Salinity testing

[Amber B.]

We are in the process of cycling and we are trying to test for salinity (specific gravity) with a hydrometer - but it is really inacurate....how do we know how to adjust the system to keep the salinity correct if the hydrometer keeps giving us unreliable results? We just tested the water and the first test gave us 1.026 and the second was off the scale.

Would the salinity really have changed that much if we had done nothing to it since we last checked?

[FragMan07]

Your best bet is to get a portable Refractometer.

You can get one one ebay or on many of the Fish Websites. I literally just got mine today and it works like a charm.

[bertoni]

This article should help:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/rhf/index.php

I agree that a refractometer, or a conductivity meter, would be less error-prone, in my experience.

[MichaelRyanSd]

Get a refactormeter, so many problems are caused by inaccurate salinity readings

[uscharalph]

Take a sample to your LFS for confirmation of the reading.

[nybyrne]

Refactormeter on ebay. very cheap works well

[snorvich]

Two of your most important equipment purchases will be a refractometer (Dr Foster and Smith has one, or ebay) and a protein skimmer.

[Jocephus]

definately get a refractometer, in the mean you can try rinsing your hydrometer with warm tap water to make sure that all the salt residue is off before you use it.

[hunkafish]

Just a thought but with evaporation the salinity goes up quick and ro/di and balance back to origional. use a buffer/calcium for ph

[dsn112]

get a refractometer and don't take it to an LFS. Most LFS's use the same cheap hydrometers we are telling you to stay away from.