hydrometer

parrotchute

parrotchute

DUSTOFF MEDEVAC
Yet another newb question for you guys!
So, after suspecting errors in my hydrometer (red sea, temp corrected) due to staying the same despite me adding more salt, I bought another. I just rinsed out the old one in vinegar (30 min soak) and then in hot water, put it back, and the same reading! My new one, a coralife temp corrected one that's much larger, seems to stick at various readings and isn't consistent. But it does lean on the high side, making me think I overdosed a bit on salt attempting to correct the stuck low side.

How do you guys use your hydrometers? I feel like I keep buying different things because I don't really know how to use them. I'm also having issues keeping the salt level stay the same during water changes...trying to learn the exact amount to put in to keep my levels exact. I'm taking the exact same amount of water out during the change to reduce the variables...


Thanks for any advice!
 
Did you follow the directions and soak the hydrometer in saltwater over night? Hydrometers can be miscalibrated and give wrong results. My first one was wrong and for a long time my salintiy was real low and I never knew.

One way to check is take a water sample to you LFS and have them check it for you to see if oyu results are the same. A refractometer is a very good investment. There are about twice the price, but are accurate, you can self calibrate them and they don't need replaced every year. I bout a used one for 20.00 and havn't looked back since.
 
To keep it the same during water changes check the salinity of the new water and make sure it's the same. It will take a little time to get used to, but after making the same amount each time you will get used to it.

If you salinity is low add more salt to your new water and never to the tank. If you salinity is too low in the tank when you add top off water due to evaporation add salt water instead of fresh water and over time it'll raise.
 
Hydrometers suck. They need to be replaced every 6 months or so, because they lose accuracy over time. Buy yourself a refractometer instead. You can commonly find them for $40 to $50, so they really aren't that much more than a hydrometer. And you don't have to replace them.
 
i got a nice one on ebay for $28, i compared it to a $60 one and there is no difference, they both get the same results.
 
man i must be the only one i have had the same hydrometer for 2 years and i just got a refotmeter and tested my water with it and they are almost the same the hydrometer is about .5 higher than the refactormeter
 
well, just ran out and got my refractometer, going to go calibrate it. I tried it out at the store and was pretty impressed with the ease of use and how it takes the guessing out of it!
Thanks guys!
 
Excited as I've been about the accurate readings, I woke up early this morning looking forward to doing a water change. I even created an easy little formula to figure out how salty the water in my water change has to be to bring my salt to the right level. I think that'd be too drastic a change, though, so I'm going to do it slowly over several changes....
 
The best and easiest way to bring the salinity up.Is to mix the water like you would for a water change.But use it for topping off untill your target salinity is reached.
 
Yeah, I'm lowering the salinity. After continuing to add salt (when my lame hydrometer was stuck), I raised the salt a fair amount. I'm actually surprised nothing died. Yet.

(then again, I have the damsel fish straight from hell who won't die)
 
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