high salinity

[dean87jones]

Just got my 60 gallon cube started.
is it normal to have a salinity thats off the charts when u first get ur tank started? could it be the fine particles from the sand bed because the water is till cloudy from adding the live sand bed. Its reading above 1.03.
I added about 60 gallons of salt water from the fish store along with 5 gallons of ro water. What do u think is causing this reading to be so high? thanks guys
Im gonna take my water to the fish store today to see if something is wrong with my hydrometer

[Allmost]

what do you test it with ?

[Reefman29]

It could be air bubbles affecting the arm of the hydrometer. High salinity would be a result of mixing the water with too much salt. Once the tank is established the salinity will slowly rise from water evaporation.

[Allmost]

It could be air bubbles affecting the arm of the hydrometer. High salinity would be a result of mixing the water with too much salt. Once the tank is established the salinity will slowly rise from water evaporation.

A hydrometer shows different values at different temps !!! they ar calibrated for 77 degrees.

that's why using a refractometer gives you the correct reading, 100% of the times.

[MCary]

You bring your specific gravity down by adding fresh water (ro/di). As posted, be sure your measuring equipment is working first. If there is already livestock in the tank, you need to do it slowly over a few days. Be sure you top off the tank with only fresh water. Water evaporates, salt doesn't. So as the tank evaporates, specific gravity will rise. Adding salt water would magnify the problem.

You might be well served to take a sample of your water into the store and see if they can check it with a refractometer. I'm not a big fan of hydrometers and as with all lab equipment, you should calibrate it based on a known standard.

[dean87jones]

wow... Fish store guy didn't tell me hydrometer only works for 77 degrees!!!
thats good to know. Thanks guys. Very small amount of live stock. 4 small damsils and about 6 tiny blu leg hermits. I already added a bottle of bacteria, not to mention, the sand i used mosty came from an already established tank. also i have 10lbs of live rock just to start. I know i need about 1 to 1.5lbs per gallon.... so for me with a 10 gallon sump... i would need 70 to 100lbs right?

[Allmost]

wow... Fish store guy didn't tell me hydrometer only works for 77 degrees!!!
thats good to know. Thanks guys. Very small amount of live stock. 4 small damsils and about 6 tiny blu leg hermits. I already added a bottle of bacteria, not to mention, the sand i used mosty came from an already established tank. also i have 10lbs of live rock just to start. I know i need about 1 to 1.5lbs per gallon.... so for me with a 10 gallon sump... i would need 70 to 100lbs right?

adding more live rock will send your system into another cycle ! but the demsels will be fine ..


correct the salinity first

the hydrometer works correct at 77 degrees, at higher temps it reads higher, and vise versa.

[dean87jones]

gotcha... tanks at 80 at the moment. so ill have to get water tested at fish store to see what really going on with my salinity. Thanks guys!

[Levito]

Refractometers are also sensitive to temperature, with the ideal reading being at 20C/68F. But it's not really the temperature which is the problem with hydrometers as much as it is that they are super sensitive to things like air bubbles. All it takes is one air bubble on the arm of the hydrometer to send the arm all the way to the top. They're cheap, and wildly inconsistent.

[Allmost]

Refractometers are also sensitive to temperature, with the ideal reading being at 20C/68F. But it's not really the temperature which is the problem with hydrometers as much as it is that they are super sensitive to things like air bubbles. All it takes is one air bubble on the arm of the hydrometer to send the arm all the way to the top. They're cheap, and wildly inconsistent.

well not true. Refractometer shows salinity based on temp :) the glass prism matches the temp of the water sample and generates the same scale ./


Hydrometer, your right, air bubble is another ISsue with them, they are just too off lol

[Levito]

Huh, is that so? I had no idea. My hydrometer says "20 C" when I look through the eye piece at the scale, so I figured the reading was sensitive to the temp as well.

[Allmost]

Huh, is that so? I had no idea. My hydrometer says "20 C" when I look through the eye piece at the scale, so I figured the reading was sensitive to the temp as well.

Hmm, this is the one I use :
http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/t-cprefact/Salinity+Refractometer.html


Maybe you have a different one, I'm not sure :)

vertex also has the ATC (auto temp calibration)