Salinity

[Ken C]

holy cow!!! I just recieved my refractometer and im blown away it says my salinity is at 1.005 but my hydrometer is saying 1.025. Any suggestions, should i drive it up fast or a little at a time, maybe go to my lfs and test it on their water. Thanks in adavance

 

[Oscar47f]

I would raise it slowly to your desired level if done quickly your tank inhabitants can get stressed... make sure your refractometer is calibrated too

 

[Shep]

First I would check to make sure that the refractometer is calibrated and accurate (this can be done with calibration solution or just use RODI for a fast and crude method) and if it is, I would very slowly raise the salinity. You could do this by by simply doing water changes that have the correct salinity. How big is the tank?

 

[Willz]

holy cow!!! I just recieved my refractometer and im blown away it says my salinity is at 1.005 but my hydrometer is saying 1.025. Any suggestions, should i drive it up fast or a little at a time, maybe go to my lfs and test it on their water. Thanks in adavance

As others have said, check the refractometer before you make any changes.

My favorite method to correct low salinity is to add via ATO. Seems to be gradual enough not to shock anything. Of course, I'm usually correcting like 0.003 or less off.

If it turns out your salinity really is that low I don't know how anything has made it, but you would probably want to get it up quicker than an ATO.

Good luck.

 

[Ken C]

As others have said, check the refractometer before you make any changes.

My favorite method to correct low salinity is to add via ATO. Seems to be gradual enough not to shock anything. Of course, I'm usually correcting like 0.003 or less off.

If it turns out your salinity really is that low I don't know how anything has made it, but you would probably want to get it up quicker than an ATO.

Good luck.

What is ato

 

[Ken C]

If it truly is that low ita has been the way for a long time, i did scale my device with the solution that came with it

 

[Ken C]

First I would check to make sure that the refractometer is calibrated and accurate (this can be done with calibration solution or just use RODI for a fast and crude method) and if it is, I would very slowly raise the salinity. You could do this by by simply doing water changes that have the correct salinity. How big is the tank?

55g with probaly 48g of water after factoring in rock and sand

 

[Willz]

What is ato

Automatic Top Off used to add water as it evaporates. Do you just keep fish?

 

[dragon99]

Take a look at this article. Towards the end there is a recipe for making your own calibration solution.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/refractometers-and-salinity-measurement.5/

 

[Shep]

As others have said, check the refractometer before you make any changes.

My favorite method to correct low salinity is to add via ATO. Seems to be gradual enough not to shock anything. Of course, I'm usually correcting like 0.003 or less off.

If it turns out your salinity really is that low I don't know how anything has made it, but you would probably want to get it up quicker than an ATO.

Good luck.

Great idea but yea as you mentioned, with this large of a change it could take a very very long time to get it up high enough. ATO is the method I use when its off just a little bit

 

[Ken C]

Automatic Top Off used to add water as it evaporates. Do you just keep fish?

Thats what i thought, yeah fish , shrimp, snails, and hermits

 

[jenreefer]

holy cow!!! I just recieved my refractometer and im blown away it says my salinity is at 1.005 but my hydrometer is saying 1.025. Any suggestions, should i drive it up fast or a little at a time, maybe go to my lfs and test it on their water. Thanks in adavance

Do nothing until you figure out what the true salinity is. Then go very slow and steady. Nothing good ever happens fast in marine aquariums (only bad stuff:() What are you keeping in the tank right now?

 

[Ken C]

Do nothing until you figure out what the true salinity is. Then go very slow and steady. Nothing good ever happens fast in marine aquariums (only bad stuff:() What are you keeping in the tank right now?

Foxface, file fish, blenny, damsel, maroon clown, cleaner shrimp, some snails, and hermits

 

[alyee5]

+1...seems odd that you are measuring so differently....the refractometer calibration solution I use is 35ppt or ~1.026...make sure you aren't calibrating the refractometer to 1.000 if you are using a similar solution. Here is the calibration solution I use...

Do nothing until you figure out what the true salinity is. Then go very slow and steady. Nothing good ever happens fast in marine aquariums (only bad stuff:() What are you keeping in the tank right now?

 

[Willz]

Thats what i thought, yeah fish , shrimp, snails, and hermits

Take your refractometer and some of your water to your LFS and let them test both. Your livestock would have been toast already if that measurement is right.

 

[Ken C]

+1...seems odd that you are measuring so differently....the refractometer calibration solution I use is 35ppt or ~1.026...make sure you aren't calibrating the refractometer to 1.000 if you are using a similar solution. Here is the calibration solution I use...

I am going to guess that the solution that came with it is plain i followed the directions and it said the set it at 1.000, maybe i need to order a different solution

 

[Chefbill]

Entered search as a reply. Ignore

 

[alyee5]

Ok...I believe you...I am a still a newbie...I just would find it strange to buy a calibration fluid of 1.000 when you can use water (free :))...also, it seems unusual to calibrate to a value not close to value you are trying to commonly measure...

 

[Willz]

And the original post gets deleted.... measure RODI in it. If it reads 0.974 you were supposed to calibrate to 1.026.

 

[Ken C]

Take your refractometer and some of your water to your LFS and let them test both. Your livestock would have been toast already if that measurement is right.

Thats what i thought too