Brand new refracto juice BRS not accurate?

[DC Reefer]

ok, just don’t assume a refractometer solution at 35 ppt is necessarily 35 ppt on the Hanna.

Would the same theory apply the green Milwaukee seawater electronic refractometer? I was using two fishes refractometer solution to test the Milwaukee and it spot on for months and then moved to 36 so I figured it increased due to evaporation over a long period of time. Tried the BRS brand and it was 33 From the start. These reading were on a freshly calibrated Milwaukee.

 

[DOJOLOACH]

OP what did u come up with?

Well, turns out my original brs refracto juice is accurate, while the brand new one is not.

User beware!!

 

[CK00020]

Holy crap this is getting weird

 

[DOJOLOACH]

Holy crap this is getting weird

Well I guess you can assume to just trust your own mix like randy linked. Everything else can't be trusted

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Would the same theory apply the green Milwaukee seawater electronic refractometer? I was using two fishes refractometer solution to test the Milwaukee and it spot on for months and then moved to 36 so I figured it increased due to evaporation over a long period of time. Tried the BRS brand and it was 33 From the start. These reading were on a freshly calibrated Milwaukee.

Any refractometer solution should work in any refractometer, but solutions made for conductivity meters or hydrometers may not.

 

[Reef.]

Grr! Randy, I can envision you making Mr wizard style low budget videos to pass on your knowledge.

Unfortunately no one wants to read that entire article to get the answers... with the adoption that videos are the preferred way to recieve information i can see you cleaning up with Mr wizard and Bill Nye style videos..

Don’t you have a scroll function? Easy enough to go to the part you need...the article was about salinity not a home test, it was helpful for the link, I wouldn’t expect the guy to edit the thing for those that can’t put clout what they want to take from it.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Don’t you have a scroll function? Easy enough to go to the part you need...the article was about salinity not a home test, it was helpful for the link, I wouldn’t expect the guy to edit the thing for those that can’t put clout what they want to take from it.

hehe, perhaps I didn't convey my intent properly.

I do have a scroll wheel, and prefer to read it opposed to watching it. Personally, I can get the information a lot faster if it's in print. Plus I have very little desire to be entertained when receiving information. I feel my time is being wasted sitting and watching a video.

But I'm in the minority. The vast majority of hobbyist these days prefer to get their information packaged in an entertaining video that persuades them to believe the information given is factual when in reality it's the opinion of the influencer that has them enthralled in the never ending proverbial grown kick that keeps them entertained.

When I read Randy's old stuff it has very little opinion and instead chock full of factual information peppered with foot notes and references to back his claims, it takes me back to the days when there had to be proof. Now a days, it's sufficient to take someone's word for it (that's a subject that can be discussed further in another thread).

Someone in this thread asked Randy to dumb down that article, (forgive me if I'm way off with my interpretation) in which I interpreted that comment as, "there's far too much to read, can you please repackage the information provided and give it to me in a nutshell?"

Yes, I'm being a bit nostalgic by looking back at my childhood when I was learning science fundamentals I was also being entertained. Someone like Randy can really corner the market with videos void of opinion and centered around science. If done correctly, his efforts can shift hobbyist expectations of the type of content a video should have.

 

[Reef.]

hehe, perhaps I didn't convey my intent properly.

I do have a scroll wheel, and prefer to read it opposed to watching it. Personally, I can get the information a lot faster if it's in print. Plus I have very little desire to be entertained when receiving information. I feel my time is being wasted sitting and watching a video.

But I'm in the minority. The vast majority of hobbyist these days prefer to get their information packaged in an entertaining video that persuades them to believe the information given is factual when in reality it's the opinion of the influencer that has them enthralled in the never ending proverbial grown kick that keeps them entertained.

When I read Randy's old stuff it has very little opinion and instead chock full of factual information peppered with foot notes and references to back his claims, it takes me back to the days when there had to be proof. Now a days, it's sufficient to take someone's word for it (that's a subject that can be discussed further in another thread).

Someone in this thread asked Randy to dumb down that article, (forgive me if I'm way off with my interpretation) in which I interpreted that comment as, "there's far too much to read, can you please repackage the information provided and give it to me in a nutshell?"

Yes, I'm being a bit nostalgic by looking back at my childhood when I was learning science fundamentals I was also being entertained. Someone like Randy can really corner the market with videos void of opinion and centered around science. If done correctly, his efforts can shift hobbyist expectations of the type of content a video should have.

yeah it did come across a little rude, thanks for explaining your intent.

I do agree, his stuff is very informative and detailed, maybe his business model is not following the crowd, you know after reading one of his articles it has research behind it, not just someone reading off an autocue.

 

[Sprin001]

ok, just don’t assume a refractometer solution at 35 ppt is necessarily 35 ppt on the Hanna.

I dont believe I ever implied that. I checked the Hanna on the salinity solution that comes with it - then checked it to my mixed water. I tested the calibration solutions from brightwell and BRS on my rdfractometer which had a difference of 5. I then compared my refractometer to the previously measured mix which checked out on the hanna.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I dont believe I ever implied that. I checked the Hanna on the salinity solution that comes with it - then checked it to my mixed water. I tested the calibration solutions from brightwell and BRS on my rdfractometer which had a difference of 5. I then compared my refractometer to the previously measured mix which checked out on the hanna.

You didn't say what the solution was in our exchange below, so I just was clarifying since many people think any "35 ppt" solution can be used anywhere (some can, some cannot).

I check it against the hanna which is calibrated to 35 ppt solution.

"ok, just don’t assume a refractometer solution at 35 ppt is necessarily 35 ppt on the Hanna."

 

[GoVols]

What kind of refract do you use? You can calibrate with RODI at 1.000 if you have a VeeGee and verify that way.

Got to agree with the VeeGee STX-3 being the most accurate and staying dialed handheld refractometer.

But, I'd still use .35 solution to check if it's dialed in, lol at the mercury of the TLF's natural seawater solution being correct, but the VeeGee just stays dialed in.

A few years ago we had another thread on Randy's forum.

I was torn between the VeeGee or the Pinpoint Salinity Monitor.

Was just about to buy the Pinpoint, but the VeeGee came on sale at Amazon for $80 and pulled the trigger, has been flawless staying dialed in.

Within that same thread was the Milwaukee users too, it does read off because it calibrates to RO/DI, but those members just adjust for the offset.

 

[CK00020]

Thanks for the info Randy, didn’t know I had to be checking calibration solutions

 

[DOJOLOACH]

Got to agree with the VeeGee STX-3 being the most accurate and staying dialed handheld refractometer.

But, I'd still use .35 solution to check if it's dialed in, lol at the mercury of the TLF's natural seawater solution being correct, but the VeeGee just stays dialed in.

A few years ago we had another thread on Randy's forum.

I was torn between the VeeGee or the Pinpoint Salinity Monitor.

Was just about to buy the Pinpoint, but the VeeGee came on sale at Amazon for $80 and pulled the trigger, has been flawless staying dialed in.

Within that same thread was the Milwaukee users too, it does read off because it calibrates to RO/DI, but those members just adjust for the offset.

Yeah I upgraded to the veegee from the brs as well, which became rusty. No complaints so far

 

[piranhaman00]

Those 35ppt standards are almost always at 25C. Refracts are to be calibrated at 20C and ATC for 20C. This is why you should actually calibrate with rodi because at 20C it is exactly 1.000. That 35ppt is no longer 35ppt at 20C and it is off. It’s very small but still if you want to be exact cheap refracts cannot be calibrated to 1.000 though so there’s the conundrum

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Those 35ppt standards are almost always at 25C. Refracts are to be calibrated at 20C and ATC for 20C. This is why you should actually calibrate with rodi because at 20C it is exactly 1.000. That 35ppt is no longer 35ppt at 20C and it is off. It’s very small but still if you want to be exact cheap refracts cannot be calibrated to 1.000 though so there’s the conundrum

I know many ATC refractometers claim that they should be calibrated at a specific temperature, but that claim has never made any sense to me. If you are within the temp range of The ATC, it should automatically correct the standard just the same as the sample.

 

[Kris 2020]

Here I am jumping on the bandwagon...an icp test with a lowish sodium level made me think, I’ve been using the same refractometer (brs) and the same 2 bottles of refractometer juice for awhile (also brs) so maybe it’s time to level up. Ordered a veegee refractometer and it arrived this morning. Also ordered 2 different calibrating solutions, Aquacraft and Pinpoint. Instructions said to calibrate using distilled, so I did. Then I checked all 3 calibration fluids I had: BRS was 33/1.025, aquacraft was 35/almost 1.027, and pinpoint was 36/ 1.0275ish. puts my tank around 1.0235ish when I thought I was running 1.025.

so I hate that I have different results on the calibration fluids, and I would rather calibrate the refractometer with a known 35 ppt since that’s closer to what I will use it for. So I pull up the recipe in Randy’s article. Our food scale isn’t accurate enough so I’m going to measure...but wait, where’s the salt?? We have kosher salt, and course salt, no regular table salt. what the heck. My husband does the cooking so I have no idea what’s up with that.

I want to mix my water, and I have no idea what to do with all this info.

 

[GoVols]

Funny thing is, the brs bottle is made by bright well. Not trying to blame brs but I have heard of inconsistencies of these hobby grade calibration fluids

Check these out

3 Calibration Solutions: 3 Different Results

I own two bottles of the Aqua Craft calibration solution that I purchased from BRS. BRS now carries their own brand (apparently rebranded Brightwells) and Brightwells. I order both. Using the BRS refractometer, they read quite different: Both AquaCraft: 35ppt Brightwell: 33ppt BRS Brand: 30ppt...

www.reef2reef.com

Refractometer Caibration Solution

So, I had an old bottle (2 years old) of this: so I went online and bought this: The solution from BRS is reading 33ppt when calibrated with the old Aqua Craft solution, so I figured maybe it was due to evaporation over time. But I wasn't convinced......so I just bought a new bottom of Aqua...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[DOJOLOACH]

Check these out

3 Calibration Solutions: 3 Different Results

I own two bottles of the Aqua Craft calibration solution that I purchased from BRS. BRS now carries their own brand (apparently rebranded Brightwells) and Brightwells. I order both. Using the BRS refractometer, they read quite different: Both AquaCraft: 35ppt Brightwell: 33ppt BRS Brand: 30ppt...

www.reef2reef.com

Refractometer Caibration Solution

So, I had an old bottle (2 years old) of this: so I went online and bought this: The solution from BRS is reading 33ppt when calibrated with the old Aqua Craft solution, so I figured maybe it was due to evaporation over time. But I wasn't convinced......so I just bought a new bottom of Aqua...

www.reef2reef.com

From years ago... Cant believe these companies still sell the product!

 

[GoVols]

From years ago... Cant believe these companies still sell the product!

yeah,

I think Randy's mixture method should be the most cost-effective and most accurate way to go.

@Randy Holmes-Farley
Is this the right 2-liter coke bottle?

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[Randy Holmes-Farley]

yeah,

I think Randy's mixture method should be the most cost-effective and most accurate way to go.

@Randy Holmes-Farley
Is this the right 2-liter coke bottle?

Coca-Cola - 2 L Bottle

Read reviews and buy Coca-Cola - 2 L Bottle at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.

www.target.com

it was years ago that I measured one, and they may have changed it. I’d stick to a scale or accurate volume measurement if you want less than 1 ppt uncertainty.