Hydrometer readings

Add this to my long list of dumb questions;

When you take a reading, do you put the hydrometer directly in the plastic fermenting bucket ?
I assume those who use a carboy must pull a sample. What type of container do you use ? Are you
OK using the plastic tube that the hydrometer came in ?

That is what the tube is designed for, I use that. There’s no reason you can’t put it directly into your bucket, as you said a carboy would be a challenge. I like to pull a sample though, for one thing sometimes you may have a little crud still floating along the top of the fermenter and I also like to taste the sample when I’m done. But any vessel should do, you want it to be fairly narrow though so you don’t need a huge sample.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brea ... t-jar.html