When to measure specific gravity

[greatestgrandma]

Hello! I have a quick question about measuring the specific gravity and salinity. I am using Instant Ocean salt for my saltwater mixture. When I make the saltwater, should I wait a few hours to measure the specific gravity? Or would it show the accurate specific gravity right away after mixing? Thank you!

 

[DivingTheWorld]

I think the question is not, "will it show accurate specific gravity right away after mixing", but "How long will it take to be fully mixed". IMO, at least a few hours of mixing.

I mix up 40g at a time and find it usually takes a few hours before the water clears up and gets less cloudy. That said, I generally test after 24 hours of an addition. For example, I dump in a bunch of salt, let mix for 24 hours, then test. If I need to add some more, I do so and test again in 24 hours. I take about 5-6 days total to get mine to the exact salinity and adjust any needed parameters (such as increasing Mag/Cal, dropping Alk then raising pH back up). But I use it for water changes over the next month so it's no big deal.