Don't go cheap!!!

[fbm]

I am sure this has been discussed a thousand times and more but don't go cheap.
I listened to a lfs who said a hydrometer was good enough to check salinity, it is not, DO NOT BUY ONE!!!!!
Hydrometer reading 1.022 and I was trying to bring it up.
Refractometer reading of 1.029, I thought no way so I went and had it double checked at a different lfs and sure enough it was 1.029. I know this is high and I am bringing it back down nice and slow. But the moral of the story is DON'T TRUST HYDROMETERS!!!!

 

[brandons]

don't trust the cheap plastic ones. You can get a fairly accurate reading on a labgrade glass hydrometer that is calibrated. You'll also have to adjust for temperature (as you would on a refractometer that isn't automatic temperature adjusting)

 

[scubaguy]

Yeah, I had the same problem with my Coralife Hydrometer. I found out that it was off by .005. Now that i know how far off it is I adjust to the correct level. On their package they state that it might be off + or - .001, yeah right.

 

[helpme74]

Refractometer