hydrometer reading

[4inchSandBed]

my hydrometer reads 1.020 is this level okay? is this to low or to high? should i add more salt or RO water???

 

[Wooster]

1.020 is fine, it is on the low end of the "acceptable range" (about 1.020-1.024), but some like to keep it higher for their reefs like up to 1.023, that is where mine it at right now.
but the main thing is: if you want to get it higher you must do so veeerry gradually, like over a couple of days because a sudden change in specific gravity can really stress the fish out.

 

[4inchSandBed]

I dont have any fish in the tank just Live rock, snails, and some hermit crabs.

 

[Wooster]

well then it is not as big a deal but you still want to take it a little slower, meaning not just dumping a bunch of salt in, maybe only boosting it .001 over an hour or so, and eventually bringing it up to 1.022, which is good.

 

[seaham358]

Most people I know run there reefs around .024-.025
A FO tank you can run lower ....

 

[Wooster]

true true, just goes to show that it is (to a small extent) your personal preference

 

[Thumper]

I run mine at 1.024 but your fine for now, just next water change raise it up a little.

 

[4inchSandBed]

thanks everyone ill def. gradually add a lil more salt

 

[saltwatersmac]

Also what brand of hydrometer do you have? I have the Coralife Deep Six that I checked against the LFS refractometer. Although a hydrometer is not very accurate, they are consistent on their readings. In their water the refractometer read 1.024 where my hydrometer read 1.0215. So now that is what I shoot for. The guy at LFS said most hydrometers read a little low. I would get yours checked against a refractometer. Then you know what SG your water is without paying the price of the refractometer.

Stephen

 

[Phyl]

In their water the refractometer read 1.024 where my hydrometer read 1.0215

That was about my experience when I got a refractometer. My hydrometer was .004 low so when I thought my tank was at 1.023 it was really at 1.027. Hmmmm. For the price of a refractometer I wouldn't use a hydrometer, personally. It stands to reason that over time, if the hydrometer weren't kept completely salt free it would begin to accumulate very slowly a filmy layer at a time and the hydrometer would actually start reading lower and lower (but this is just a hypothesis). I wouldn't trust them as far as I could... well I wouldn't trust them even that much, lol!

If I was going to use a hydrometer I would err on the low side because I've never heard a case of them reading higher than a refractometer and most people who've commented say that their hydrometer was .004 low.