hydrometer readings

[dlauber]

My new hydrometer says acceptable reading for marine tanks is 1.020-1.023 sg
but alot of people here say 1.025-1.030sg
so should I go by what my hydrometer says too or should I for higher
My hydrometer seems to have pretty consistant readings, over the last hour I have taken probaly 5 readings, and without adding salt they were all the same, one time it jumped to 1.029, but then again my water has only been mixing for about 4 hours. So I mightve just hit some supersaturated water.
And also my hydrometer instructions say let it sit for 24 hours in 'salty water' to 'season' the needle, but its only sat there for about 3 hours, then I dumped it to take a few more readings and check for consistancy. Will this really affect it much?
I dont see what 'seasoning' it will really do
EDIT: Dont post if you are just goin to tell me to buy a refractometer, because I am not going to just yet. Maybe another day.

 

[mie]

I use a hydrometer, have been for over a year. I run a nice system with mushrooms, star polyps, Inverts, anenome, and fish. No problems.
I do plan on buying a refractometer when i start adding more of the spendier type of corals.

 

[dlauber]

Also I wanted to say, when I added salt to the water it just kindof sank to the bottom. So I had to break out a spatula and start stirring it up. Sometimes I see a very miniscul amount of salt settling at the bottom (the salt has only been mixing for 4 hours or so) so I just stir it up again a little bit
Is this normal when mixing salt in a new tank?

 

[1journeyman]

The directions are fine for a fish only tank. Not for a reef tank full of inverts however. Low salinity (below sea level which is 1.026) will kill them.
That said, you're seeing some of the issues associated with hydrometers.

Not much more to say. A Refractometer is a very small price to pay considering the overall cost in the hobby. Especially for a piece of equipment so vital as one that measures sg.
It is normal for salt to take 24 hours to dissolve.

 

[lexluethar]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
The directions are fine for a fish only tank. Not for a reef tank full of inverts however. Low salinity (below sea level which is 1.026) will kill them.
That said, you're seeing some of the issues associated with hydrometers.

Not much more to say. A Refractometer is a very small price to pay considering the overall cost in the hobby. Especially for a piece of equipment so vital as one that measures sg.
It is normal for salt to take 24 hours to dissolve.
Great advise, just buy a ref.
I would challenge you to test the same system with both a ref. and a hydrometer - you will be amazed at the differences between the two readings.

 

[sinner's g]

simple solution, have the lfs test your water with a ref, then you'll know the difference and you can adj accordingly. that's what I've been doing.
I did let mine season for 24 hours.
1.020-1.023 sg
but alot of people here say 1.025-1.030sg
1.020 is too low for inverts. I keep my tank, lr and a star, at 1.028.
If you just have fish you can get away with a lower sg. still think 1.020 is too low, but it's been awhile.
I kept the 55gl, fowlr, at 1.023. When I added inverts, all were good (snails kept dying...might have been the sg, no clue). I then read I should keep the sg higher so I slowly raised it over time.

 

[notsonoob]

I threw my hydrometer to the floor that it shattered into 100 pieces...
I will never trust one of them again as I kept increasing salinity levels based off those readings.
My refracotmeter showed up and I was at 1.029, where as my hydrometer said 1.025. Lucky for me nothing died...well maybe a snail or two.

 

[nigerbang]

I bought 2 refracts.. Both read identical to my 2 hydrometers.. Go figure..

 

[dlauber]

Also I wanted to say, when I added salt to the water it just kindof sank to the bottom. So I had to break out a spatula and start stirring it up. Sometimes I see a very miniscul amount of salt settling at the bottom (the salt has only been mixing for 4 hours or so) so I just stir it up again a little bit
Is this normal when mixing salt in a new tank?

 

[pastor b.]

Dear hobbyist , when purchasing a new hydrometer , purchase a coral life hydrometer . Let it seed for 24 hrs with salt water in it. After 24 hours , your coral life hydrometer will be ready to use . In this hobby patience is a must ! So whether you use a refractometer or a hydrometer you'll need a little patience . I have a 150 gallon aquarium with a specific gravity reading of 1.022 . My fish love it

. Also , the snails and bristle worms in my aquarium are breeding regularly ,keeping my coral banded shrimp and my harlequin tusk happy .

. I have live rock and live sand . And I use Instant Ocean sea salt with RO/DI water. As long as the fish are happy , that's all that matters .

 

[reef_dart21]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
The directions are fine for a fish only tank. Not for a reef tank full of inverts however. Low salinity (below sea level which is 1.026) will kill them.
if that is true i have my salinity at 1.023 and my cleaner shrimp molts perfectly and my urchin never lost his spines?

 

[notsonoob]

Some fish/corals/inverts are hardier than others.
Fish can be ok at lower salinities, actually a lot of places recommend that as some bacterias won't last at lower salinities and helps your fish
If you want a reef it is recommended to be at 1.026.

 

[dlauber]

Right now its at 1.027, I get that with every sample of water I take with my hydrometer every time now (I had added more salt)
but I might try to lower it if it will help with some of the bacterias, because I dont plan on reef keeping

 

[lexluethar]

Originally Posted by Dlauber
Also I wanted to say, when I added salt to the water it just kindof sank to the bottom. So I had to break out a spatula and start stirring it up. Sometimes I see a very miniscul amount of salt settling at the bottom (the salt has only been mixing for 4 hours or so) so I just stir it up again a little bit
Is this normal when mixing salt in a new tank?
Normally you want to mix salt for about 24-48 hours prior to adding to your tank. I believe you are adding this to a new tank so it is okay to do. My salt (since i keep my salnity around 35ppt) won't all disolve at once in my trash can and most will fall to the bottom. This is where you need to have a power head(s) to keep water circulating in the container/tank.
Once you add fish / inverts, DO NOT add salt to the water. It should be premixed in a separate container. But for a new tank with nothing in it mixing the salt within the tank is okay - just use some power heads located at different angles in the tank to keep the salt mixing with the water.