Salt level low and I just added corals, help

[tomreefer]

my SG is 1.020 so how do I add salt gradually? Im thinking of adding salt to it instead of just rodi water when evaporation occurs. I added corals and they look weak.. Did i kill them? I also lost my pipette so im using a plastic teaspoon or that isnt good

 

[thegrun]

You are correct, the best method to raise the salinity is to use 1.025 saltwater as your top-off water until your salinity is back to normal. While low salinity will shock your corals, most will recover. How are you measuring salinity and what caused the drop?

 

[tomreefer]

measuring with a refractometer. When I did my last water change I didnt add enough salt

 

[tomreefer]

Okay I added salt to my reservoir for evaporation. I put in 1 gallon at 1.030..

 

[thegrun]

Keep us posted with your results and as you well now know, always check your new saltwater before you make a water change.

 

[W1ngz]

Also looking to raise my salinity (upgraded my hydrometer to a refractometer - found out I was at 1.021, not 1.025).

I filled my sump with salt water about a gallon higher than it's normal running level, and will just let evap slowly increase the salinity over the next week or so.

 

[tomreefer]

Yes a newbie mistake. I checked my saltwater when I made it, next day I didnt check so obviously it changed sg in 24hrs.

 

[thegrun]

Yes a newbie mistake. I checked my saltwater when I made it, next day I didnt check so obviously it changed sg in 24hrs.

Your sg should not change unless you either had undissolved salt at the bottom of the container when you took your reading, your refractometer is not temperature compensating and the water temperature changed or you misread the reading.

 

[tomreefer]

I am not a 100% sure what happened. My tank is reading 1.020 now. My tank was actually at 1.019 when I tested it on Monday. One of my corals has a white film on it.. I have a 40 breeder tank with a 20 gallon sump. I am trying to figure if I should do a 10 gallon water change or just wait slowly. My top off I have at 1.025. 2 of my corals don't look good the other one some polyps opened today.

 

[firemountain]

You are correct, the best method to raise the salinity is to use 1.025 saltwater as your top-off water until your salinity is back to normal. While low salinity will shock your corals, most will recover. How are you measuring salinity and what caused the drop?

+1. I did that recently and with evaporation...it took me like three weeks of SG in my ATO to get to my desired level.....nice and slow.

 

[tomreefer]

it looks like one of my corals which is a soft branch coral I believe has lost its arms.. Is it dying or dead?

 

[GilliganReef]

If you want to get you SG up just add a 3 gallons of salt water at 1.034. Wait an hour then add another. Just try to get it up to 1.021 today then tomorrow add another 3 gallons but an hour interval between them. I have had my SG drop to 1.022 on my 40B reef tank. Just be patient and bring it up slowly.

 

[tomreefer]

Should I take a pic of coral? It looks like its shedding.. This normal occurrence or dead?