Help in Columbus, OH

[Gehrisch]

This is pretty much an emergency call for help if anyone reads this on New Year's Day. I need a functional hydrometer fast.

 

I just relocated my tomato clown, three green chromis, brittle star, and serpent star from my apartment in Cincinnati. The salt water I mixed up yesterday to have ready for them here in Columbus has been screwed up, and I need to make more so my poor fish can get out of a bag. For some reason my hydrometer is giving everything a salinity reading off the scale. Even my tap water is off the scale. Obviously that won't do to whip up a batch of water.

 

If anyone in Columbus would be willing to lend me a hydrometer for the night I would really appreciate it.

 

Thanks!!

 

~Gehrisch

[LiQuiD]

If you are using a float hydrometer, and it is rising with tap water, it is not a screwed up hydrometer, it is air bubbles.

 

Pour some vinegar in it and swish it around for a few minutes. Rinse it well. Now try it again, and make sure there are no bubbles on the float as this will cause it to float higher than it should.

 

I know after I say this, I will catch some crap from someone but your in a bind so here goes. I have been mixing saltwater every week for a long time. I used to always whip out the hydrometer after every mix to check and it is always perfect sg for me so I don't even bother checking anymore. I use IO and always have. What I do is take a gallon of distilled water, pour a little (half cup) out of the gallon into a clean glass, take a 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill it to the top using a butter knife to slide across the top for exact measurement, pour the salt into the gallon jug (I use a piece of paper for a funnel), cap it and shake it for a few minutes (to mix and airade) pour the glass of water back in the gallon jug. Now your good to go. If you are making larger amounts (5, 10 gallon, just use box directions.

 

Now before anyone goes nuts, I check my "tanks" salinity all the time (everyone thinks you don't loose salt, that is correct for evaporation but what do you think salt creep is, salt no longer in your tank, if you only check what you are putting in and don't check the tank itself you are in for problems down the road)

 

Maybe I have just been really lucky for a long time but even if you get a bad mix, it can't be off by that much. If you are in dyer need of the water do as I said and go out tomorrow and get your new hydrometer, unless of course it was just dirty or had a bubble:)

[LiQuiD]

Just realized what I said about the vinegar would not help your problem, it will help clean the salt buildup that would cause it to stick and you have what seemed like a buble problem so ixnay the vinegar. Also, what I do revolves around IO, I do not know the amounts that need to be done for other salts but just think about it, how many times have you followed the directions and made a bad mix, does this happen and if so, how often. Just make a mix, and go for it, all should work out. Good luck.

[Gehrisch]

I thought of the vinegar first, hoping that it was just hard water buildup. I soaked it for several hours while I was loading my tank in the car and bringing it up. It's really nice and clean now, but it's still doing the same thing. I thought of the bubbles too, but I can't see any on there. I even tried knocking the floater around a little bit to shake them off, but I'm not seeing anything come off. Tap water is still apparently saltier than the ocean.

 

I actually need to mix up about 30 gallons of water tonight, so by the time I mix them one gallon at a time the fish store will be opening. I guess it's time to get started, huh? The instructions on my IO bag just say to mix it using a hydrometer until it's 1.020-1.023. By your previous instructions I need about 15 level cups for 30 gallons. Is there any reason not to mix it all at once?

[LiQuiD]

By all means, mix it all at once if you have the 10 gallon box, get ten gallon and pour the whole box in etc. This is what I do for the larger tanks, I don't do water changes as often in the big tanks and I just assumed you were doing a small nano tank. I do usually test the ten gallon pail after the mix and it has always been right on. You should be good to go. Let me know how it goes.