Natural salts from Red Sea w/ Coral Pro and Red Sea Salt | BRStv Spotlight
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ReefersDelite
Active Member
I use the regular RedSeas salt. I love it!!!!!!!
Just got my first bucket of Coral Pro Salt. Was previously using premixed water from my LFS (they were using Aquaforest), now that i've added more SPS to my tank I didn't want my mixed saltwater just sitting in the garage. Now I"ll mix up the night before my water change!
And I'd like to say I got my Coral Pro from BRS!
And I'd like to say I got my Coral Pro from BRS!
chipmunkofdoom2
Always Making Something
Out of curiosity, why doesn't BRS recommend the American Marine Pinpoint Salinity Monitor (or equivalent conductivity meter) for sale on your site? It seems that in every video where salinity is discussed (such as in this one), refractive index devices like a handheld refractometer or digital refractometer are usually all that's recommended.
OP
OP
That’s a valid point and I’d probably say that, although this is an option, personally I think I’d be less likely to keep up with proper probe storage and comparatively longer calibrations versus the Milwaukee. I’ve used both the Milwaukee and the handheld refractometers specificially for saltwater mixing purposes myself, and in doing so am more inclined to recommend them to fellow reefers than a salinity monitor.
You’ve piqued my interest in these for mixing saltwater , so I’ll have to dig one out and try it.
TheEngineer
Formerly icecool2
Love the Red Sea salt. Just rebooted my 50g cube so I’ve used a bunch in the last few days. Literally mixes up crystal clear with nothing but a stirring stick for 10seconds. Come back 5 minutes later and it is totally clear.
chipmunkofdoom2
Always Making Something
That’s a valid point and I’d probably say that, although this is an option, personally I think I’d be less likely to keep up with proper probe storage and comparatively longer calibrations versus the Milwaukee. I’ve used both the Milwaukee and the handheld refractometers specificially for saltwater mixing purposes myself, and in doing so am more inclined to recommend them to fellow reefers than a salinity monitor.
You’ve piqued my interest in these for mixing saltwater , so I’ll have to dig one out and try it.
With regards to storing the probe, American Marine's instructions don't specifically state storage conditions. However, if you search the Internet for "how to store conductivity probe," most resources recommend rinsing with fresh water and storing dry. No special storage solution is necessary.
With regards to calibration, this is an area where I believe the Milwaukee in particular falls short. To the best of my knowledge, it can only be calibrated with freshwater. While this is likely "good enough," there have been plenty of threads started on R2R about how the Milwaukee doesn't read correctly when using a salinity/refractive index standard. Even with seawater refractometers, calibrating with freshwater doesn't always give accurate results when reading samples at S=35ppt. You could always read a salinity standard, record how "off" the Milwaukee is, then adjust the reading your tank water produces manually, but this seems like far too much hassle. Especially when you consider that the device costs $120. If this has changed, I'm more than open to correction. But in general, I don't like measurement equipment that does not allow you to calibrate close to the values you're reading.
Plus, I calibrate my American Marine Pinpoint salinity meter every month. Over the course of 2 years of use, the calibration has only drifted by 0.2 mS/cm. When I had a handheld BRS refractometer, I had to calibrate it before every single use to get accurate results.
Full disclosure, I prefer measuring conductivity rather than refractive index. Each has its own caveats and of course personal preference plays a big factor. Still, I feel if you're going to spend $120 - $130, the American Marine is a better choice than the Milwaukee digital refractometer.
Just my $0.02. Thanks for the video, sorry to derail the discussion.
OP
OP
You really offer very valuable input here and it is much appreciated.
I think the primary reason these haven’t been recommended as predominantly as the handheld and digital refractometers is most likely due to not having personally used them for this purpose as well as not yet having produced a video like the BRStv Spotlights on them. I’d personally feel more comfortable recommending something as a viable option after I’ve had an opportunity to use it and also after highlighting it to the community as I have previously done for both the handheld and Milwaukee digital refractometers.
That said, this wasn’t on my radar for a potential video. However after hearing your thoughts and own experiences, it’s most definitely on the to-do board because I honestly think there’s value to be had from producing one.
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