn't expect the fish to be too troubled over it though.

[supersmile]

This may seem like a stupid question but how would you submerge your hydrometer in the tank? Mine just floats????? So you would keep your hydrometer in the tank at all times? How come you never see hydrometers in peoples tanks????

[andsoitgoes]

This may seem like a stupid question but how would you submerge your hydrometer in the tank? Mine just floats????? So you would keep your hydrometer in the tank at all times? How come you never see hydrometers in peoples tanks????

there are ones that have suction cups (a red sea one to be exact) which just hooks on to the front of the tank.

And I guess most people use a refractometer instead of a hydrometer, it's been relegated to the "less advanced aquarist" honestly. If it didn't cost over 50 bucks, it's not a worthy measurment of anything.

[calkrog]

i recently had to purchase a refractometer as well as i had been using my hydrometer, which was reading 1.025, but as it turns out it was out by .004 even after using the correction factors. so it was actually 1.029. no wonder my fish were stressed. all my corals had no problem though. xenia was pulsing like mad like it always does.