Inaccurate Salinity

[FishBoy95]

I have a 40 Gal cube. All excited because it has finally cycled. Got a small bubble tip Anenome. The Aquarium store said he had him at 1.024-1.025. My tank was 1.026 when I left to get him. When I got back it was saying 1.022. I have a Refractometer the eye glass ones and I have a Milwaukee Digital one. I added salt to try and match it while the Anenome was bag floating. It said 1.024 so I let him float for about 45 min and then dripped him. Now as I wake up. It reads 1.023 some times and then 1.036 sometimes. Its the same water sample. I have no idea why this is so crazy. Im pretty positive the Anemone is now dead.... Which sucks but I need to really get this inaccurate readings undercontrol. Yes I have calibrated it. I even calibrated it everytime I took a result just in case. Anyone have ideas? Do you think the Anenome is now dead?

 

[Crabs McJones]

I have a 40 Gal cube. All excited because it has finally cycled. Got a small bubble tip Anenome. The Aquarium store said he had him at 1.024-1.025. My tank was 1.026 when I left to get him. When I got back it was saying 1.022. I have a Refractometer the eye glass ones and I have a Milwaukee Digital one. I added salt to try and match it while the Anenome was bag floating. It said 1.024 so I let him float for about 45 min and then dripped him. Now as I wake up. It reads 1.023 some times and then 1.036 sometimes. Its the same water sample. I have no idea why this is so crazy. Im pretty positive the Anemone is now dead.... Which sucks but I need to really get this inaccurate readings undercontrol. Yes I have calibrated it. I even calibrated it everytime I took a result just in case. Anyone have ideas? Do you think the Anenome is now dead?

An Anemone should never be added to a newly cycled tank. Ideally you should wait 8 months to a year for the tank to fully mature before adding an anemone. As far as your salinity, what are you using to calibrate your refractometer?

 

[FishBoy95]

Well crap! That sucks! I have calibration solution. The Milwaukee came with it. Is there a certain spot to take the sample from? I’ve tried the top of the tank and stuck my hand down to the middle? Both are different results

 

[Water Dog]

What are you using for calibration fluid?

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I have a 40 Gal cube. All excited because it has finally cycled. Got a small bubble tip Anenome. The Aquarium store said he had him at 1.024-1.025. My tank was 1.026 when I left to get him. When I got back it was saying 1.022. I have a Refractometer the eye glass ones and I have a Milwaukee Digital one. I added salt to try and match it while the Anenome was bag floating. It said 1.024 so I let him float for about 45 min and then dripped him. Now as I wake up. It reads 1.023 some times and then 1.036 sometimes. Its the same water sample. I have no idea why this is so crazy. Im pretty positive the Anemone is now dead.... Which sucks but I need to really get this inaccurate readings undercontrol. Yes I have calibrated it. I even calibrated it everytime I took a result just in case. Anyone have ideas? Do you think the Anenome is now dead?

Pictures could help us see the state that anemone is in.
First off if you threw an anemone in a brand new tank odds are already against you.
Anemones need mature tanks to really feel comfortable and settle in.
You need to find a salinity checker you can trust. How are you calibrating you refractometer? Why not take a water sample to the LFS if you need a good salinity reading maybe they can help you calibrate yours and diagnose your salinity level or at least one of those 2.
I have my own rodi unit with tds meter so I use this water to calibrate my checkers

 

[FishBoy95]

Well crap! That sucks! I really liked him :( I am using the calibration solution that came with the Milwaukee. Also I am taking the sample from the top of the tank and the reading is different than from the middle. Is there a certain spot you are suppose to take samples from?

 

[FartyParty]

Take out your calibration solution and measure the sample, take note of the result but do not adjust it, then clean your refractometer. Now do that same procress again with the same calibration solution 10 times. Are your 10 results identical? The same sample PPT salinity measurement can swing up to .003 specific gravity in a sample that varies 20 degrees F.

 

[Water Dog]

Refresh my memory. Is the Milwaukee calibration solution distilled water at 0ppt or a 35ppt reference solution?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Well crap! That sucks! I really liked him :( I am using the calibration solution that came with the Milwaukee. Also I am taking the sample from the top of the tank and the reading is different than from the middle. Is there a certain spot you are suppose to take samples from?

Salinity should be the same throughout. Taking it in different spots should not yeild different results. It has to be something with the refractometer you're using or your method of testing.

 

[Jeepguy242]

You didn’t just dump salt in the display tank did you

That would be the only thing I think that would make salinity higher near the bottom

 

[Crabs McJones]

You didn’t just dump salt in the display tank did you

That would be the only thing I think that would make salinity higher near the bottom

Very true, I didn't think of that. If he dumped it right in the display it probably hasn't had a good chance to dissolve and circulate yet to get an accurate reading.

 

[FishBoy95]

Well now I feel like a piece of crap. I've been dumping the salt in the tank... But if I dont need water how do you add salt? or Are you suppose to take water out then mix it with salt?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Well now I feel like a piece of crap. I've been dumping the salt in the tank... But if I dont need water how do you add salt? or Are you suppose to take water out then mix it with salt?

Don't feel like a piece of crap. It was an honest mistake. That's what all of us at R2R are here for :) What I would do is first is let your tank sit and circulate for a little bit, put your power heads at their highest setting so that all salt you've added to the tank gets dissolved properly. Then figure out how to get your refractometer properly calibrated. And then take a reading. If it's to high, take out saltwater and replace with RO/DI water until your salinity comes down to 1.026. If it's to low, mix up some saltwater with a higher salinity and add it into the tank already mixed and dissolved :) This is assuming your tank is empty of any corals or fish.

 

[Palyzoa]

Well now I feel like a piece of crap. I've been dumping the salt in the tank... But if I dont need water how do you add salt? or Are you suppose to take water out then mix it with salt?

Ideally, you would have a mixing station to mix your fresh salt water. I used a 20g brute trash can for years along with a power head to mix it up. Allow water to mix for a few hours at least. I usually like to let it mix overnight before using.

 

[FishBoy95]

Don't feel like a piece of crap. It was an honest mistake. That's what all of us at R2R are here for :) What I would do is first is let your tank sit and circulate for a little bit, put your power heads at their highest setting so that all salt you've added to the tank gets dissolved properly. Then figure out how to get your refractometer properly calibrated. And then take a reading. If it's to high, take out saltwater and replace with RO/DI water until your salinity comes down to 1.026. If it's to low, mix up some saltwater with a higher salinity and add it into the tank already mixed and dissolved :) This is assuming your tank is empty of any corals or fish.

Okay great! Thats what I will do.Thank you for all the help!

 

[lmm1967]

Throw that Milwaukee refractometer in the trash.

I'm guessing yours - just like mine - won't even accurately read the calibration solution 30 seconds after you calibrate the machine with it.

I can calibrate - clean the well - add tank water - and get measurements anywhere from 1.014 to 1.030 all from the exact same sample of water by just hitting the read button once every 30 seconds or so.

Temps are all 78F and I let both the calibration solution and tank water sit for 30 seconds before calibrating or testing.

Milwaukee's answer? Maybe you need to clean the glass. It's done it since day 1.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Well now I feel like a piece of crap. I've been dumping the salt in the tank... But if I dont need water how do you add salt? or Are you suppose to take water out then mix it with salt?

If you need to increase the salinity in a situation where you're acclimating a new animal, then yes, you'd want to take the water out, mix more salt in until it's completely dissolved, add it back to the tank, let it circulate for a bit, then test again. It's important to not add too much salt mix to the water you take out of the tank as you may cause precipitation. Take out a gallon or so of water, mix in a bit of salt, put it back. Repeat til the salinity is where you want.

If you need to raise the salinity over time, it's best to do it by just adding saltwater instead of freshwater to top off anything that evaporates.

As for accurate salinity readings, focus on using one refractometer for now. Having two readings you can't trust doesn't help. Maybe just try to get a stable reading on the handheld refractometer. Try calibrating, cleaning with freshwater then wiping dry, then try calibrating again. Adjust so that the reading matches your calibration fluid, then test one more time to make sure it's correct. I had to go through this procedure every time I tested my tank back when I used a refractometer.

Please let us know if you have any questions, especially as far as livestock and new additions are concerned. There are probably thousands of years of collective experience on these forums and we're always glad to answer questions.

 

[skiergd011013]

Throw that Milwaukee refractometer in the trash.

I'm guessing yours - just like mine - won't even accurately read the calibration solution 30 seconds after you calibrate the machine with it.

I can calibrate - clean the well - add tank water - and get measurements anywhere from 1.014 to 1.030 all from the exact same sample of water by just hitting the read button once every 30 seconds or so.

Temps are all 78F and I let both the calibration solution and tank water sit for 30 seconds before calibrating or testing.

Milwaukee's answer? Maybe you need to clean the glass. It's done it since day 1.

wow. I have one, and my work has one, and they both work wonderfully.

 

[lmm1967]

wow. I have one, and my work has one, and they both work wonderfully.

I want it to work really bad. To the point that I have tried at least 1/2 dozen times to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I currently have 3 tanks plus mixing station and I would love a quick way to test all 4 in a short period of time.

No matter what I try I am unable to get reliable readings. I'm tempted to purchase another one to see if maybe I got a bad or mishandled one but I really don't want to throw another $135 down the drain.

And Milwaukees support was way less than stellar when I called to ask if they had any ideas on why I am unable to get accurate reproducible results. When I told the tech the calibration solution wouldn't even read at 1.000 +/- .002 after a calibration his response was "well why would anyone want to read the calibration solution, that's to calibrate with". I tried to explain I would think that whatever I just used to calibrate the device with should at least be read by the machine pretty darn close to the calibrated value.

For know I'm stuck with my handheld Red Sea refractometer which takes an extra minute or 2 but has never given a bad reading from what I can tell.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I want it to work really bad. To the point that I have tried at least 1/2 dozen times to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I currently have 3 tanks plus mixing station and I would love a quick way to test all 4 in a short period of time.

No matter what I try I am unable to get reliable readings. I'm tempted to purchase another one to see if maybe I got a bad or mishandled one but I really don't want to throw another $135 down the drain.

And Milwaukees support was way less than stellar when I called to ask if they had any ideas on why I am unable to get accurate reproducible results. When I told the tech the calibration solution wouldn't even read at 1.000 +/- .002 after a calibration his response was "well why would anyone want to read the calibration solution, that's to calibrate with". I tried to explain I would think that whatever I just used to calibrate the device with should at least be read by the machine pretty darn close to the calibrated value.

For know I'm stuck with my handheld Red Sea refractometer which takes an extra minute or 2 but has never given a bad reading from what I can tell.

I'd recommend a conductivity meter. I have American Marine's Pinpoint Salinity Monitor, and it works great. You have to give the probe a minute or two to temperature compensate, but it's one of the easiest ways to measure salinity I've ever used. Drop the probe in your sample, walk away for a few minutes, come back, read the value. Rinse the probe in lukewarm water, and you're done. I used to calibrate mine every month, but the calibration was spot on every single time I measured it. So I stopped checking haha. Haven't checked in a year or so.