salinity dropping! plz help!

[nextreefer420]

i recently setup a new tank 2 days ago, using pre-mixed saltwater. the next day some of corals started turning brown but i figured it was only new tank syndrome. Today i had a couple acros and a birdsnest die. my tank is already cycled but now i have ammonia from corals dying. salinity was 1.019. alk 7. and calcium 240!!! i did a 25% water change and added 5 gallons worth of instant ocean salt to my tank.
10 hours later, my salinity is still 1.019! and my corals still look bad if not worse. Any suggestions? because i'm about to start over

[Third Coast Tropical]

Not sure I read all that right....tank is 2 days old and has corals in it? and then,....did you add the salt directly to your tank after youdi this water change. or did you premix it in a separate container and then add it?

[Texreefer]

If your tank was 2 days old it was NOT cycled.. what all was in your tank,, salinity does not drop in its own it will rise. give us a full history of how the tank was set up and everything thats in it, so we can help

[rabadanmarco]

premixed saltwater at petco"the so called "ready"saltwater"...if thats the case those are not....uuummm....reef ready.....nitrates are actualy high in those....i used to work at petco.....if you used a local fish stores premixed water.....that water isnt cycled.....they premix those for the use of water changes........not to dump all the water in your tank...and your ready to go.........and if it wasnt made with RO water.....that might be it to....if it is getting worse water changes will only make it worse......i would say to start off with a clean slate. no fish...no coral...just your filter....sand.....and cured live rock....that live rock has more that enough bacteria to get your system boosted.....Never use the tap.....buy RO water at your local fish store.......make your own saltwater....to ensure that salinity is right..and yes....you have to be pacient(cycling can take weeks)....they have cycle boosters but there isnt anything better than mother nature cycling it for you......after a few days i have been told to put in a damsel(i dont like doing this cuz its like dumping them in poisoned water....) and they will help with the cycle process.....i could go on and on but it could fill up a book.....

[rabadanmarco]

missing anything guys

[Squiers007]

Use a deli shrimp not a damsel. It accomplishes the same thing without torturing an innocent fish that most people are going to get rid of after the cycle anyway. Also I would say to use RO/DI water over just RO as it is removes more "bad stuff" from the water that you dont want in your tank.

We definatley need some more info though about how the tank was setup before we can help.

[nextreefer420]

isn't a tank cycled if the nitrites were 0? all of my live rock was already cured
and i checked the salinity of the salt water before i bought it. it wasn't mixed tap water either. my fish and inverts are fine it's just the corals

[dmweise]

Even with cured live rock there is going to be a lot of die off, especially from the rocks. It should stabilize in a week or two, but you may lose a few corals. They are generally pretty hardy and will just close up until conditions are right, but you may want to prepare for some losses.

If you're close by and your corals are not too large I may be able to find room for them in my tank to keep them alive for you while your tank cycles.

[rabadanmarco]

well of course new water is going to have 0 nitrates and nitrites...but it has to go through the nitrogen cycle cycle....i dont want to have to do this but here goes

http://www.petco.com/caresheets/fish/NitrogenCycle.pdf

[Squiers007]

The water itself does not go through the nitrogen cycle the only thing that cycles are nutrients. Food gets broken down to ammonia and then the cycle take place. Unless the water you are adding has ammonia or food already in it, it will not "cycle". The pupose of cycling a tank when first set up is to establish the bacterial colonies within the live rocks so that the nitrogen cycle can take place.

[CoryDude]

Hate to be negative, but sounds like the cart got put ahead of the horse. SPS in a tank that's 2 days old? I'd be surprised is any of them survive the cycling process in the long run.

Some hardy corals may survive the process, but sounds like you may need to research some basics before you proceed further.

[rabadanmarco]

please dont take offence to this...were only trying to help.....thats why maast is here.,..imagine if you hadn't posted this...u would have tried it again and same results.....i would try to get what coral is left and take it to your lfs....maybe they can hold it for a while...and though i truely dont recomend it...use an cycle booster if your that impatient.....i used to recomend (at petco)byozyme..or biozyme.....it practically bacteria that will boost your system....as for your salinity droping or (Specific Gravity-your readings) the only thing i might think of is that alot of salt creep..

[Bill S]

OK, it's a little late, but I'll jump in. Even though the original poster hasn't responded..

1) see if you find someone to take your "stuff" for a little while. If you were here in SA, I'd put them in my 55, which has nothing in it (but it's been set up for 6 years).

2) what are you measuring salinity with? If it's not a CALIBRATED refractometer, or a good old-fashioned floating hydrometer, throw it away. Swing arms have killed more fish than just about any other piece of equipment. There is no way to know when they aren't working anymore...

3) the first rule of SWF - "bad, BAD things happen to those who rush in".

4) and finally, WE ARE HERE TO HELP. Please don't run away - we've all been beginners at one point in time.

[CoryDude]

I'm guilty of the same sin. When I first started up in the early 90's, I couldn't wait to see some color in my tank, so I did the same as you.

Luckily I made my mistakes in private. So, sorry if I and everyone else seem a little rough. It's easy to forget we were beginners also.

If you're in north Austin, I'd recommend you talk to someone like Bruce over at Aquatek. Tell him you're just starting out and he can make some good recomendations where you should go from there.

He can help you through the cycling process and select some hardy corals to start out with.