hydrometer

Hey guys,im new on here and was just wondering what you all think about the floating hydrometer/thermometer combos?Ive never had anyone else test my salinity but recently all of my crabs died,then i noticed that my salinity was reading low,hard to tell exactly what it was with this kind of hydrometer.

 

You have answered your own question really Brettwest

your findings are typical , those and the floating needle in a box hyrdrometers are prone to inaccuracies

a refractometer is a better method of testing your SG / salinity , not overly expensive and a good investment if you have a tank stocked with expensive corals and fishes

Steve

 

get a refractometer. you can get one here and it will save you a big headache .NEW! Salinity Refractometer 4 Aquarium Pond Hydrometer - eBay (item 390078315858 end time Aug-15-09 03:34:16 PDT)

 

when I started my first tank I thought one of those would be ok. I kept loseing fish and was ready to quit.I got a refractometer, and instead of the 1.021 I thought I had the actual reading was 1.030! lesson learned. The price I paid for the fish I lost would have bought two of them!

 

havent had any money at all for my aquarium lately since i lost my job and didnt work for almost a month,could barely afford water for water changes,but soon as i catch up im getting a refractometer,I lost 10 blue legged hermits and two emerald crabs.

 

I also agree. I took the advic from the form and bought a refractometer. I actually bought the one from ebay...inexpensive and works great!

 

Get a refractometer. It will pay for itself. Trust me. You will be alarmed to find out what your true SG reading is once you get a refractometer and how far off your hydrometer was. My poor corals are doing 100 times better now. All thanks to 3reef. I purchased mine from Drs. Foster and Smith.
Portable Pond Refractometer

I also recommend getting some calibration fluid, or you can just use RO water.

 

Sorry to hear about your job, but yes it's worth it. Most LFS will check your salinity for you in the time being.

 

i was using the hydrometer. but got tired of the innacurate results it gave me. constantly different. it never xcost me any lose of life but got frustrating. bought a refractometer receently , and so much easier. was thinking tonight , takes me longer to clean it off than test .lol.

 

And there you have it from the pros get a refractometer