what am I doing wrong?

[mckostya]

Hello all.

New here

Looking for tips on mixing salt water.

I have 46 bow front tank.


So first step is to fill the tank - done



the temperature is about 78 plus or minus

[mckostya]

on the side of the salt bucket is says i need 1.5lb of salt per 5 gallons.
so
i put 10lbs and 3.5 lbs to total about 14lbs

[mckostya]

i then put the salt into the tank

[Ryan45]

Now you wait

[mckostya]

i let it sit there until the water was nice and clear, i think i let about 1 hour.
and then took the measurements
and WOW -

[mckostya]

should i wait more?
it sooooooooooo off 1.029 ???

please help dear newbie here

thank you

[reefergeorge]

Not bad for a guess. You need to take some out, and add plain rodi water. Also remember when you add the rock, and sand it will take up volume, and you may overflow the tank.

[Phyxius]

Give it more time to stabilize the salt mix in the water and then add more RO/DI to dilute it down to proper salinity. Take some tank water out and add it directly to tank. Keep the water you remove as you can use it later if put in a clean container for water changes or the like

Also the swing arm should have no air bubbles on it when looking at the measurement. Air bubbles can make it read higher..Most people will tell you a refractometer is better for measuring salinity

Like reefergeorge said you will have to make adjustments to the water level when you add your other items..

[sps1-2-b]

If you need to decrease the salinity then take some water out (1-2 gal at a time) and add ro/di water. Test until you obtain the salinity you want (1.023 for fish only and 1.026 for reef).

[jkrentz2515]

You ever plan on adding sand or rock??

[reefergeorge]

You should also invest in a refractometer. It is the best thing you can buy for your tank. They run between $25, and $60. The swing arm hydrometer is just not reliable.

1.029 isn't that far off. Sometimes mine is over 1.030 when I mix my water change water, and I've been doing it for years.

[SWINGRRRR]

I stick to the 1/2 cup per 1 gallon rule.
Also, the swing arm sucks. Even more so if its brand new.

[mckostya]

I have already gotten the refractometer and its on its way
i just wanted to play around see if i can get the salt water to the right level
thanks for advice.

Originally posted by Phyxius
Give it more time to stabilize the salt mix in the water and then add more RO/DI to dilute it down to proper salinity. Take some tank water out and add it directly to tank. Keep the water you remove as you can use it later if put in a clean container for water changes or the like

Also the swing arm should have no air bubbles on it when looking at the measurement. Air bubbles can make it read higher..Most people will tell you a refractometer is better for measuring salinity

Like reefergeorge said you will have to make adjustments to the water level when you add your other items..

[mckostya]

I will have some rock and sand.
I can always take some water out, right?

Originally posted by jkrentz2515
You ever plan on adding sand or rock??

[mckostya]

wow thanks for all the help so far

i got this one http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Salinity-Sal...arms=72%3A1163|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

is it any good?

[seapug]

I would just leave it as is until you get the refractometer. In the hydrometer photo above you can clearly see bubbles on the swing arm, which will cause it to "float" and give you a false high reading. One of the many problems with those things. I'm willing to bet your actual SG is around 1.025.

[mckostya]

i taped it several times and measured at least 4 times...it actually went down a bit, so i will wait and measure later again

thank you

Originally posted by seapug
I would just leave it as is until you get the refractometer. In the hydrometer photo above you can clearly see bubbles on the swing arm, which will cause it to "float" and give you a false high reading. One of the many problems with those things. I'm willing to bet your actual SG is around 1.025.

[ihavtats29]

you should allways mix your saltwater in a separate container before adding it to your tank. to avoid getting bubbles on your hydrometer on the right hand side there is a small square hole dont submerge the whole thing and let the water rush in just hold it level in the water and let the water into the small hole it will fill the hydrometer with out and air bubbles. you should also rinse out the hydrometer with RO after every use the arm will build up salt on it and will stick and also give false readings