p ViRuS q

i have the red sea hydrometer with the round temperature thing in the middle of it. and i have no idea if it is working properly. i can put the water in it and it will read 1.028 and then right after i empty it out and put more water in it and it will read 1.023. im so confused as to if im using it right or not.
can someone give me some advice or suggest a better or more reliable hydrometer?

Wolfgang8810

sometimes bubbles can cling to the floating indicator and give false readings. Try tapping it rather aggressivly to make sure all the bubbles are off.

p ViRuS q

i will go a head and try that. maby i didnt get all of the bubbles out before like you said. i hope it works.
thanks

Oil_Fan

I've noticed that with my hydrometer that I have to fill it, empty it about 5 times or so. Then I get readings that can be repeated. And ya...little bubbles will make it read higher than it should.

p ViRuS q

thanks for the advice. i think i have figured out how to use it better now

Wolfgang8810

glad to help. When i first saw that my SG was 1.032 i freaked out but then noticed the little bubbles (everything was normal)

p ViRuS q

yea. i got freaked out too when i first tried mine. im glad it wasnt accurate.lol

occlown426

If you've got the money, you should order a hydrometer from VWR. They are a company geared toward the scientific/lab portion of the market meaning their hydrometers are more effective AND more accurate. The one you woud want is about 32 bucks and reads on a 1.000 to 1.050 scale with 0.0005 subdivision and accurate to +/- 0.0005. More durable than those cheapy plastic ones. 35123-448 is the number you'd need to order it. Anyone with a SW tank should consider this.

p ViRuS q

ill check them out. by what you say they seem to be a lot better.

Mike

I use a refractometer nowadays. The deep six hydrometer was the hydrometer I used to use and I tested my refractometer against it. The first day I got the refractometer I first tested the water using my old standby, the deep six and it reported 1.024. Then I tested the water with the refractometer and it measured out at 1.038! Then I tested a second tank and had similar results.

The good thing about the refractometer is that it can be re-calibrated at any time using pure water (disilled or RO/DI).

Now, I'm not saying that all the plastic hydrometers are inaccurate. I haven't been able to test a brand new one against the refractometer yet and I also didn't thoroughly rinse the deep six with freshwater after every use.

If you live by a friend that has a refractometer ask to borrow it to test your tank water just in case or spend the $40 dollars and you don't have to wonder.

Just my