quick help with the hydrometer

[cousinsgs]

i just had my water tested. I've added cured live rock its been cycling now for a week. went to a privately owned store near my house- they have great google reviews. The owner has been incredibly helpful and has tested the water for me. said i could think about adding fish in a week or so but my nitrate levels were a little high still- 7.6. i want to learn how to do all of this myself. how do i read the hydrometer? i put one in myself and its not getting the same reading hers was. my hydrometer is off the charts and hers read in the green. not going to lie i just opened the package and plopped it on in- which now in after thought probably wasn't the best thing to do. any knowledge would be helpful thanks!

[Sniperhank]

Hydrometers are inaccurate as they can be thrown off by air bubbles. You should get yourself a nice refractometer, but that can happen down the road.

[DanB80TTS]

Fill the hydrometer with tank water and bang it on a flat surface, then leave it a second and see were it settles, give it a few flicks too if you aren't sure the reading is correct.
Then simply throw it in the garbage and get a $20 refractometer on eBay and be glad you listened to the good people on this forum. Joking aside, I am a saltwater noob and a refractometer is just way better and easier to use, I am glad I went ahead and got one.

As for testing I use the API test kits, I use the freshwater master test kit because all but one of my tanks are fresh but the saltwater master test kit is the same thing. They are easy to use, you can test pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate with them. It will set you back $20-30 but has about 800 tests between the whole kit. Just make sure you grab the Saltwater master test kit not the Reef master test kit (unless you are going to be adding coral down the line then get both)