In over my head and in need of assistance!

If you plan on adding more tap water instead of ro water, you should at least get a tap water conditioner like stress coat.

 

I would recommend getting a refractometer versus the hydrometer. You can get some really well priced usually on ebay. A refractometer is just much more accurate then a hydrometer.

good luck

 

First off, I would like to say Welcome To 3REEF!
Secondly I would like to award you some Karma for Asking for help right away.
Thirdly I would like to agree with everyone else here and say that you haven't screwed up yet. You will be just fine. PHARMRJOHN and DIVOTT have given you good advice and I would listen very carefully to both.
Just stay calm and research research research. If I were you I would take a few moments to just go over our site here and read through some of the threads.
If you have any questions at all, no matter how dumb of insignificant you think it is, please DONT Hesitate to ask.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DUMB QUESTION!!!

We will all try our hardest to aid you in your saltwater journey.
Also, make sure to take plenty of pictures! In the words of Luna (The picture police)If there are not pictures, it didn't happen.
The most important word in saltwater is PATIENCE. Take it slow and watch it grow. It may take months to get just one thing right, but in the end you will be so satisfied.
GOOD LUCK!!!

 

A warm welcome to 3reef. Everyone has given great advice so far. I will attempt to highlight a few important things.

-In the future mix your salt water in a bucket or Rubbermaid container BEFORE adding it to the tank. This allows you to test the salinity before you add it. I mix my saltwater a day in advance to ensure that ALL the salt is dissolved, and I always double check the salinity right before adding it.

-It would be in your best interest to start using ro (reverse osmosis) water as soon as you can. Tap water contains heavy metals and chemicals that will have you fighting algae problems for a long time. You can either purchase your own ro filter, or you can buy ro water from your LFS (local fish store).

-Reef crystals is a great brand of salt mix, so good choice there, and once your sand settles, the water will clear up. This process may take a few days depending on what type of sand you have.

-You will want your salinity to be 1.023 to 1.026. I run my tank at 1.026, but if you are running a fish only tank (no invertebrates or corals), 1.023 is fine. What ever SG you decide on, try to keep it stable.

-Once you have completed your cycle, you may want to look into getting a protein skimmer, and a better filter depending on what you already have. Saltwater tanks generally require higher water quality than freshwater tanks thus requiring better filtration and circulation. Powerheads can provide circulation.

-I would also be in your best interest to purchase a refractometer. This is a device that uses light refraction to determine salinity. As opposed to a hydrometer that determines salinity through density. Refractometers are MUCH more accurate. I was using a hydrometer when I started out, I thought my water was at 1.026, but when I purchased a refractometer it was actually about 1.023. Even that small difference was causing my corals to close up.

-Keep researching! ALWAYS! And again, welcome to 3reef

 

hi and welcome

With regards to the hydrometer. Im new to salt water myself, so ive done a fair bit of researching recenly. (brain hurts, lol). One thing i read about hydrometers, besides from not being as accurate as refractometers, is that generally the newer they are, the less accurate they are. The advice i was given was to let your hydrometer soak in the tank over night. (dont know if its true, but i didn it anyway. No harm in trying right) Another tip was. once you have filed the hydrometer with water, tap it gently on a solid surface to get rid of bubbles or unstick the arm. Then set it down on a flat surface to settle for a few secs. This results in more accurate readings as the arm isnt being interfered with, or stopped from moving.
Before i did these things i was getting readings of completely nothing to as high as it will go! hahah. But now i have it sussed, its (hopefully) accurate at 1.024.
Hope this helps.

Luc

 

If you will run warm tap water from the spicket into the hydrometer and let it run through for a minute or so you will get a more accurate reading....When you fill it with tank water let it fill slowly and there will be no bubbles....Good Luck
Danny