So , midway thru my water change last night I notice the water I was adding looked "off". Turns out, the staff at my regular LFS put R/O water in the wrong containers. :headwally: So I ended up adding about 8 gallons of R/O to my 130 gallon system . How much is it going to affect my tank and whats the best way to "fix" it??
Water change gone wrong
- Thread starter SDboatguy
- Start date
Green Chromis
New member
:fish1: Check your salinity, if it is lower then that of NSW, 1.026, add salt water to your system to raise it. Give us the water parameters of your system, so we can help., the are many ways to raise, or lower the SG of your system, and some are faster then others. :fish1:
kegogut
Active member
.026 is on the high side of things. You can slowly raise it up over the course of a day or two with no fear of losing anything. If its .024 or above it will be fine. No need to worry about it. You definitely need to purchase a refractometer though. Dont cheap out and buy a hydrometer,get the refractometer. You can get them at BRS or maybe an LFS.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/refractometer-for-reading-salinity-with-calibration-fluid.html
You may be able to get one for cheaper elsewhere but this is what youre looking for.
To be honest though 8 gallons in a 130 gallon system doesnt seem like it will lower it by more than a point or two
I checked last night and my salinity was down,obviously, from about 1.025 to 1.023. I did add the salt water I had on hand. Then added some of the "old " saltwater to my ATO so hopefully that will raise it some today. After work I do plan on another water change- 15 gal. just kinda curious if I should mix some water a bit saltier..
ericarenee
New member
Marine life are less harmed by quick depletion of salinity as they are with A Quick rise
I agree with the above..Let things become stable at the slightly lower salinity 8 gallons is not going to cause that huge of a swing . Then slowly raise it over a week to get it back to where you want it..... Many LFS Store actually keep there marine life in lower salinity to slow there metabolism and save money on Salt mix
Like everything else with Reefing making drastic fixes often causes more issue then original problem..
I agree with the above..Let things become stable at the slightly lower salinity 8 gallons is not going to cause that huge of a swing . Then slowly raise it over a week to get it back to where you want it..... Many LFS Store actually keep there marine life in lower salinity to slow there metabolism and save money on Salt mix
Like everything else with Reefing making drastic fixes often causes more issue then original problem..
Completely agree with this.
Did a W/C once and about halfway through realized I'd never added salt to the new water. IDIOT! Salinity dropped about .003. No long term affect fortunately. Still about the single biggest knucklehead move from yours truly.
Green Chromis
New member
:fish1: Hi kegogut, I was just going by the reading of 1.026, that I get when I collect it from the Gulfstream, off Sothern Dade County or the Florida Keys. I also calibrate my refractometer every time I add NSW to my system. :fish1:
Well, This makes me feel a bit better ,LOL. Thanks for the admission , I'm not the only one! I had the water check about 40hrs later and it was 1.0025 ,so I guess I got a better handle on it than I thought. THANKS again for all the help guys and girls!!
coralmoral
New member
Glad it's resolved! I had a similar issue a couple years back with accidentally adding fresh water. As long as the system isn't too small it isn't a huge problem.
FamilyTank
New member
This is not a challenge. I've just never heard this before.
heathlindner25
New member
I agree
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