Rookie mistake

[spamvicious]

I’ve been running my tank for 4 months and still learning. Today I randomly tested the temperature using my Hanna salinity checker and was surprised to see that my salinity had risen to 1.030. After double checking with a refractometer I took a small amount of water out and added some RO. Now gonna have to slowly lower the salinity.

Thankfully I don’t have any fish atm just a cleaner shrimp and some cuc. I had one casualty of an astera snail but everything else seems ok, fingers crossed.

After doing a quick search I think it’s because I have been dosing magnesium and apparently that can raise the salinity.

Just thought I’d mention this in case anyone else is also dosing supplements.

 

[Subsea]

I run Caribbean habitat reef at 1.030. Where I live, evaporation is the biggest reason for rising salinity in our reef tanks.

 

[dedragon]

i try to check every water change. Once i have the refractometer out its like another 20 seconds to do it so might as well. A lot of additives can increase salinity but unless you are dosing a ton or have a really small tank it shouldnt change it too fast.
Getting to 1.030 was probably a very gradual change and didnt effect the inhabitants at all. Good thing you caught it before it go too much higher though

 

[spamvicious]

i try to check every water change. Once i have the refractometer out its like another 20 seconds to do it so might as well. A lot of additives can increase salinity but unless you are dosing a ton or have a really small tank it shouldnt change it too fast.
Getting to 1.030 was probably a very gradual change and didnt effect the inhabitants at all. Good thing you caught it before it go too much higher though

Yeah I have the Fluval evo so 52 litres before rock etc. I’ve put one of the Fluval hydrometers in now that I had in a drawer. Just to keep an eye on plus doing extra checks.