HELP! My hydrometer broke, is there any way to fix it or a diy way to measure salt?

[GeriatricReefer01]

My hydrometer broke as soon as it came out of the box. I can’t get a new one until Wednesday and I am midway through a water change! If I tape it back together, would it still work? Or is there some diy way to do it?

 

[Reef By Steele]

Only thing I can say is to try to mix according to the box directions. What salt mix are you using?

 

[GeriatricReefer01]

Only thing I can say is to try to mix according to the box directions. What salt mix are you using?

dymax reef salt

 

[Miami Reef]

My hydrometer broke as soon as it came out of the box. I can’t get a new one until Wednesday and I am midway through a water change!

I see some refractometers around $20 on Amazon with overnight shipping.

 

[GeriatricReefer01]

I see some refractometers around $20 on Amazon with overnight shipping.

Only issue with that is that my water is far too low for my pump not to burn out

 

[Reef By Steele]

dymax reef salt

Just a quick search as I have never used it. 14.7 pounds makes 50 gallons so 1 pound will make 3.4 gallons. If you can weigh the salt just make it a little weak so as not to go high salinity. Best I can offer. Sorry.

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

You could fill up sealed bags of water even mixed with salt, or object that can sink and not hurt tank. Goal will be water displacement. It will raise the water level enough so pump doesnt burn out. Then can get another one at local pet store tomorrow.

 

[Red_Beard]

You could fill up sealed bags of water even mixed with salt, or object that can sink and not hurt tank. Goal will be water displacement. It will raise the water level enough so pump doesnt burn out. Then can get another one at local pet store tomorrow.

I agree, anything you mix may get close but will still be a guess. Also may be a good idea to have a few ways to measure salinity in case something like this happens again.

 

[Gtinnel]

If it were me and I had no choice I would also try to mix it up by weight, then if it’s just the plastic cover the broke off I’d guess that you can possibly just gently lay it on the sample to get a reading. Or if you have calibration solution (or can make some) I would test laying the cover on a solution with a known value to see if it’s reading is at least somewhat accurate. If the part broke isn’t the cover then mixing by weight/volume is about the best you can do.

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

I agree, anything you mix may get close but will still be a guess. Also may be a good idea to have a few ways to measure salinity in case something like this happens again.

Agree as well, backups are good if you make your own salt. I like refractometer easy to read and calibrate.

 

[Gtinnel]

Also, I don’t completely understand why you’re mixing salt and your sump level is already low. If you were doing a water change your salt should’ve already been mixed before hand, and if it’s from evaporation you should be adding pure water.