Hydrometer

[jswinberlin]

I've used the same hydrometer for like 2 years and thought maybe I should get a new one just to make sure my readings are correct. After seasoning the new hydrometer by soaking it in my tank water for 24 hours it reads off the charts with salinity over 1.026. However my old hydrometer is reading 1.024 - 1.025. Everything in my tank is doing well including 2 clownfish that are now a mated pair and lay eggs every week or so.

Not sure which one I should trust. Should I slowly lower my salinity or just keep thing the way they are?

 

[little_fish]

You should trust neither, hydrometers are notoriously inaccurate. Instead you can get a refractometer from ebay ($30ish) and with some calibration solution you will have a reliable instrument that you dont need to worry about replacing every 6 months.

And if the change in salinity happened gradually, all of your critters would have adjusted

 

[Bifferwine]

Hannah is right -- hydrometers should be replaced every 6 months. And even right out of the box, they are very inaccurate. A refractometer is the way to go.