Low salinity

[Propane]

Put my nano tank up today with premixed water from my LFS. After assembling everything I pulled out my new tester and checked the leftover water. It was at 1.021. My first question is will this kill my live sand. My next question is should I now just keep adding salt water until it comes up or drain it and start over with the correct salinity. It’s a 15 gallon.

 

[liddojunior]

Your live sand is fine, fish only tanks can go down to 1.021 so no issues!
You could just let it run and evaporate to what salinity you want. And then just make sure to get saltwater that’s 1.025

 

[Hiward]

Put my nano tank up today with premixed water from my LFS. After assembling everything I pulled out my new tester and checked the leftover water. It was at 1.021. My first question is will this kill my live sand. My next question is should I now just keep adding salt water until it comes up or drain it and start over with the correct salinity. It’s a 15 gallon.

Congratulations on setting up your nano tank! To answer your first question, a salinity of 1.021 is on the low side for a marine tank, but it is not likely to kill your live sand. Most marine organisms can tolerate a range of salinity levels, but sudden changes in salinity can be stressful for them.

In terms of your second question, it depends on your specific situation. If you have already added live rock or other live organisms to your tank, it may be better to slowly adjust the salinity over time to avoid shocking them. In this case, you can add small amounts of saltwater over several hours until you reach your desired salinity level. You can also do partial water changes with saltwater to gradually increase the salinity.

If you have not yet added any live organisms to your tank, you may want to consider draining the water and starting over with the correct salinity level. This will ensure that your tank is set up properly from the beginning.

In any case, it is important to regularly monitor your tank's salinity level and make adjustments as needed. Aim for a salinity level between 1.023-1.025 for a marine aquarium.

 

[Propane]

Your live sand is fine, fish only tanks can go down to 1.021 so no issues!
You could just let it run and evaporate to what salinity you want. And then just make sure to get saltwater that’s 1.025

Thanks for the reply

 

[Propane]

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated

 

[gbroadbridge]

Put my nano tank up today with premixed water from my LFS. After assembling everything I pulled out my new tester and checked the leftover water. It was at 1.021. My first question is will this kill my live sand. My next question is should I now just keep adding salt water until it comes up or drain it and start over with the correct salinity. It’s a 15 gallon.

Okay, first - have you calibrated your new salinity checker?

If you have and the water really is low salinity it won't harm anything in the rock or sand.

Best way to bring it up is simply replace evaporated water with more salt water until it is at 1.026.

In future I assume you will mix your own water?

Have fun with the new tank - read lots before adding animals

 

[Propane]

Thanks for the response. It was calibrated and I will most definitely be mixing my own going forward.