Mag alk and calcium very low

[wtjoe]

I did what u guys say it went up to 33.7 salinity i mixed salt in my ato

[wtjoe]

Ive done what u guys said i mix salt water to my ato and ive took out 10 gallon of water mixed more salt and my salinity now read 33.6 do i wait a few days and see or do i need to do anything else

[wtjoe]

Hi does salinity at night goes down my apex salinty orobe before was 33.6 now its 33.2

[Dkuhlmann]

We said to mix the top off to 35 not 33.7. Once you've done this it will top off using that mix instead of RODI which will start to raise your salinity of your DT water. You will need to check the tank water every day until it reaches 35 ppt which is 1.026 sg. Then once it reaches 35 ppt or 1.026 sg you will switch your top off water back to RODI, then you can recheck your other parameters.

After this is set you will need to mix your water change water to 35 ppt or 1.026 as well as get it to the same temp as your tank. IF you don't your fish and corals will go into shock and some will even die because of this. It has to be the same water change water as what your tank is as far as salinity and temp go. The rest of the parameters will follow what they should be because your salt mix has everything in it your tank needs.

I don't understand why you keep thinking something is close enough and not what we have stated in your thread. This isn't a close enough is good enough hobby. For instance there are many corals as well as anemones that will die if you don't have stable water parameters of what they're supposed to be.

Like I said before you shouldn't add any more livestock until you have your parameters straight and continue to keep them stable for a period of several months, this means 4-6 months.

We only wish that you have success in the hobby and until you get the water parameters completely understood you will not have success and will always be chasing problems. We're trying to help you avoid that.

Good luck!

[JoeBatt]

The Apex conductivity (salinity) probe is so difficult to calibrate correctly and also very prone to error due to air bubbles in the probe or any stray voltage in the tank or wiring too close to the probe wire. I would not use it to measure your salinity, use a traditional refractometer.

I would not be at all surprised that if you measure with refractometer its much higher than the Apex says, even above where you really want it!

I have the same probe but only use it to give me an idea if the level goes up or down in the tank. As to the value I ignore it and test weekly with my Milwaukee

[JoeBatt]

Stop dosing and bring up your salinity.

As previously mentioned do it through your ATO (automatic top off) if you have one. Mix fresh saltwater to 1.026 and use it to top off your system. If you don't have an ATO then just too it off manually with Fresh saltwater.

This is rubbish information IGNORE IT, ATO is fresh water only. ATO is used to replace the water evaporation in the tank with fresh water. If you do it with salt water the salinity will climb and climb since the evaporation in your tank leaves the salt behind.

To increase the salinity do a water change and use this calculator to get you in the ballpark.
https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/...etSalinity.php

Don't mess with anything else until the salinity is correct. 1.026/35ppt

Jumping into this hobby without doing a lot of reading and research is a sure way to spend a heap load of money with no result, except probably selling everything in 6 months out of frustration. I suggest from your post that you need to read read read.

[Dkuhlmann]

Originally Posted by JoeBatt

This is rubbish information IGNORE IT, ATO is fresh water only. ATO is used to replace the water evaporation in the tank with fresh water. If you do it with salt water the salinity will climb and climb since the evaporation in your tank leaves the salt behind.

To increase the salinity do a water change and use this calculator to get you in the ballpark.
https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/...etSalinity.php

Don't mess with anything else until the salinity is correct. 1.026/35ppt

Jumping into this hobby without doing a lot of reading and research is a sure way to spend a heap load of money with no result, except probably selling everything in 6 months out of frustration. I suggest from your post that you need to read read read.

The safest way to raise salinity in a tank is to add the target salinity to the top off until the desired sg is reached. It is slow and steady and IMO and IME the best way to raise sg in a tank. Once the desired sg is reached then you go back to RODI for top off. This is a widely accepted way of raising sg and many people do this. There are always more than one way to skin a cat and you obviously prefer the guessing game. Which can be detrimental to the inhabitants of your tank if raised too quickly. The top off method is slow and steady over a few day's time. You need to understand it before you bash it.

You're correct as using saltwater for top off will raise the salinity of the tank because it's replacing evap with saltwater which is raising it to the target level then changing back to RODI after the desired sg is reached.

[JoeBatt]

I understand how your method works. Though personally I have used the calculate and adjust with fresh salt water. I do get the feeling that this will lead this guy to the conclusion that ATO is salt water though from his previous comments and could cause further problems.

[Dkuhlmann]

unfortunately you might be right

I see one problem is that he's using his apex system to adjust salinity not a refractometer. As was pointed out the Apex isn't accurate anyway. BUT I also pointed out several times that the 35 ppt or 1.026 sg is to be topped off ONLY until the DT water reaches the desired sg then to switch back to RODI only.

I then fully described doing WC's by using only a mix that matches the DT water in SG and temp. It's not really that hard of a concept to understand. Or is it?

[JoeBatt]

Easy if you have read up and understood the basic principles........

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by JoeBatt

I do get the feeling that this will lead this guy to the conclusion that ATO is salt water though from his previous comments and could cause further problems.

yes.. tread lightly... They (he/she) don't seem to have even the most basics down..
They already have critters (fish/corals) in a tank with levels so out of whack its amazing anything is actually living..

[sde1500]

then again, levels may be fine, and testing may be done poorly, can't really know for certain.

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by sde1500

then again, levels may be fine, and testing may be done poorly, can't really know for certain.

Its pretty clear he doesn't have the right amount of salt in the water.. (but anything is possible with some)