Salinity Checker Opinions

[fcmatt]

I was in the same boat till I recently ran an ICP test and found out my salinity was at 1.030 when I was testing it at 1.026 with a calibrated refractometer. I plan on using my digital refractometer on a normal basis while testing it against a non digital every once in a while. It's nice not having to guess exactly where that little blue line is at too. I lived just fine with a non digital for 15+ years in the hobby though.

I currently have 3 cal fluids. 2 are older and 1 I bought just last week. All 3 are super close and differ by about .0015 at the most even today. I keep the caps on tight and minimize open air time. I simply avgerage out the 3 when i calibrate. To have all 3 guide me so far astray would blow my mind. To be off that far. One is actually filtered ocean water.

How old was your fluid? What brand and kind? I hope you were not using calibrarion fluid meant for electronic device calibration!

 

[BAUCE]

I currently have 3 cal fluids. 2 are older and 1 I bought just last week. All 3 are super close and differ by about .0015 at the most even today. I keep the caps on tight and minimize open air time. I simply avgerage out the 3 when i calibrate. To have all 3 guide me so far astray would blow my mind. To be off that far. One is actually filtered ocean water.

How old was your fluid? What brand and kind? I hope you were not using calibrarion fluid meant for electronic device calibration!

I was in no way saying that my experience was the norm or that people should be too worried about it. This experience just made me look into different options because I've probably had 5-10 regular refractometers by now and wanted something new. The Red Sea ones are absolutely terrible btw.

Was using this stuff below and it was probably a year or two old and nearly full.

 

[Opus]

I guess I'm lucky, my milwaukee and hanna checker read the same. Used to use a refractometer but got to hard to read with my old eyes.

 

[canadianeh]

The Hanna hand held salinity checker needs to be recalibrated every month as per the instruction for regular use. The more often you recalibrate it the better it is.

So for those of you who had not so good experience with it, did you recalibrate at least once a month and clean with RODI water after each use?

 

[fcmatt]

I was in no way saying that my experience was the norm or that people should be too worried about it. This experience just made me look into different options because I've probably had 5-10 regular refractometers by now and wanted something new. The Red Sea ones are absolutely terrible btw.

Was using this stuff below and it was probably a year or two old and nearly full.

Yea. That is 1 brand I use. Along with pinpoint and 2 little fishies.

 

[tuan12321]

I tested the Hanna hand held on seawater in my area and it reads 1.026. It made a huge difference as the cheap IO refractometer was reading seawater at 1.032 so I have been off by quite a bit targeting 1.026!

 

[K7BMG]

The Hanna hand held salinity checker needs to be recalibrated every month as per the instruction for regular use. The more often you recalibrate it the better it is.

So for those of you who had not so good experience with it, did you recalibrate at least once a month and clean with RODI water after each use?

Yes. I cleaned and calibrated out of the box.
Use Hanna, Brightwell, and the one others calibration fluids, temprature acclimated by floating the solutions in the tank for 20 min.
It was the same with both my Hannas. .002 low so it was consistant.

The reason I had two is the first failed, so they warranted the first.
When I discoverd the low readings I was testing different calibration fluids several times. My first Hanna gave up during this process.

Now so everyone knows I dont know the model number off the top of my head but its the unit that has temprature, salinity, and floats.
Comes in a clear astic box with 10 packs of fluid.
Rectangular in shape with Ceramic probes.

I understand there is a way to do a offset or something with the unit.
I did not use this feature. I wont use this feature.
The reason: is that if I change the battery or something happens and the unit resets back to default and I don't know it happened then I am back to high salinity.

I use defalt settings on all of my equipment to eliminate this potential problem.

 

[canadianeh]

Is it this one?

 

[K7BMG]

Yes

 

[X-37B]

Ok.
1. Brs refractometer going on 4 years.
2. Swimg arm
3. Tropic marine hydrometer.

1. Calibrate before each use every time.

2. Swingarm is off but accurate if you know where 1.026 reads on the arm.

3. Tropic Marin is most accurate. You have to have all flow turned off and float in tank.

95% of the time I use refractometer.
If I get an off reading retest. If thats off I check with the Tropic Marin.

I used the swing arm until I got the Tropic Marin.

Moral is have a backup.

 

[Mrmiles]

Ok.
1. Brs refractometer going on 4 years.
2. Swimg arm
3. Tropic marine hydrometer.

1. Calibrate before each use every time.

2. Swingarm is off but accurate if you know where 1.026 reads on the arm.

3. Tropic Marin is most accurate. You have to have all flow turned off and float in tank.

95% of the time I use refractometer.
If I get an off reading retest. If thats off I check with the Tropic Marin.

I used the swing arm until I got the Tropic Marin.

Moral is have a backup.

I have a refractometer, swing arm hydrometer, and tropic Marin 'high precision' hydrometer too. Just purchased a Hanna salinity checker because I'm sick of checking salinity 15 times with 3 different pieces of equipment.

 

[blasterman]

I use a 12 year old plastic needle float type "instant ocean" hydrometer I paid $8.00 for.

This will of course generate a lot of laughter. But...for those laughing, keep reading.

In the past few years I've dropped / broke and lost two refractometers. I've dropped the plastic hydrometer many times and it still works.

I have several reefing buddies with expensive refractometers they obsess over. We've calibrated my plastic piece of junk off their gear and found it consistently reads one point over no matter what. Tap the air bubbles off and it works fine. They of course have more precision, but accuracy and precision dont mean the same things and it wont make corals grow better.

I know too many reefers that have screwed up their tanks with inexpensive electronic testers. My plastic floating needle doesnt depend on an IC chip made in china....just primordial physics.

It's not the tool you use, it's the calibration source that's important. Sorry for the dose of common sense.

 

[X-37B]

I have a refractometer, swing arm hydrometer, and tropic Marin 'high precision' hydrometer too. Just purchased a Hanna salinity checker because I'm sick of checking salinity 15 times with 3 different pieces of equipment.

Really, I use my brs refractometer 95+% of the time.
The others are only for cross reference and backup if something looks off.
If your checking it "15 different times" you might want to check your procedure. Its not rocket science lol.

 

[K7BMG]

Yes, I have several devices mostly for redundancy and to double check.

I want simple and accurate, that will be the one I want to use consistently.
Cost is not important or maybe I should say cost is not important for simple and accurate. If I found a device at a garage sale for a buck and it was better and faster then thats the one I am going with.

The thing is, stabil is more important than anything.
The Hanna has been consistent at the .002 low.
Knowing that and using it at 1.024 when mixing a batch will yeald the salinity I want.
But again, I have to remember this when I mix.
If it slips my mind well then.........
So it sits in the drawer and I use my other tool.

 

[canadianeh]

Yes

Mine has been consistent. I get same result each test.

 

[K7BMG]

Mine has been consistent. I get same result each test.

Thats good because thats stable. Thats the goal.

 

[fcmatt]

I dunno guys. The reason this hobby is so expensive is because we convince ourselves that the higher priced product MUST be better?

A sybon refractometer is 50 bucks. 2 cal solutions for 7 bucks each. Good to go for a year. 14 bucks a year to replace solutions.

The only electronic testing device I found worthy over the last 10 years I still use are Hanna alk and ulr phos. That is it.

Probably the biggest waste of cash was trying to test salinty with a probe. Oh boy. That will silly of me. Pinpoint I think it was.

Still trying to convince myself to get ghl alk box with some dosers for 2 part and what not but dang.. $$$$ and more if I buy a controller.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Was thinking of possibly this one from reading up

This is what you want don’t screw around with rest. So easy to read no more looking threw a telescope and trying to decide if it say 34-36

 

[((FORDTECH))]

My horror story with light refractor is I used one for 4 years with calibration solution that was wrong. Needless to say for 4 years I could not keep corals. I spent thousands on other remedies. This salinity never crossed my mind because I always recalibrated my refractor and assumes it was right because of this. So one day I sent in icp test and got results of 31 and then decided to buy Milwaukee to find same results. I was furious that last 4 years was such a challenge for me and over such a simple thing after all. I will never go back digital is only way to go.

 

[K7BMG]

My horror story with light refractor is I used one for 4 years with calibration solution that was wrong. Needless to say for 4 years I could not keep corals. I spent thousands on other remedies. This salinity never crossed my mind because I always recalibrated my refractor and assumes it was right because of this. So one day I sent in icp test and got results of 31 and then decided to buy Milwaukee to find same results. I was furious that last 4 years was such a challenge for me and over such a simple thing after all. I will never go back digital is only way to go.

That ponders the question about how do we know what we are using, and can we trust it.

As we go through this hobby and to be honest whatever we do even outside the hobby there is always deviation in a result.

We all try to take good care of our Corals and Fish, to the best of our abilities. It just gets to be a matter of trust on our part.
We trust the calibration fluid is right, then its not, and no accountability is ever taken or enforced, when someone is in this situation.

Where does it end?