Went away for a week, came back to 1.60 salinity...??

[gobytron]

I use a regularly calibrated Vertex refractometer.

I actually tested my top up water and it was 0 on the same refractometer.

To clarify, the Dino and Cyano happened due to the salinity increase, and now, after 3 30 gallon water changes (it's a 95 gallon tank with 60 gallon sump) we're back to 1.24-1.25 and the dino's are all gone with very little cyano in some lower flow spots remaining.

[sphelps]

salinity is 1.6? salinity of NSW is like 35... So you essentially have a fresh water tank now?

[Bblinks]

thought fresh water is at 1? 1.6 is like triple the natural salinity...

[Delphinus]

I thought he meant maybe his SG went up to 1.060 from 1.025 or whatever he normally keeps it at.

[Rogue951]

do u dose as well? I noticed mine climbed from 1.025 to 1.031. only thing I could put it down to was dosing.
I think specifically it was magnesium. I was trying the whole add tons of mag and hope the algae will die off trick... never got it to work.

[sphelps]

Ah specific gravity with a missing zero, makes more sense now. I have no idea how it could get that high without interference. More salt must have been added.

[Delphinus]

I'm inclined to agree that there was a problem or error in the reading. A 95 gallon with 60 gallon sump, let's assume around 120 gallons of water in this system, would require in the order of 240 cups of salt to go from 1.000 to 1.025 (so 240 cups for a jump of 0.025). Correspondingly a jump to 1.060 from 1.025, a difference of 0.035 would be in the ballpark of 336 cups of salt.

[Myka]

Ime, reef inhabitants become irritated around 1.035 (SPS corals much sooner). I don't trust your refractometer. Do you happen to have anything else around to test with? Even a hydrometer reading would help at this point.