Salinity question

[legrunt]

Sorry if this question is a noob one and has been asked many times...
But I was looking at the mixing instructions on my salt and came across this. I followed to the letter, mixing in 38.2 grams into 1 liter of distilled water. The resulting mixture showed up as over 1.030, whereas according to the label, it was supposed to get to 35ppt, which if I understand correctly, should correspond to 1.026?

 

[SteveEreef]

It’s just a guideline. Step four in the direction says to raise the temp to 25 degrees Celsius and add water or salt as needed.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Assuming you used that salt mix and not a different one, one of your measurements is seemingly wrong. Most likely the specific gravity. How did you measure it?

Even 100% anhydrous salt mix will not give sg quite that high using the amounts you state, and that mix is not anhydrous.

 

[legrunt]

I dripped a few drops onto my refractometer. Which I had just calibrated at the LFS using his tank water...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I dripped a few drops onto my refractometer. Which I had just calibrated at the LFS using his tank water...

Not a good way to calibrate. It supposes he knew correctly what the sg was. Maybe he does the same thing with some customers water. lol

 

[legrunt]

Not a good way to calibrate. It supposes he knew correctly what the sg was. Maybe he does the same thing with some customers water. lol

Yeah... he had a ekoral controller hooked up which showed exactly what was the salinity. Should I go get calibration fluid anyway?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yeah... he had a ekoral controller hooked up which showed exactly what was the salinity. Should I go get calibration fluid anyway?

All methods can give incorrect readings. Especially when something seems off, calibration is the first thing to check. Di water is a decent first thing to use since you seem far off, but it is not perfect unless you have a true seawater refractometer and I’d get or make a calibration fluid.

 

[legrunt]

Thanks for your advice! I'll go get it this afternoon...

 

[legrunt]

So I got the calibration solution. Putting it on the refractometer,i got a reading of 1.030.
So i tuned it down to show 1.026...
Did the same batch of 1 liter and 38.2 grams of the salt mix and this time it resulted in a spot on 1.026...

Now, testing my tank showed it at 1.020! This is too low, am i right?

Planning to do a daily 1% water change with 1.026 salinity to gradually raise the tank salinity...

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

So I got the calibration solution. Putting it on the refractometer,i got a reading of 1.030.
So i tuned it down to show 1.026...
Did the same batch of 1 liter and 38.2 grams of the salt mix and this time it resulted in a spot on 1.026...

Now, testing my tank showed it at 1.020! This is too low, am i right?

Planning to do a daily 1% water change with 1.026 salinity to gradually raise the tank salinity...

1.020 is to low. 1.026 is great

 

[Intense37754]

You’re mixing same salt that we use and because the elements are higher than the blue bucket we only mix to 1.026 or 35ppt in tanks with coral, the tanks with fish only and live rock we try and save a little bit mixing to 32-33ppt or 1.023ish

 

[vetteguy53081]

So I got the calibration solution. Putting it on the refractometer,i got a reading of 1.030.
So i tuned it down to show 1.026...
Did the same batch of 1 liter and 38.2 grams of the salt mix and this time it resulted in a spot on 1.026...

Now, testing my tank showed it at 1.020! This is too low, am i right?



Planning to do a daily 1% water change with 1.026 salinity to gradually raise the tank salinity...

Way too low. Bring it up But Gradually to 1.025

 

[Rybren]

You can bring the salinity up slowly by turning the ATO off and manually topping off with 35ppt water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So I got the calibration solution. Putting it on the refractometer,i got a reading of 1.030.
So i tuned it down to show 1.026...
Did the same batch of 1 liter and 38.2 grams of the salt mix and this time it resulted in a spot on 1.026...

Now, testing my tank showed it at 1.020! This is too low, am i right?

Planning to do a daily 1% water change with 1.026 salinity to gradually raise the tank salinity...

yes, too low. Replace evaporated water with normal salt water until it gets where you want it.