Salinity out of control

[jolt]

3 hours ago, Beaux said:

I did all the testing again a few hours after a water change with RO only, and again last night before bed. It was 1.027 each time. Now this morning, first thing did another check again and it's on the rise back at 1.029.  

If you checked just before bed, did nothing else, and then checked again when you got up it seems like the only things that can reasonably explain the overnight rise from 1.027 to 1.029 have already been mentioned: (1) refractometer calibration, or (2) evaporation

@Sierra Bravo gave you some good advice above

[+Dogfish]

Hum bunny elves helping you out ????

[Isaac]

thats a huge swing for mere evaporation.  something is introducing salt.

[Beaux]

Sierra Bravo,

I have an app called aqdiary that I use every time I test, clean or top off. I also use it when adding anything to the tank, including new corals, when one has died ect.. I have just returned from Aquadome, after going to River city aquatics to have the same sample tested. They are both identical to my test results so the equipment I use is calibrated correctly.

Gig'em,

I do not do any mixing. I buy all salt and RO water from my LFS. I check the values each and every time before I use either. If the salinity is to low, i ask them to bring it up to X to get it as close as possible to my tanks salinity. If it is to high I use the RO water to dilute it, let it sit for a few hours and retest it before adding it to my tank.

I took the video I made this morning, aquadome folks had no advice, however RCA did after looking at it several times.

So now I am back tracking. One of the last additions looked like it was live rock, but it wasn't. They could see how the large base was crumbling and deteriorating inside my tank. So that is now in a quarantine tank with perfect numbers. It's going to be a step by step process going backwards to find out what is causing this.

Just as in every reply, it was not adding up. I have not put any salt water in the tank for 3 weeks, only RO, yet the salinity was still going up every time.

The piece I removed may or may not be the cause, only time will tell for now.

I ordered the ATO that was recommended, and placed a strip of electrical tape as a fill line for a guide until it arrives. 

I also put the glass top back on to cut down the evap until I get the ATO.

After explaining all this to the gentleman at RCA he strongly feels that crumbling "rock" is the culprit.  His advice was to remove it, which I did. Also to do daily salinity checks on both tanks, which I will do.

His only other suggestion was to to a 90% water change and hope for the best.

Again thank you all for your advice. Now it's time and finger crossing until I know more.

[Sierra Bravo]

Crazy stuff, huh? Sounds like you are on top of everything everyone has mentioned.

I hope it is the crumbling rock somehow and now that it's out things stabilize. Maybe someone sold you a salt lick for a piece of aquarium rock. [emoji3]

Let us know what happens and good luck.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Beaux]

Thank you all for your replies and support for my issue!

For now it seems to be resolved. Removing that decaying piece of salt lick, lol, seems to have resolved the issue. My tanks salinity level is now stable again, still somewhat high, but consistent and not rising. My med tank where I move that piece to is rising.

Can I just use a sharp razor to cut the remaining polys that are still attached and re-acumilate them back into my main? I know they are toxic and would wear gloves but would that have a detrimental affect on the tank as a whole?

Some of them had already dislodged and are scattered throughout my main tank.

There are only about 10-15 that are still alive. But is it worth it, or should I just let it go?

[skot]

so that was like a giant block or salt-creep in the tank causing that? crazy