Is my hydrometer working

[Benji k]

I just brought a new hydrometer and I tested it on my tank water and it says 1.022 Wich is pretty so I was gonna put saltwater in my ato and I decided to test my store Brought saltwater and it says 1.021 Wich is low so I don’t know if it’s the hydrometer being bad or it’s the saltwater do you think I should try and raid the salinity or not

 

[Cichlid Dad]

If you are talking about the plastic one with a floating arm the answer is they are not worth anything if you want to measure accurately.

 

[Benji k]

If you are talking about the plastic one with a floating arm the answer is they are not worth anything if you want to measure accurately.

So you think it’s not reading it right and the salinity should be fine and even if the store brought saltwater was that salinity can I still use it or not

 

[Cichlid Dad]

So you think it’s not reading it right and the salinity should be fine and even if the store brought saltwater was that salinity can I still use it or not

What I'm saying is what you are using to measure is unreliable. Nothing else. I can not tell you if you're levels are fine.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Try making a DIY standard for it:

Reef Aquarium Salinity: Homemade Calibration Standards by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

35 ppt, sg = 1.0264 standard:

To produce a 3.714 weight percent sodium chloride solution, dissolve 1 teaspoon (6.20 grams) of Morton's Iodized Salt in 161 mL (161 g) of fresh water (making a total volume of about 163 mL after dissolution of the salt). This solution can be scaled up as desired.