what are the effects of high salinity on sps?

[LoJack]

Originally Posted by MitchM

Actually, measuring salt water mixes by weight is the more accurate, measuring by specific gravity is less so, because for sg readings it depends on what temperature the water is.
I understand now how your refractometer could have messed things up.
Your refractometer should say in it's viewing window what temperature it was calibrated to at the factory.
Can I ask what calibration fluid you used, also which article you read regarding the difference between distilled and R/O?

I could see weight being accurate, however I wouldn't weigh it, it would be more of a 6 cups of salt makes this much water etc etc ... except my drum isn't filled to the same spot everytime, and measuring would never be exact (at least in my circumstances). Even if I had a fill line on the tank ... I wouldn't know the exact volume and so on haha.

My question about weight though would be this. Considering if I test Bucket A of my salt after mixed to 1.026, from lot 996 and I get 450 Calcium and 11 dKh and then I test Bucket B of my salt from lot 997 and get 470 calcium and 13 dKh ... would weight truly be accurate. Would the added minerals not offset the amount of NaCl in the solution?

I use Instant Ocean, but I've also seen lots of threads where people test their mixed up saltwater from different buckets of all sorts of brands and have varied parameters.

As for the article ... All I remember is someone posted a link to it on ReefCentral. It was a .uk link though, if that helps narrow it down.