Needing help with my salt levels - keeps going up

Ashr

Ashr

Active Member
Hey all

So some background first. 66g red sea max. heavy SPS and LPS corals.

Id like my levels around 1.026 but found it was around 1.030 today when I checked. I only top off with fresh R/O water but sometimes the top off is around 2-5 gallons. I do a water change every month (I know I know but this works well for my tank) Whenever I do a water change I only add water with a salt level of 1.015 to 1.020 to help lower it in the main tank but it only goes down a bit once I add it but it always creeps back up..

Any ideas why?

I dose Mg, Calc and Alk.


Thanks!
__________________
 
Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson

Well-Known Member
Check into "dosing adding salt". Also, I can't see adding 2-5 gallons top off to a 66 gal. tank. It should be more like 3/4 -1 gal. even with an open top tank and fans or whatever. Are you topping off every day?
 
goma

goma

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
PREMIUM
Somethings wonky here....Follow Glenn's advice on recalibrating your refraftometer as this isn't really making any sense. You are detailing some very large swings that can't be accounted for.
 
tangers

tangers

Member
The assumption that you are using refractometer rather than a hydrometer. Do you use the dropper or your fingers? I heard if instances where salt residue builds up in the pipette/dropper causing inaccurate readings
 
Tokalosh

Tokalosh

Well-Known Member
HTML:
tangers said:
Do you use the dropper or your fingers? I heard if instances where salt residue builds up in the pipette/dropper causing inaccurate readings
Click to expand...

That's why its good practice to always rinse your pipets with RO water after use.
Even then, I use one pipet for my salt water and one for my calibration fluid.

Tok
 
RedSeaKev

RedSeaKev

RS Sponsor
Ok and now for a spanner in the works, just to add to any confusion, its always good practice to check the zero will 0 TDS R/O water and check the range with a reference solution, this has been covered, however some refractometers can also read high when excessive dosing of Magnesium is under taken and level exceed 1600 ppm, the can skew the reading of many refractometers so care must me taken.
 
Ashr

Ashr

Active Member
Hey all
Sorry for the late reply. My TDS reads 0.00 out so that is fine.. and I dont have any recalibrating liquid so I will look into getting some. I top up once a week so I was thinking about getting an ATO to help with this instead.. might be better. I did a large water change the other day and now read around 1.027. Ill keep you posted and will look into what everyone had to say!

thank yoU!! :)
 
M

McClain75

Member
How do you test the WC water going in? With the same refractometer? If so, how are you calculating how much salt to get the new water to be 1.015-1.020. Could be as simple as a bad calculation and/or poorly calibrated refractometer.
 
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