Effects of extremely high SG

[montipora]

I set up my 2nd tank, a 20 gallon tall almost a year ago not sure what it was going to become. I bought the best of the best equipment I could, being it was not that expensive. I thought I had everything covered, but cheeped out on a HUGE item that doesn't take up much space. A deep six hydrometer by Coralife. Every Monday is water change day and I had thought I was mixing it to 36ppt. HUGE mistake, as I just got an actual refractometer calibrated by two trustworthy sources. It turns out I would have been better off throwing in a half of cup of salt per gallon because the actual SG was well over 45ppt. I couldn't believe it because I have been slowly turning it into a frag tank and have only lost three different SPS's. The weird thing about this whole situation is that when I do frag corals they recovered quicker than I have ever seen. I have gotten a few funky SPS mini colonies with tissue necrosis and have seen the polyps/tissue regenerate in just a few days. Yet the colors of most of the corals are a little washed out and browned with sub par growth. Just felt like venting I guess, does anybody know why the tissue/polyps would recover so quickly in such a high salinity? I realize this is the cause of the color loss and overall sub par growth, but it just doesn't really make sense..

 

Lesson learned, don't cheap out on such a small but crucial instrument!

 

And NEVER ever ever trust a hydrometer, your better off winging it IMO.

[skimlessinseattle]

Suggesting that people never trust hydrometers is just stupid. Hydrometers are extremely reliable instruments when used correctly. Hydrometers are not magic devices, they are scientific instruments that require a little attention to detail in order to achieve a good reading. They must be cleaned well with RO water after use, rinsed with the water you are testing before use, carefully filled, and then read on a level surface. You should really calibrate it as well - this can be done against a refractometer for best results. You don't have to own a refractometer to do this; you can do it at a reef club meeting as an activity, borrow one from a buddy, or maybe do it at your LFS if you have a good relationship with them. The point is, if you do this, and use it correctly, it will be dead on balls accurate every time.

 

Out of the box, hydrometers are calibrated to a certain tolerance at a specific range of temperatures suitable to reef tanks. This calibration, while not perfect, is certainly accurate enough for our application. Use the device correctly, and you should not have any problems.

 

A bad unit could pop up here and there, but by far, hydrometers are simply the most affordable accurate device for measuring SG. Don't steer everyone away from a great instrument for the wrong reasons.

[montipora]

Holy crap dude, you work for Coralife or something? That was just my opinion, as stated in the last sentence. The hydrometer I was using said it was 36ppt dead on, I then tried a refractometer and it was off the charts. That would upset anyone considering I was told exactly what you stated, "Hydrometers are cheap and reliable, everybody uses them". Then to find out the complete opposite was just frustrating. If I knew spending an extra 30-50 bucks on a hobby I really care about would have been better I would have bought one in the beginning. If you truly care about your tank and the inhabitants inside, and you don't work for Coralife, buy a refractometer.

[Zepo.]

Holy crap dude, you work for Coralife or something? That was just my opinion, as stated in the last sentence. The hydrometer I was using said it was 36ppt dead on, I then tried a refractometer and it was off the charts. That would upset anyone considering I was told exactly what you stated, "Hydrometers are cheap and reliable, everybody uses them". Then to find out the complete opposite was just frustrating. If I knew spending an extra 30-50 bucks on a hobby I really care about would have been better I would have bought one in the beginning. If you truly care about your tank and the inhabitants inside, and you don't work for Coralife, buy a refractometer.

+1 All hydrometers i've ever used were way off.

[bulldogpet]

My Deep Six has been good to me for the past 6 years. No reason to butt heads over something that is man made. After all man is not perfect.

[Miami797]

My Instant Ocean is accurate. The first thing I did was take it to my LFS and test it against their refractometer. They also let me use use their refractometer everytime I buy salt water. That way I have reassurance when I get home.

 

Without properly using the hydrometer it reads way off, but after getting all the bubbles out it is dead on with their refractometer.

 

Every instrument has it's flaws and needs maintenance. The first thing anyone with a hydrometer needs to do is calibrate it to a properly calibrated refractometer. It's just like testing the temps your heater is really keeping your tank at instead of just trusting what the dial says.

[Mudfish]

Every instrument has it's flaws and needs maintenance. The first thing anyone with a hydrometer needs to do is calibrate it to a properly calibrated refractometer. It's just like testing the temps your heater is really keeping your tank at instead of just trusting what the dial says.

 

 

Exactly.

[Phyto4life]

Had mine for 7 years and will buy a refractometer some day

 

but like everything they can break. or can be defected at first.

 

trapped air bubbles when measuring can be a problem as well

[rO.oster]

Suggesting that people never trust hydrometers is just stupid. Hydrometers are extremely reliable instruments when used correctly. Hydrometers are not magic devices, they are scientific instruments that require a little attention to detail in order to achieve a good reading. They must be cleaned well with RO water after use, rinsed with the water you are testing before use, carefully filled, and then read on a level surface. You should really calibrate it as well - this can be done against a refractometer for best results. You don't have to own a refractometer to do this; you can do it at a reef club meeting as an activity, borrow one from a buddy, or maybe do it at your LFS if you have a good relationship with them. The point is, if you do this, and use it correctly, it will be dead on balls accurate every time.

 

Out of the box, hydrometers are calibrated to a certain tolerance at a specific range of temperatures suitable to reef tanks. This calibration, while not perfect, is certainly accurate enough for our application. Use the device correctly, and you should not have any problems.

 

A bad unit could pop up here and there, but by far, hydrometers are simply the most affordable accurate device for measuring SG. Don't steer everyone away from a great instrument for the wrong reasons.

 

+1 A little reading convinced me to take my Deep Six Hydrometer to the LFS to test against their refractometer, and while mine reads 1ppt too high, I know where my levels should be.

[ramsey]

I set up my 2nd tank, a 20 gallon tall almost a year ago not sure what it was going to become. I bought the best of the best equipment I could, being it was not that expensive. I thought I had everything covered, but cheeped out on a HUGE item that doesn't take up much space. A deep six hydrometer by Coralife. Every Monday is water change day and I had thought I was mixing it to 36ppt. HUGE mistake, as I just got an actual refractometer calibrated by two trustworthy sources. It turns out I would have been better off throwing in a half of cup of salt per gallon because the actual SG was well over 45ppt. I couldn't believe it because I have been slowly turning it into a frag tank and have only lost three different SPS's. The weird thing about this whole situation is that when I do frag corals they recovered quicker than I have ever seen. I have gotten a few funky SPS mini colonies with tissue necrosis and have seen the polyps/tissue regenerate in just a few days. Yet the colors of most of the corals are a little washed out and browned with sub par growth. Just felt like venting I guess, does anybody know why the tissue/polyps would recover so quickly in such a high salinity? I realize this is the cause of the color loss and overall sub par growth, but it just doesn't really make sense..

 

Lesson learned, don't cheap out on such a small but crucial instrument!

 

And NEVER ever ever trust a hydrometer, your better off winging it IMO.

 

 

I had one that was way off as well. Luckily, I bought a refractometer shortly after setting up my tank. Just so you know, refractometers can be off too. I had to tweak mine a little to get it perfect. Still way closer out of the box than the deep six.

[fewskillz]

It's all about knowing how it measures compared to the real number. It's a tool, not gospel. It's not like it's going to read high one day, low the next, and perfect every 2nd Wednesday that has a full moon if you stand on one leg wearing mismatched socks. It's going to read consistently, sure, that might be consistently wrong, but if you know how far it's off you can at least get yourself a lot closer than "winging" it and maintain your consistency. Consistency, not accuracy (within reason), is the most important thing for a reef tank when it comes to salinity.

[Amphiprion1]

Suggesting that people never trust hydrometers is just stupid. Hydrometers are extremely reliable instruments when used correctly. Hydrometers are not magic devices, they are scientific instruments that require a little attention to detail in order to achieve a good reading. They must be cleaned well with RO water after use, rinsed with the water you are testing before use, carefully filled, and then read on a level surface. You should really calibrate it as well - this can be done against a refractometer for best results. You don't have to own a refractometer to do this; you can do it at a reef club meeting as an activity, borrow one from a buddy, or maybe do it at your LFS if you have a good relationship with them. The point is, if you do this, and use it correctly, it will be dead on balls accurate every time.

 

Out of the box, hydrometers are calibrated to a certain tolerance at a specific range of temperatures suitable to reef tanks. This calibration, while not perfect, is certainly accurate enough for our application. Use the device correctly, and you should not have any problems.

 

A bad unit could pop up here and there, but by far, hydrometers are simply the most affordable accurate device for measuring SG. Don't steer everyone away from a great instrument for the wrong reasons.

 

This is both true and untrue. I've pulled many hydrometers that were incorrect out of the box (and have experienced it with customers, as well, even when used correctly). Even when rinsed, results can be more variable than I would prefer. They are not precision instruments, nor were they actually intended to be. Of course, this refers to swing-arm style hydrometers. Enclosed glass hydrometers can be extremely accurate if calibrated properly (and used properly) just like a refractometer. I've used them countless times in a lab setting, even though conductivity is the up and coming gold standard.

[montipora]

Suggesting that people never trust hydrometers is just stupid. Hydrometers are extremely reliable instruments when used correctly. Hydrometers are not magic devices, they are scientific instruments that require a little attention to detail in order to achieve a good reading. They must be cleaned well with RO water after use, rinsed with the water you are testing before use, carefully filled, and then read on a level surface. You should really calibrate it as well - this can be done against a refractometer for best results.

 

A bad unit could pop up here and there, but by far, hydrometers are simply the most affordable accurate device for measuring SG. Don't steer everyone away from a great instrument for the wrong reasons.

 

 

 

 

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A couple of days have past since my SG issues and my pH has finally stabilized along with calcium and magnesium. An unknown acro that I have had for months has finally started to show PE. The colors are actually coming out like never before and I owe it all to a $40(priceless really if you care about the hobby) instrument. I am so pissed I did not get this sooner. The poccilepora that looked browned out and sub par PE is starting to show a neon tinge to the tips along with excellent PE. Overall this is an invaluable lesson learned, will never make this mistake again.