How many trust these meters?

[KrisReef]

i used to use these guys until i kept breaking.
wasn't kidding about if its good enough for beer, its good enough for our reef tank.

I found mine broken in its resting place on Tuesday. I really liked it for keeping track of the temperature in my mixing barrels, and it was also fun to compare with the swing arm. I am going to miss it.

 

[fandaga]

FWIW I haven’t had much issue with the Hanna salinity checker. It’s been within 1 ppt of the refractometer.

 

[KrisReef]

First I always use a refractor meter pictured below. I calibrate my refractor meter with my RODI water that contains no salts. I don’t really rely on refractor juice.

So here are my results….
Which one do you think is right?

It would be easier to discuss this if you provided images in white lighting.

 

[Fish Fan]

It would be easier to discuss this if you provided images in white lighting.

Brother, I love you, but

 

[KrisReef]

Brother, I love you, but

I took about 20 hours to get an image of the hydrometer that didn’t have blue light or glare on it. It is a hazard of the hobby and your images were fine, really.

I will refrain from requesting parameters, it’s not working tonight, sorry.

 

[Fish Fan]

I took about 20 hours to get an image of the hydrometer that didn’t have blue light or glare on it. It is a hazard of the hobby and your images were fine, really.

I will refrain from requesting parameters, it’s not working tonight, sorry.

I know you know that I'm just joking around, and that I sincerely wish we could all see the world through orange colored glasses brother

 

[KrisReef]

you know that I'm just joking around, and that I sincerely wish we could all see the world through orange colored glasses brother

Should be issued at birth by the midwife or the attending physician, imo.

 

[mcarroll]

i used to use these guys until i kept breaking.
wasn't kidding about if its good enough for beer, its good enough for our reef tank.

I remember those being available back in the early 90's and even showing up in some books, but between how fragile and expensive they were/are and IO supplying those swing arm hydrometers!!! I guess the glass never got popular. Wasn't cuz they didn't work; they just aren't practical in most homes.

 

[Naekuh]

I remember those being available back in the early 90's and even showing up in some books, but between how fragile and expensive they were/are and IO supplying those swing arm hydrometers!!! I guess the glass never got popular. Wasn't cuz they didn't work; they just aren't practical in most homes.

i broke too many to even count.
I think after my like 15th one i bought the hannah from a fellow reefer and never looked back.

I have a refractometer too, because everyone has one or should have one.

But im sure im not the only one that's broken quite a few of them.

As for liking them, i really think they are the best.
Its OG Archimedes, and the real OG one, and its sealed in gas, so no calibration ever needed.

The only time i had issues is if i had bubbles in the solution, or if it kept sticking to the walls where it would not be able to float properly. Oh and that they would break if u looked at it funny, or if u even made a joke about breaking them, it would break.

 

[00W]

This is all I knew and used for 15 years and it never failed me so I'll defend it to the bitter end.

I've had this longer than both my kids.
It's the only thing I kept from my last system when we moved over 15 years ago...
I never go anywhere without it

 

[EnterName]

I have tested the Hanna salinity meter in a different thread and it became obvious that even though it has an in-built thermometer to correct for temperature, this temperature correction doesn't seem to work very well during calibration. The only solution was to calibrate it at 25°C/77°F after which the results where absolutely fine.

If the measurements are all over the place and don't stabilize very well, you can dip the device in 1% HCl or 10% acetic acid for a few minutes. This will get rid of residues on the electrodes which prevent stable readings. Rinse the electrodes thoroughly with RO/DI after each use and it should keep the calibration for quite some time.

You also have to keep in mind that hydrometers, refractometers and conductivity/salinity meters are based on different physical properties (that's why there are 3 calibration solutions in Randy's DIY calibration standard article). Next to temperature and pressure, these properties are influenced differently by the salt composition, as you can see by dissolving 35g/L table salt and 35g/L sea salt and comparing measurements. In theory both are "35ppt", but the different salts will impact the measured physical properties differently and therefore give different readings.

The differences between your tank's water and actual sea water might be small, but together with temperature, pressure, calibration errors, and measurement precision of the device, you can end up with ±0.002 SG readings very easily even with temperature compensation (which isn't perfect).

The best approach is to stick to a device you can trust to give repeatable results over time. Corals and fish can deal with a 33 - 37ppt without issues, so the stability is more important than the actual salinity.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Love my Hanna. You need to calibrate it at your tank temp for best results. It reads accurately to my local NSW within .5 ppt. I do use the TM hydrometer to mix my salt, because I use TM bio-actiff. If you read the instructions, it will say a using a electronic meter will read low.
Also BTW for those who swear by the TM hydrometer... I have two, and surprise, they do not read the same....

 

[Australian_Reef]

I’ve never understood the hate these units get. I use the Hanna salinity. I clean it in RO after use and calibrate monthly. I find it may not always be accurate but it’s consistent and that’s what’s important to me. Plus because it’s easy to use I test much more often than I would using my refractometer so that has advantages too.

 

[Rich Klein]

Does anyone trust these Hanna salinity and ph meters?

I have used the salinity probe for years. Keep packets of their calibration fluid and calibrate it once a month or so. Works great

 

[DenverSaltyFarm]

I have Hanna salinity checker and its been dead on to my ICP-MS tests. Everyone always raved about the Hydrometer bulb being the most accurate and my experience has been complete opposite. the one i got reads 1.028 When in reality my tank sits at 1.025 even with the temperature correction that thing is way off. never understood the hype

 

[JonoH]

I've got all 3, and they all test the same.
Maybe i just got the lucky Hanna one that works!

 

[Zuluuz]

TM hydrometer is the only salinity device I trust

 

[Usarmy227]

Thank you all! It’s great to see everyone’s opinions on this! Also not everyone is the same

My readings from my refractor meter was 35ppt and my Hanna was 32.8 today so it was off. Just trying to see if I stay with my Refractor or go with Hanna. Not sure I really want to change anything since my tank is doing great.

 

[NanoSteam]

Thank you all! It’s great to see everyone’s opinions on this! Also not everyone is the same

My readings from my refractor meter was 35ppt and my Hanna was 32.8 today so it was off. Just trying to see if I stay with my Refractor or go with Hanna. Not sure I really want to change anything since my tank is doing great.

You can use both, now that you know 32.8 on your Hannah is 35 ppt on the calibrated refractometer you can continue to use the Hannah just keep in mind 32.8 is 35. What's important is stability rather than the actual number.