NOT ENOUGH SALT TO COMPLETE WATER CHANGE

[Townes_Van_Camp]

So close... 2 3/4 cups to raise it...

Use the calculator I showed linked. It will hit the number you need perfect.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Use the calculator I showed linked. It will hit the number you need perfect.

Yeah that's how I got that number... the 3 cups was just a off the top of my head.

 

[fishylui]

Alright I’ll do that. Thank you so much!

 

[Reef.]

Is it me that has read the op incorrectly?

If I understand correctly, the tank has the correct salinity but is short 20 gallons, you have the 20 yet to add with a salinity of 1.019? If that is correct, you can either run the tank as it is until you can buy more salt, i dont believe sea salt from the store is actually sea salt so I wouldn’t go that route, if you cant buy more salt for a while then I would add the salt that is 1.019 to the tank a little slowly, it wont bring your salinity down too much and if you do it slowly your inverts should be fine, the best option is to run the tank as it is and buy some more salt tomorrow, it doesnt have to be the same brand, if you cant get ahold of the brand you use.

 

[fishylui]

Alright I’ll do that. Thank you so much!

Just for a future reference, if this ever happens again, is it okay if I just leave the tank stagnant overnight and buy salt first thing in the morning?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Is it me that has read the op incorrectly?

If I understand correctly, the tank has the correct salinity but is short 20 gallons, you have the 20 yet to add with a salinity of 1.019? If that is correct, you can either run the tank as it is until you can buy more salt, i dont believe sea salt from the store is actually sea salt so I wouldn’t go that route, if you cant buy more salt for a while then I would add the salt that is 1.019 to the tank a little slowly, it wont bring your salinity down too much and if you do it slowly your inverts should be fine, the best option is to run the tank as it is and buy some more salt tomorrow, it doesnt have to be the same brand, if you cant get ahold of the brand you use.

All About Sea Salt

Sea salt comes in many different colors, sizes, and flavors, but there’s only one kind that we use in every single 88 Acres product: “Pretzel grain” sea salt from Australia.

88acres.com

I get you about dropping the overall salinity would be slight, but if you have access to natural sea salt.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Just for a future reference, if this ever happens again, is it okay if I just leave the tank stagnant overnight and buy salt first thing in the morning?

Not stagnant... power head and a heater with surface agitation. This would also be key if your power went out and you were using a battery back up

 

[fishylui]

Is it me that has read the op incorrectly?

If I understand correctly, the tank has the correct salinity but is short 20 gallons, you have the 20 yet to add with a salinity of 1.019? If that is correct, you can either run the tank as it is until you can buy more salt, i dont believe sea salt from the store is actually sea salt so I wouldn’t go that route, if you cant buy more salt for a while then I would add the salt that is 1.019 to the tank a little slowly, it wont bring your salinity down too much and if you do it slowly your inverts should be fine, the best option is to run the tank as it is and buy some more salt tomorrow, it doesnt have to be the same brand, if you cant get ahold of the brand you use.

Okay so just so that you can understand lol, I was fully cleaning the tank, the sump and everything. I took 3 gallons out of the sump and put another 3 gallon of new water. Then I removed 15 gallons off of my display and when I went to fill up the bucket with 20 gallons to fill the tank again, I didn’t have enough salt to reach a 1.025ppm only enough to reach 1.019ppm, so basically I only had enough salt for 17ish Gallons

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Just for a future reference, if this ever happens again, is it okay if I just leave the tank stagnant overnight and buy salt first thing in the morning?

Not stagnate. That's bad. You need circulation. 1.019 is much less of a concern than no flow.

 

[Reef.]

All About Sea Salt

Sea salt comes in many different colors, sizes, and flavors, but there’s only one kind that we use in every single 88 Acres product: “Pretzel grain” sea salt from Australia.

88acres.com

I get you about dropping the overall salinity would be slight, but if you have access to natural sea salt.

Yeah of course, but getting ahold of the correct sea salt in the amount that is needed from a store, the OP could buy his original salt from a LFS or online, at most he’ll only have to wait a day, if money isnt the issue here.

Putting heaters etc in the display for a day will be fine.

 

[fishylui]

Not stagnate. That's bad. You need circulation. 1.019 is much less of a concern than no flow.

Alright so I should just wait until the morning and put all of my items in the main display and run it, I am able to get salt first thing in the morning, I know the local fish store owners and they are having their sale arriving tomorrow morning so they will hold a bucket for me

 

[Reef.]

Okay so just so that you can understand lol, I was fully cleaning the tank, the sump and everything. I took 3 gallons out of the sump and put another 3 gallon of new water. Then I removed 15 gallons off of my display and when I went to fill up the bucket with 20 gallons to fill the tank again, I didn’t have enough salt to reach a 1.025ppm only enough to reach 1.019ppm, so basically I only had enough salt for 17ish Gallons

Not much clearer to be honest…think I’m correct in what I said, my reply still stands, either run the tank as is until you buy more salt, or add the low salinity water slowly.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Alright so I should just wait until the morning and put all of my items in the main display and run it, I am able to get salt first thing in the morning, I know the local fish store owners and they are having their sale arriving tomorrow morning so they will hold a bucket for me

Honestly, I feel like there are too many cooks in the kitchen on this one and it's causing confusion. Not what anyone wants.

Your choices are
A. Go buy sea salt and bump salinity to a safer number

B. Increase evaporation to raise salinity. That's gonna be slower. If you chose B, heater and power head in display, ATO and return pump off.

C. Wait

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Okay so just so that you can understand lol, I was fully cleaning the tank, the sump and everything. I took 3 gallons out of the sump and put another 3 gallon of new water. Then I removed 15 gallons off of my display and when I went to fill up the bucket with 20 gallons to fill the tank again, I didn’t have enough salt to reach a 1.025ppm only enough to reach 1.019ppm, so basically I only had enough salt for 17ish Gallons

What he is saying is on a system as large as yours the overall dip in salinity is going to be very slight.
Lets say your tank is running 1.025 now and you add the 20 gallons of 1.019 you will lower your salinity overall by .015 so your salinity should be 1.0235 ish...
or look at it this way to make 100g of water 1.025 you would add 100 cups of salt (figuratively) well you only had 97.5 cups of salt.

 

[fishylui]

What he is saying is on a system as large as yours the overall dip in salinity is going to be very slight.
Lets say your tank is running 1.025 now and you add the 20 gallons of 1.019 you will lower your salinity overall by .015 so your salinity should be 1.0235 ish...
or look at it this way to make 100g of water 1.025 you would add 100 cups of salt (figuratively) well you only had 97.5 cups of salt.

Okay I’m sorry so just to rewind and come to a conclusion add water or don’t add water just run the system power heads and heaters?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Honestly, I feel like there are too many cooks in the kitchen on this one and it's causing confusion. Not what anyone wants.

Your choices are
A. Go buy sea salt and bump salinity to a safer number

B. Increase evaporation to raise salinity. That's gonna be slower. If you chose B, heater and power head in display, ATO and return pump off.

C. Wait

No... LOL. We are letting a new reefer that there is more than just one solution to an issue. All will work an be effective. They can chose the option that works for them the best.
I personally have a big thing of Costco sea salt in the cabinet so that's where my mind went. If I didn't I would run it like @Reef. suggested then the next day add more salt water and let it evaporate to the correct salinity like you suggest.

 

[Reef.]

Okay I’m sorry so just to rewind and come to a conclusion add water or don’t add water just run the system power heads and heaters?

If you can buy more salt tomorrow, just wait, run the tank as it is now, as you don’t want to lower the silinity today, then raise it again tomorrow.

 

[fishylui]

If you can buy more salt tomorrow, just wait, run the tank as it is now, as you don’t want to lower the silinity today, then raise it again tomorrow.

Alright I 100% can get salt tomorrow morning, the only thing with running the tank is that the water is not high enough in order to reach the “drain”

 

[fishylui]

Example of the tank

 

[Reef.]

No... LOL. We are letting a new reefer that there is more than just one solution to an issue. All will work an be effective. They can chose the option that works for them the best.
I personally have a big thing of Costco sea salt in the cabinet so that's where my mind went. If I didn't I would run it like @Reef. suggested then the next day add more salt water and let it evaporate to the correct salinity like you suggest.

You are probably right, sea salt from a store probably is from the sea, well at least some brands, some I believe is really rock salt..I use Maldon sea salt, just recently heard its not actually sea salt, not sure if that’s correct or not, either way I like it.