can't get Salinity right

[pippol1]

I have a 32 gal. bio cube tank. Now when using a salinity calculator it asks for water volume, now that is different than the 32 gal? according to determining water volume I used the water volume calculator on Marine Depot and it says the volume is 35.95 is that correct? Do I have to use that # when using a salinity calculator?

tank length is 20.25

[WV Reefer]

7 minutes ago, pippol1 said:

I have a 32 gal. bio cube tank. Now when using a salinity calculator it asks for water volume, now that is different than the 32 gal? according to determining water volume I used the water volume calculator on Marine Depot and it says the volume is 35.95 is that correct? Do I have to use that # when using a salinity calculator?

tank length is 20.25

What exactly are you trying to do? Mix water for the first time? Or measure your existing water?

[Clown79]

Can you give us a bit more detail.

 

Are you trying to mix salt? 

 

Read salinity levels?

 

For salt mixing, I honestly have never used a calculator so really can't help with that.

 

I just add half a cup at a time, stir well, check salinity. 

I now know how much salt I need to add for the amount of water I'm mixing.

 

 

 

Always double check salinity level after its mixed and reached proper temp before adding yo tank after waterchange.

[mitten_reef]

Also, please note that your actual water volume will almost always be less than the listed capacity of the tank.  This is due to rock displacement volume, and often times the listed capacity is based on dimension-only and doesn’t account for the levels of water in the tank and various chambers. 
 

PS. you seem to have a history of not closing the loop on any of your question threads. It’d be nice to learn what action you took after we’ve all provided you with comments and suggestions. 
 

 

[jservedio]

1 hour ago, pippol1 said:

I have a 32 gal. bio cube tank. Now when using a salinity calculator it asks for water volume, now that is different than the 32 gal? according to determining water volume I used the water volume calculator on Marine Depot and it says the volume is 35.95 is that correct? Do I have to use that # when using a salinity calculator?

tank length is 20.25

Why do you need a calculator for salinity when you can simply measure it directly?

 

Even a $10 swing-arm hydrometer is going to be more accurate than some calculator since you have no idea what your actual water volume is and there no way of directly measuring it without emptying your tank and refilling it back up.

[pippol1]

When I'm doing a water change and the Salinity is low, I want to know if I'm doing a 10 or 20% water change how much salt to add to bring it up to the 35 PPT. That's why I use a salinity calculator.

[Elizabeth94]

Don’t bother with a salinity calculator, useless. 
 

Use a container thats a certain amount of gallons and follow directions for the salt mix. They are usually 1/2cup Salt per gallon of water. I always add less, then test with my refractometer to see where I am at. Usually have to add more until I reach the desired salinity. 
 

Do you have a refractometer? 

[Tired]

Your salinity shouldn't be getting low. You need to figure out why that's happening, first off- one of the causes can be if the tank is leaking, and you're therefore replacing evaporation and a slow leak worth of water when you top up. 

 

If your salinity is low, mix up some saltwater that's too salty. Slowly add that, testing frequently with your refractometer, until the salinity is correct.

[Saltysheep]

Are you topping off with too much RODI water?