How Often Do You Check Salinity?

[Marcosreef]

Hello All,

Just checked my salinity and it crept up to about 38 ppt or 1.028 specific gravity.

 

[danmhippo]

I think you need another category for people like me

"Almost never".

I only check in conjuction with other tests when something is not going right in the tank.

 

[Anonymous]

hey! i just made the graph look like an elephant.

 

[Anonymous]

I check mine when I do a WC, which is monthly.

How else could use do a proper WC? You gotta check the temp and SG!

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, Macrosreef,

Why is B-Ionic mentioned in the subject line of this post? :roll:

 

[Marcosreef]

Louey,

Using B-Ionic daily has moderately raised my salinity.

I took out the B-Ionic from the post title to avoid confusion. Sorry...

Marco

 

[reefland]

I check monthly due to a constant dropping salinty. Between salt creep and skimmate I'm removing enogh salt that I can measure it after a month or two. (Don't do water changes unless I have a tank spawn.)

 

[Henry1]

Once a month during water change.
Also when adding new stuff, check both tank and specimen's water to ascertain rate of acclimatisation needed.

cheers

 

[npaden]

Also, what you check your salinity with can even more important than how often you check it. If you are using a swing arm hydrometer I would highly recommend checking it against someones refractometer or salinity meter. I had 2 hydrometers that I was taking an average of and turns out both were high.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[reefland]

Excellent point npaden. I'm using a refractomenter.

 

[Anonymous]

How accurate are the salinity monitors (PinPoint for example) as compared to a refractometer?

 

[Anemone]

I think you need another category for people like me

"Almost never".

I only check in conjuction with other tests when something is not going right in the tank.

Jimmy,

He added that category, and I'm with you. Since I use cured NSW, and I know how high to top off my tanks with FW, I only rarely check anymore.

Kevin

 

[npaden]

skbok,

Randy Holmes-Farley says that the salinity probes are as accurate if not a little more accurate than the refractometers. I've seen arguments both ways, but either are WAY better than a swing arm hydrometer. The key with both the probes and the refractometers though from what I understand is getting them properly calibrated and periodically checking the calibrations.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[danmhippo]

Jimmy,

He added that category, and I'm with you.

I noticed that too, but too bad, once you voted under one log-in name, the cookie prevent you from voting again.

 

[Lynn]

I check mine twice weekly. But..I bet it's cause I've only been at this less then a year. I'd bet that the people who have been at it longer check less frequently?? Just my thoughts

 

[SPC]

I went with monthly. I use a swing arm but also have a refractometer which I use to check the accuracy of the swing arm about once every 6 months.
Steve

 

[EmilyB]

I picked monthly also, about every second water change. I use the refractometer (ATC) to check my SeaTest swingarms, and they are both dead on. 8)

 

[Marcosreef]

Would a floating hydrometer (glass type) be a good reference to test a swing arm?

Thank you for you replies.

Marco

 

[esmithiii]

Would a floating hydrometer (glass type) be a good reference to test a swing arm?

No. They are notoriously unreliable also.

I check mine with a temperature auto-adjusting hydrometer.

E

 

[Marcosreef]

If this is the case I wonder why Tropic Marin states max. deviation for their glass hydrometer is 0.0005? It sounded pretty accurate to me.

Marco