I messed up BIG time…

[RadReefer82_Cube60]

Hi there. I’m brand new to this forum. Been in the hobby for 20+ years (never joined an online community tho) and never made this mistake before. So, yesterday, I was doing a waterchange, and in my haste and pure ego of thinking I’m always right (lol), I didn’t test the water before I refilled my tank. Well? Just so happens I was using a 1/4 cup measuring spoon when I was adding the salt the day before, thinking it was a half cup. So, I do my waterchange, sit back and threw on the tv. Then, I just decided to test my salinity about an 1-2 hrs later just to make sure I kept it at 1.025…and it was at 1.010!!!! I absolutely freaked out, and mixed a bucket of double strength salt water, let it mix for only about an hr, bc again, I was in freak out mode and just wanted to fix it as fast as possible. So I took out a bucket and added the new one, and somehow got it right back to 1.025 again. But all my corals and fish sat in that low salinity for at about 2 hours. Now, my Duncan’s were completely retracted and starting to come out now (which I’m not TOO worried about bc I had a colony of Duncan’s that were fully retracted for over 6 months once after implementing my new GFO reactor, and they came out of it looking better than ever and popping up new heads almost weekly). And I know how fussy they can be. One of n y gorgonians seems to be melting. But the rest of my gorg’s are fine. Everything else looks ok, just a lil “white washed.” Like they look dulled out in color. But other than that, PE isnt what is was before this, but still looks ok on all my SPS/LPS (other than the Duncan’s and Acan’s of course). and my mushrooms retracted for 24 hours but are fully open and eating today. The color loss makes me upset, but I know that will fix itself over time too.

So…has anyone ever made this mistake before? And if so, what was your experience? Also, do you think I’m outa the woods? Or is everything just going to slowly melt away/die off, and it’s just not noticeable yet?

Any and all help would be so very much appreciated.

And just so you have more to go on, my params are:

Salinity: 1.025
Ph: 8.2
Calcium: 430
Alk: 9.6 (it was always 8.4 before this happened)
Magnesium: 1360
Nitrates 2-3ppm (per Hanna Colormeter)
Phosphates: 0.06 (per Hanna Colormeter)
Temp: 77.4

Oh, and just btw, all my fish and CUC aren’t even phased by this. But I wasn’t to worried about the fish, as people do full on FW baths (which I haven’t done in many years myself) and I know the baths are not hours long. But still, no deaths and everyone is eating like pigs. Even my cleaner shrimp and porcelain crab and rock flowers are perfectly fine (and my copepod population shows zero signs of loss & my chaeto in my fuge is beautiful and healthy green with zero signs of melting or die off). So, I’m hoping that all the inverts that aren’t showing any signs of stress (other than the slight color loss in corals) is a good sign that things should probably bounce back? Anyway, I joined this community, so I may as well use it, right?

Thanks again for any/all help!!!

 

[Reefing102]

Welcome to RC! I wouldn’t be too concerned. Things might be in a slight shock but otherwise are likely okay. The gorg may just be shedding from the stress.

It sounds like you caught it in time though. I have done it before but much worse essentially turned a saltwater system at an LFS I worked at into freshwater (was around 1.004) because apparently our fish manager never mixed salt into our saltwater mixer, I didn’t check it and yea, we were doing significant water changes due to a bad algae issue. But still killed about $1200 in livestock as it wasn’t caught til the following morning as this was done after we closed.

 

[griss]

I hadn’t calibrated my refractometer is a long time so, over time my salinity dropped. I SLOWLY brought it back up and all was good.

Livestock can (generally) deal with a somewhat drastic drop in salinity. But, increases in salinity should be VERY gradual. Your short timeline of these extremes may have allowed you to dodge a bullet.

Please keep us updated as I’m hoping everything in your tank remains good.

 

[griss]

Welcome to RC! I wouldn’t be too concerned. Things might be in a slight shock but otherwise are likely okay. The gorg may just be shedding from the stress.

It sounds like you caught it in time though. I have done it before but much worse essentially turned a saltwater system at an LFS I worked at into freshwater (was around 1.004) because apparently our fish manager never mixed salt into our saltwater mixer, I didn’t check it and yea, we were doing significant water changes due to a bad algae issue. But still killed about $1200 in livestock as it wasn’t caught til the following morning as this was done after we closed.

Note to self: Don’t let Shane tank-sit

 

[jason2459]

The quick drop in salinity probably didn't make the corals happy but being in the lower salinity for an extended period of time for several hours and quick instant increase of salinity probably did the most damage.

I would have tried to bring that salinity higher over several hours. The damage is done now and will see what comes out of it. I would do some water changes as things die off or slough off layers and run some GAC. If you run a skimmer it may start over flowing so may need to tune that down.

 

[griss]

The quick drop in salinity probably didn't make the corals happy but being in the lower salinity for an extended period of time for several hours and quick instant increase of salinity probably did the most damage.

I would have tried to bring that salinity higher over several hours. The damage is done now and will see what comes out of it. I would do some water changes as things die off or slough off layers and run some GAC. If you run a skimmer it may start over flowing so may need to tune that down.

Agree Jason

 

[RadReefer82_Cube60]

Welcome to RC! I wouldn’t be too concerned. Things might be in a slight shock but otherwise are likely okay. The gorg may just be shedding from the stress.

It sounds like you caught it in time though. I have done it before but much worse essentially turned a saltwater system at an LFS I worked at into freshwater (was around 1.004) because apparently our fish manager never mixed salt into our saltwater mixer, I didn’t check it and yea, we were doing significant water changes due to a bad algae issue. But still killed about $1200 in livestock as it wasn’t caught til the following morning as this was done after we closed.

Thanks for the welcome. Like i sed, I never joined a reffing community, but would read them all the time. Anyway, when this happened, I realized it makes no sense for me to try to scour thru other ppls problems and questions when I should just be asking them myself and paying it forward thru my own experiences too. So, I’m very happy to be a part of this.

And OMG!!! That is quite a story, lol!

 

[RadReefer82_Cube60]

I hadn’t calibrated my refractometer is a long time so, over time my salinity dropped. I SLOWLY brought it back up and all was good.

Livestock can (generally) deal with a somewhat drastic drop in salinity. But, increases in salinity should be VERY gradual. Your short timeline of these extremes may have allowed you to dodge a bullet.

Please keep us updated as I’m hoping everything in your tank remains good.

Thanks for the feedback. I certainly will keep u posted. I did notice one of my hammers is shedding his skin that was, up until now, perfectly covering the entire stem with thick fleshy goodness (pardon my way with words, ). It has receded all the way up to the heads now. But it’s still beautiful and puffy as ever, so we shall see.

 

[RadReefer82_Cube60]

Note to self: Don’t let Shane tank-sit

Noted!

 

[RadReefer82_Cube60]

The quick drop in salinity probably didn't make the corals happy but being in the lower salinity for an extended period of time for several hours and quick instant increase of salinity probably did the most damage.

I would have tried to bring that salinity higher over several hours. The damage is done now and will see what comes out of it. I would do some water changes as things die off or slough off layers and run some GAC. If you run a skimmer it may start over flowing so may need to tune that down.

Thanks, I’m actually testing everything like very 5 hours just to make sure no spikes or drops. So far so good. I also already threw in a nice big bag of GAC just in case.

 

[RadReefer82_Cube60]

I also think a very good indicator that I may have dodged the bullet is that my dolabella is alive and active. I’ve had them die on me from so much less in the past, like a 3-4 degree spike in temp, during a waterchange one time. He just shrunk up and melted away within a day. But the one I have now was just out and eating sea lettuce straight from my hand. Ears were perked up and no slime coming off him. Plus, none of my hermits or shrimp are picking at him, so .

 

[Reefing102]

Note to self: Don’t let Shane tank-sit

Lol well that was 10 years ago now soo…

 

[wvned]

I think that you can correct the salinity in your tank as quickly as you can acclimate a new specimen to it. 45-60 minutes for a normal correction from 1.023 or so and up to 2 hours for a big one like from 1.019.
No I wouldn't do it instantly.
I wouldn't take all day either. I feel the quicker you can get specimens back into optimum conditions the better.

 

[RadReefer82_Cube60]

I think that you can correct the salinity in your tank as quickly as you can acclimate a new specimen to it. 45-60 minutes for a normal correction from 1.023 or so and up to 2 hours for a big one like from 1.019.
No I wouldn't do it instantly.
I wouldn't take all day either. I feel the quicker you can get specimens back into optimum conditions the better.

Those were my thoughts exactly

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

A quick drop in salinity is OK, we did it many timed during maintenance if ick showed up.
Had a customer with a Powder Blue Tang & he needed it frequently.
Raising it however should never be done fast.

 

[RadReefer82_Cube60]

A quick drop in salinity is OK, we did it many timed during maintenance if ick showed up.
Had a customer with a Powder Blue Tang & he needed it frequently.
Raising it however should never be done fast.

Yeh… like I sed, I was in freak out mode. Should never make any decisions while freaking out, lol!

 

[RadReefer82_Cube60]

Quick update: looks like I’m losing my space invader pectinia. Flesh is melted away in small spots all over him and can see skeleton. Duncan’s still half receded, but not fully receded, so I’m hopeful there. The acan is looking miserable. Flesh looks as if he was stung by a nem all over the colony. Just sux, cuz the pectinia n acan are prob in my top 3 fave LPS of the tank. Everything else looks good so far, even the gorg that was melting down to his black skeleton. I just fragged him up and now all the lil pieces are acually showing good signs of PE.

Anywhoosie, I’m sad and mad at myself, but if I only lose 2-3 corals, I’d say I actually lucked out w this one. Not that I’ll ever do this again (knock on wood) but if I do? Calm n collected is the way from now on. Freaking out obviously only made it worse.

 

[RadReefer82_Cube60]

Just thought I’d let everyone know that I didn’t lose a single coral. Pectinia fully rebounded. Acan is still receded but showing no more loss of flesh and actually is more plumped up than before. My Duncan’s were half receded as I sed, but right when they started getting better, they all the sudden sucked all the way back in. I thought it was from my drastic sal. drop n clime. But caught my filefish taking advantage of the state it was in and pecking at polyps trying to come back out. So into the sump he went. And they’re starting to come out again. Even my sponges are still alive. Anyway, idk how I got so lucky, but I think the reefer gods (no, not that reefer ) were definitely looking out for me here. I’m a very happy man!!

 

[Reefing102]

Just thought I’d let everyone know that I didn’t lose a single coral. Pectinia fully rebounded. Acan is still receded but showing no more loss of flesh and actually is more plumped up than before. My Duncan’s were half receded as I sed, but right when they started getting better, they all the sudden sucked all the way back in. I thought it was from my drastic sal. drop n clime. But caught my filefish taking advantage of the state it was in and pecking at polyps trying to come back out. So into the sump he went. And they’re starting to come out again. Even my sponges are still alive. Anyway, idk how I got so lucky, but I think the reefer gods (no, not that reefer ) were definitely looking out for me here. I’m a very happy man!!

Awesome to hear!

 

[jason2459]

That's great. Thanks for the update.