Help on salinity...

[revenant]

Ok ok I got this... a beer flute is perfect.. and my salinity is around 1.020 ~ 021.. ugh. So should I add super salty water bit by bit or just let evaporation lower the sump and top off with normal 1.025 new saltwater ??

 

[Reef.]

Ok ok I got this... a beer flute is perfect.. and my salinity is around 1.020 ~ 021.. ugh. So should I add super salty water bit by bit or just let evaporation lower the sump and top off with normal 1.025 new saltwater ??

If every thing is looking ok, I would just correct it when you do water changes, maybe do them more often if you don’t do them regularly.

The other option is fill your sump with water above the ato fill level, this will raise it too.

 

[nereefpat]

Ok ok I got this... a beer flute is perfect.. and my salinity is around 1.020 ~ 021.. ugh. So should I add super salty water bit by bit or just let evaporation lower the sump and top off with normal 1.025 new saltwater ??

Good thinking.

Make sure you use Randy's link to make the temp correction.

Topping off with saltwater is a great way to raise Salinty

 

[Hilltopreef]

Just buy a name brand refractometer. Not a cheap e-bay one! Small bottle of calibration fluid and your set.

 

[revenant]

If every thing is looking ok, I would just correct it when you do water changes, maybe do them more often if you don’t do them regularly.

The other option is fill your sump with water above the ato fill level, this will raise it too.

Thank.. yes I’m topping off with new saltwater and going to do a big water change tomorrow with .026... thanks everyone.. I might get that expensive digital meter... very easy

 

[rmurken]

Thank.. yes I’m topping off with new saltwater and going to do a big water change tomorrow with .026... thanks everyone.. I might get that expensive digital meter... very easy

Everyone’s got their method. I use a cheap refractometer that says it corrects for temp but doesn’t. I just check where it’s reading with 35ppt calibration fluid each time and use that as the reference point.

Classic accuracy vs. precision. The precision is fine...the accuracy is a hot mess. But I can make it work.

 

[revenant]

Everyone’s got their method. I use a cheap refractometer that says it corrects for temp but doesn’t. I just check where it’s reading with 35ppt calibration fluid each time and use that as the reference point.

Classic accuracy vs. precision. The precision is fine...the accuracy is a hot mess. But I can make it work.

Doing a 25% water change tomorrow with this.

Thanks everyone for all the advice.

 

[HockeyRooster]

I picked up a used Milwaukee and can’t believe how awesome it is. I was too cheap to buy one new but now that I have one, I won’t use anything else. I will say that my cheapie plastic one was almost right on where the Milwaukee is. FWIW.
And good luck

 

[Reef.]

I would read up on all the options you have been given here, most of them have their fair share of bad reviews, with the 3 methods you have now you should be able to pin down what you find the most accurate, try and get a bottle of calibration fluid, then you can be sure your refractometer is good, then use that to check the other 2.

If you fancy a digital reader, out of all those mentioned, I have seen less bad reviews on the Milwaukee, and you don’t need to keep buying reagents for that one, the Hanna one you do.

 

[Reef.]

Thank.. yes I’m topping off with new saltwater and going to do a big water change tomorrow with .026... thanks everyone.. I might get that expensive digital meter... very easy

Just to be clear, my suggestion was slightly different to topping off with salt water, adding extra salt water to the sump, above the ato level will do the same, this will stop the ato working, as the extra salt water evaporates, this raises the salinity, saves adding salt to the ato, same result but saves a lot of hassle swapping/cleaning ato containers etc

 

[revenant]

Just to be clear, my suggestion was slightly different to topping off with salt water, adding extra salt water to the sump, above the ato level will do the same, this will stop the ato working, as the extra salt water evaporates, this raises the salinity, saves adding salt to the ato, same result but saves a lot of hassle swapping/cleaning ato containers etc

I understood... I don’t have an ato system yet... just been manually topping off ...

 

[revenant]

I would read up on all the options you have been given here, most of them have their fair share of bad reviews, with the 3 methods you have now you should be able to pin down what you find the most accurate, try and get a bottle of calibration fluid, then you can be sure your refractometer is good, then use that to check the other 2.

If you fancy a digital reader, out of all those mentioned, I have seen less bad reviews on the Milwaukee, and you don’t need to keep buying reagents for that one, the Hanna one you do.

For sure... I’m going to try the refracometer and see how easy it feels and accurate it is using the floating variant as a baseline before I run out and spend money on the fancy digital version.. sort of go from there... thanks much!

 

[clm65]

I bought a Milwaukee digital meter a year or so ago and was in hog heaven. Super easy. Very accurate (or so I thought). But recently I bought one of the glass Tropic Marin hydrometers from BRS, just to occasionally validate the Milwaukee. Tested my water with the Milwaukee - 1.024. Tested with the hydrometer - 1.027. And yes, I calibrated the Milwaukee before I used it. The glass hydrometer is supposed to be the most accurate from what I have read. So now I don't trust the Milwaukee.

My 2 cents, spend $31 on the Tropic Marin hydrometer and get the $10 plastic 500 ml graduated cylinder from Amazon. Just rinse of the hydrometer after each use and be gentle with it, and you should get very consistent and accurate readings.

 

[revenant]

I bought a Milwaukee digital meter a year or so ago and was in hog heaven. Super easy. Very accurate (or so I thought). But recently I bought one of the glass Tropic Marin hydrometers from BRS, just to occasionally validate the Milwaukee. Tested my water with the Milwaukee - 1.024. Tested with the hydrometer - 1.027. And yes, I calibrated the Milwaukee before I used it. The glass hydrometer is supposed to be the most accurate from what I have read. So now I don't trust the Milwaukee.

My 2 cents, spend $31 on the Tropic Marin hydrometer and get the $10 plastic 500 ml graduated cylinder from Amazon. Just rinse of the hydrometer after each use and be gentle with it, and you should get very consistent and accurate readings.

I have the plastic graduated cylinder coming today... the refractometer I got is this one and the calibration fluid.


the reviews were generally good and the price was right.. think I should return it and get the Tropic Marin?

 

[Brew12]

I have the plastic graduated cylinder coming today... the refractometer I got is this one and the calibration fluid.


the reviews were generally good and the price was right.. think I should return it and get the Tropic Marin?

I think most refractometers are made by the same people and are rebranded for sale. I could be wrong, but I've seen a few different makes in person and if not for a sticker, or slightly different color or decorative piece, I couldn't tell them apart.

 

[clm65]

I have the plastic graduated cylinder coming today... the refractometer I got is this one and the calibration fluid.


the reviews were generally good and the price was right.. think I should return it and get the Tropic Marin?

My personal opinion, I like having multiple ways of taking a measurement. At some point you will question the validity of a reading you get, and having an independent way to verify it will come in handy. If you get similar readings with 2 devices, it is probably a good reading.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If you get similar readings with 2 devices, it is probably a good reading.

Better yet, an accurate reading with a known standard.

 

[revenant]

Better yet, an accurate reading with a known standard.

I like the floating glass hydrometer as a baseline standard

 

[revenant]

I finally got everything to calibrate the refractometer and turns out my water is spot on now.. 1.025 ~ 1.026 ... tad salty but fine. The floating hydrometer is very accurate too... so it's nice to have two devices to check the water with. Thanks everyone for the help and have a super weekend.