Salinity testers

[Trizz]

Hay guys, seem to have a situation, have a in balance in my testers all have been calibrated with calibration fluid. Hanna is 33ppm,refractor is 35ppm, apex after cal in saltwater 34.8ppm,should I trust the refractor since there is no electrical interference or the Hanna calibrated with the 35ppm fluid it comes with. it seems the Hanna is way off thanks guys…

 

[brmreefer]

That's a tough situation to be in, in regards to reef keeping. If I were in that scenario and was unsure of which tester to trust, I may consider sending off a ICP test.

I would test the water from the system with all devices at the time the water sample was collected for the ICP test. This way I would have a better gauge on which device to trust from here on out.

Just be sure which ever ICP company you go with provides a salinity reading along with everything other result.

Just a thought on it and how I would approach it all.

 

[jtp7004ft]

My Hanna was off too for the same reasons. I calibrated my refractometer to 35 and then double checked it at my LFS. Or you could double check with a fellow reefers tank.

 

[Gtinnel]

I have the Hanna salinity checker and I always get 2ppt lower than every other tester I have. I have a optical refractometer, a digital refractometer, and the salinity probe of my apex (which I don't put much faith in honestly) and they will all give the same reading, then I'll check with the Hanna and it's always a little lower.
I still use the Hanna, but I always assume the water is slightly higher than it reads. If I need a reliable reading I use the optical refractometer.

 

[jimk60]

I was not happy with the accuracy of my Hanna either. I bought the floating hydrometer from BRS and put my trust in it. Seems to be highly accurate according to reviews and my experience. And no calibration needed.

 

[Gtinnel]

I was not happy with the accuracy of my Hanna either. I bought the floating hydrometer from BRS and put my trust in it. Seems to be highly accurate according to reviews and my experience. And no calibration needed.

I've never had a floating hydrometer but I know they're the most reliable way to tell salinity.

 

[jimk60]

I've never had a floating hydrometer but I know they're the most reliable way to tell salinity.

I started out with one almost thirty years ago. I've tried all the fancy testers that come out since. Funny but I ended up back where I started.

 

[Lavey29]

I use the Milwaukee instruments electric checker. Simple and easy to use.