sefrayser Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I dont know whats going on. I mix my water at 1.025. I checked my salinity with the lights off and it was 1.023(30). I just did a WC and it been circulating about 1 hr. I have a 34G Solana. Does the salinity run lower with the lights off? What should I mix my next 2 or 5 gallon WC at to get it up to 1.025? Thats may also explain why my MG is low also. I just started using DD H2Ocean. I have about 9 gallons, 2-2 gallon and a 5 gallon WC. Im pretty sure all the other parameters are good, but I will do a check either later or tomorrow. How soon after a WC can you do a parameter check? Link to comment
brandolando4 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Hydrometer or refractometer?! Link to comment
sefrayser Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 ATC Refractor. I calibrated it. Link to comment
MarcG Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 ATC Refractor. I calibrated it. Refractometer. Salinity does not vary based on whether the lights are on or off....think about what the measurement you are taking represents in physical terms. Either the mix you put in there was lower than what you thought it was or possibly an ATO issue....eg added more top off water than you thought. Link to comment
sefrayser Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 The ATO can be a culprit. What should I do? I am getting ready to put a 250 MH w/6 24 watt T-5 and LED's. Im sure I will have some evaporation then. I dont have much evaporation with my 150. Link to comment
anemone fan Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 FYI your measuring density not salinity, temperature and salinity affect density not to mention how much of what is dissolved. Link to comment
MarcG Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 FYI your measuring density not salinity, temperature and salinity affect density not to mention how much of what is dissolved. Agreed....but for out purposes we correlate SG to salinity and I wasn't trying to confuse the OP. I knew that was going to come up though. Regardless, you will not be reading a different SG when your lights are off vs on (assuming constant temp or ATC refractometer)...I believe he was thinking of parameters such as ph. The ATO can be a culprit. What should I do? I am getting ready to put a 250 MH w/6 24 watt T-5 and LED's. Im sure I will have some evaporation then. I dont have much evaporation with my 150. Don't do anything but verify that it is working correctly. Replacing the evaporated water will keep the SG constant....If your ATO adds more than the evaporation, SG will drop. Link to comment
Nate Dawg Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Sorry, dumb question, what's the benefit to using a refractometer over a hydrometer? Link to comment
lakshwadeep Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Where is the ATO's float switch located? Link to comment
Coastie Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 The ATO can be a culprit. What should I do? I am getting ready to put a 250 MH w/6 24 watt T-5 and LED's. Im sure I will have some evaporation then. I dont have much evaporation with my 150. Holy crap! The sun will need sunglasses with all that light!! Link to comment
qwiksilver711 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Sorry, dumb question, what's the benefit to using a refractometer over a hydrometer? refractometers are supposedly more accurate, and can be calibrated, and are more expensive. hydrometers are known to get off over time, cheaper, and you can only really calibrate them to someone elses refractometer... I shall truly test this tomorrow, when my refractometer comes in the mail and i can test it compared to my hydro Link to comment
paneubert Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Sorry, dumb question, what's the benefit to using a refractometer over a hydrometer? Refractometer is much more accurate (when it is calibrated and adjusted for temperature). Hydrometer is usually just a swing arm which while accurate....is less so and could be off due to micro bubbles on the swing arm or simple human error reading the reading since it is just sort of seeing where you think the arm is pointing. Refractometer is going to be an actual color change when you read it. So it is easy to see the correct measurement. Link to comment
FishStrings Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Regular swingarm works fine when you rinse it every time with fresh water and keep it perfectly level while reading. I can also perform tests rapidly and get more samples faster. I usually do 2 or 3 to make sure its working correctly. I also dry it upside down. Swings in salinity can be from water not being properly mixed too. Link to comment
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