what the...? HELP!

[craqerjaq]

so I had some saltwater that I mixed up maybe 5-7 days ago. took salinity readings after a few hours and everything was in line. today the salinity reading is about 4ppm high than it was a few days ago. how did this happen and what do I do now...add more fresh water and then wait another week to age it again? I just don't understand how that could happen...seems like it would be a bad thing to assume the water you mixed was at good levels and then when you're ready to do your water changes everything is all f'd up. help!

[metalhead]

Any evaporation occuring from your mixing container? Are you using a refractometer to measure salinity?

[craqerjaq]

yes I'm using a refractometer...and I really don't know what happened because now it's reading accurately. this is frustrating!

[craqerjaq]

I'm not sure if it had anything to do with temperature...makes me wanna bang my head against the wall though

[PacketsofKetchup]

Does it automatically compensate for temperature, I bought one that had it and the gentleman made a very big deal about it doing it.....just a thought pal!

[craqerjaq]

mine only cost about 45 bucks...I think it's as basic as they come. I'm guessing it was a fluke...maybe there was some sediment in the bottom of the container that got kicked up when I used the dropper. I don't have the best water movement in the thing...just a little hose to give it some movement. prob wouldn't hurt to stir it a little I guess.

[metalhead]

mine only cost about 45 bucks...I think it's as basic as they come. I'm guessing it was a fluke...maybe there was some sediment in the bottom of the container that got kicked up when I used the dropper. I don't have the best water movement in the thing...just a little hose to give it some movement. prob wouldn't hurt to stir it a little I guess.

Yep, need to get some good circulation in there... Try to keep it at the same temp as your tank too, or close.

[craqerjaq]

I have an extra hang-on heater but I have a 32 gal Brute with 3 inches of water or so...I haven't figured out a way to rig that yet...any suggestions?

[metalhead]

I have an extra hang-on heater but I have a 32 gal Brute with 3 inches of water or so...I haven't figured out a way to rig that yet...any suggestions?

Pick up a cheap powerhead and a stealth heater, they are designed for use in plastic/acrylic containers (will not burn a hole) and are encased in a polymer shell. I forget who makes them but I think they are fairly cheap.

[craqerjaq]

would a heater like this work inside a plastice container?

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~action~view~idProduct~HD10401~idCatego ry~FIHTIH~category~Inline___Specialty-Heaters-Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies~vendor~.html

or maybe

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~action~view~idProduct~EJ1111~idCategor y~FIHTGH~category~Glass_Tube-Heaters-Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies~vendor~.html

this one is adjustable...might be better (if it weren't out of stock...)

I might just check one store in town here see if they have anything cheap.

[PacketsofKetchup]

I believe the stealth is made by marineland...That is what I have in my tank. They are nice! I would go with that but I love the polymer shell....

[metalhead]

I'd go with this one...

http://www.petco.com/product/13811/M...LAID=201379931

If you use a glass tube heater instead make sure it does not touch the sides or bottom or it may burn a hole!

[craqerjaq]

yeah I saw those on the shelf but didn't think it was worth it to spend 25 bucks...I just need to find a way to get the heater I have suspended in the water...it's not submersible so I gotta find a way to hang it. time for creativity

[PacketsofKetchup]

Well I suppose it may not look the best but you could always make a grid using possibly 1 by's or 2x4's and this would allow you to possibly wire tie or staple the cord to the boards like people do on christmas lights therefore allowing the heater to be suspended at the right height to sit in your water....just an idea

[craqerjaq]

haha...I don't even think I own a piece of wood that isn't already furniture. I'm a just a college student living in an apartment. but that gave me an idea though...find a stick or something long enough to wedge in the brute and then clip the heater to that...now if I only had a stick lol

[metalhead]

haha...I don't even think I own a piece of wood that isn't already furniture. I'm a just a college student living in an apartment. but that gave me an idea though...find a stick or something long enough to wedge in the brute and then clip the heater to that...now if I only had a stick lol

Just be careful not to electrocute yourself!!!

[Ninong]

Your refractometer is almost certainly temperature compensating. It would have had ATC in the model identification. I don't know of any refractometers sold in the hobby that are not ATC nowadays.

Whether you are reading salinity in ppt (parts per thousand) or using specific gravity readings as an approximation of salintiy, you aren't reading anything in ppm (parts per million).

Apparently your initial reading, the one you say was too high, was incorrectly taken. It is important that the refractometer's glass be cleaned with plain freshwater (distilled or R.O./D.I. water is best but tapwater will do in a pinch) after each use and dried off with a soft cloth. You don't want any residue on the glass that will mess up your next reading.

If you have only 3" of saltwater in the bottom of a 32-gal Rubbermaid Brute container, you're using too large of a container for these small batches of saltwater. It would be a lot easier if you picked up at 10-gal Brute (white, gray or yellow only) for mixing up small batches.

Keeping the heater from touching the plastic container can be a battle. If your batch of saltwater comes up nearly to the top of the container, you can try to mount the heater on the side of the container near the top. Otherwise, you have to try to place in on the bottom of the container using the plastic suction "feet" that come with it. No matter where you try to place it, it will come loose. Then you have to figure out a way to keep the little suction cups things from coming loose. Just jerryrig something. I always mixed about 18 gallons of saltwater in a 20-gal Brute and I always had trouble keeping the Ebo Jager heater in place without letting it touch the plastic.

[craqerjaq]

I wish I had a picture...so I found a wooden coat hanger rod from a small hall closet...and have the heater coard knotted around it and the heater hangs perfectly in the water. this will work at least till I pick up a powerhead....have to see how much disturbance that will make to know if it will still be a good idea. as long as I don't bump anything (having a walk-in storage closet for my brute container helps). my ingenuity makes me happy lol

[craqerjaq]

I looked at home depot for the brutes and the only thing I was able to get was the 32gal...unless they had them in the opposite end of the store. I don't care really...it works.

I did realize that temp affected my reading when I tried to recreate the abnormal reading...now that I have the heater in place it shouldn't be an issue.

and yes electrocuting myself is being avoided...waited till I had the rig set before plugging it in...and once I go back to the bin I will take the heater out of the water before I start messing around

I have an older glass tube heater that just has the hang on clip part...no suction cups and it's not submersible...that's why I had to devise such a ghetto setup.

[Ninong]

I did realize that temp affected my reading when I tried to recreate the abnormal reading...now that I have the heater in place it shouldn't be an issue.

Temperature does NOT affect your readings because you have an ATC refractometer. So your "off" reading was the result of something else, not temperature.

I could only find a 32-gal gray Rubbermaid Brute locally, too. That's why I ordered two white 20-gal ones from U.S. Plastic. I was surprised at how cheap the shipped was. Once I got those nice white 20-gal ones, I never used the 32-gal again. It just sat there in a corner of the garage gathering dust. I almost wish I had ordered one 10-gal and one 20-gal instead. The 32-gal size is just too large to deal with unless you're making up a lot of saltwater.