Should i trust icp salinity?

[Notsolostfish]

It shows 1.027. I always test 1.025 using my milwaukee ma877

 

[Fish Fan]

Good question; following!

I have - and love - that Milwaukee digital refractometer. I can't get past how quick and easy it is to use. But it has been pointed out to me that it's not necessarily the most accurate solution for testing salinity. That said, I frequently calibrate mine with distilled water, which is the manufacturer's recommended way to calibrate this instrument, and indeed the ONLY way to calibrated it (you cannot calibrate it with like 7.0 and 10.0 pH solutions). I recently purchased the Tropic Marin glass hydrometer to verify, and my Milwaukee refractometer is right on, using Dr. RHF's DIY standard/calibration solution. I'm interested to hear how accurate an ICP test would be for salinity.

 

[Notsolostfish]

Good question; following!

I have - and love - that Milwaukee digital refractometer. I can't get past how quick and easy it is to use. But it has been pointed out to me that it's not necessarily the most accurate solution. That said, I frequently calibrate mine with distilled water, which is the manufacturer's recommended way to calibrate this instrument, and indeed the ONLY way to calibrated it (you cannot calibrate it with like 7.0 and 10.0 pH solutions). I recently purchased the Tropic Marin glass hydrometer to verify, and my Milwaukee refractometer is right on, using Dr. RHF's DIY standard/calibration solution. I'm interested to hear how accurate an ICP test would be for salinity.

I am devastated that i broke my tropic marin hydrometer. I shattered it after owning it for years to pieces. I need to buy another one. But i also trust my milwaukee. The manufacturer actually recommend calibrating it with rodi after every use.

 

[Fish Fan]

I am devastated that i broke my tropic marin hydrometer. I shattered it after owning it for years to pieces. I need to buy another one. But i also trust my milwaukee. The manufacturer actually recommend calibrating it with rodi after every use.

Well the good news is that shattered to pieces is the same as just a tiny bit broken; still broken

But seriously, that's too bad. I'm trying to be very careful with mine.

I did not know that Milwaukee recommends calibrating using RODI. I really thought they suggested using distilled water, and I know that in theory RODI and distilled water *should* be basically the same thing, but the way my pea-brain works, I have to get a gallon of distilled water every time I want to calibrate the refractometer, or to me it will never be correct

 

[rtparty]

The Milwaukee has a margin of error of +-.002. Meaning 1.025 is somewhere between 1.023 and 1.027

 

[Fish Fan]

The Milwaukee has a margin of error of +-.002. Meaning 1.025 is somewhere between 1.023 and 1.027

Yes, but it's SOOO easy to use lol!

Thanks for your help here

 

[Miami Reef]

RO/DI and distilled water are interchangeable. You can use either to calibrate it.

Quote from Randy responding to the Milwaukee instructions:

Yes, but 0-1 ppm tds RO/DI is PERFECTLY suitable for this purpose. Don’t be misled by generalized and oversimplified but incorrect info provided by manufacturers.

 

[Miami Reef]

No matter how you calibrate the refractometer, you should ideally test its accuracy against a known 35 ppt standard. Fortunately, there’s a DIY for that:

For a refractometer:

Use 3.65 weight percent sodium chloride solution to match 35 ppt (sg = 1.0264). It can be made by dissolving 3.65 grams of sodium chloride in 96.35 grams (mL) of purified freshwater.

Reef Aquarium Salinity: DIY Calibration Standards

Reef Aquarium Salinity: DIY Calibration Standards By Randy Holmes-Farley One of the most important issues facing marine aquarists is providing a suitable environment for their aquaria's inhabitants. Among the important properties for a marine...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[gbroadbridge]

It shows 1.027. I always test 1.025 using my milwaukee ma877

The Triton ICP does not measure salinity, they calculate it from the ions in the water.

My triton report always indicates high sanity - it is simply incorrect and I ignore it.

 

[Fish Fan]

RO/DI and distilled water are interchangeable. You can use either to calibrate it.

Quote from Randy responding to the Milwaukee instructions:

Thank you, I always appreciate your help

I know this! But my pea-brain thinks all kinds of things will react with my RODI, and my calibration would't be right. Honestly, I feel the same way when I crack open a jug of distilled water; if I don't do the calibration immediately, I get a whole new jug of distilled water. Yes, I know, but it's $1.27 that goes a whole long way to my sanity, which is debatably questionable anyway

Thanks again!

 

[Miami Reef]

But my pea-brain thinks all kinds of things will react with my RODI

You do not have a pea brain. Far from it, actually.

I don’t think the air will make an appreciable difference in contamination unless there’s salt dust floating around.

 

[Fish Fan]

You do not have a pea brain. Far from it, actually.

I don’t think the air will make an appreciable difference in contamination unless there’s salt dust floating around.

Thank you for your answer and for your compliment, though I don't share your confidence in me

As always, thank you very much for your reply and help

 

[Miami Reef]

Thank you for your answer and for your compliment, though I don't share your confidence in me

As always, thank you very much for your reply and help

I need a tank photo or something to follow you. I’d like to learn more about you as a reefer.

I know you like fishing.

 

[Fish Fan]

I need a tank photo or something to follow you. I’d like to learn more about you as a reefer.

I know you like fishing.

Yeah, the two or three times a year I get to do it, mostly when we go camping And we are in the market for a new camper, so if you know of someone selling a camper......

Right now, the tank I'm personally often asking about is in my sig. This is a IM 25 lagoon AIO, and its primary purpose is to QT all inverts before going into my DT(s), though I want it to look good on its own. I have in my garage a 150 gallon SCA tank and a bunch of TBS rock and sand on order, I have had many setbacks in getting this larger tank going, but it is my focus. I swear it's coming!

I'm older than I'd like to admit, and I have been dabbling in saltwater aquaria since somewhere around 1986 or so. I've gone in and out of the hobby over the years, and I consider myself a solid advanced, intermediate, beginner reefer

Here's a couple pics of my current build, though I don't want to derail @Notsolostfish's post here I now have some frags in place, I'll post a more current pic if anyone wants to see:

Thanks again @Miami Reef!

 

[Miami Reef]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more perfect spot for a tank. It looks like something you’d find in a museum.

I’ll be anxiously waiting for that new build.

Ps my brother likes fishing, but he never caught one as big as yours. He is actually trying to find live worms as bait…got any sources?

And don’t say you pick them fresh off the ground. lol

 

[Fish Fan]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more perfect spot for a tank. It looks like something you’d find in a museum.

I’ll be anxiously waiting for that new build.

Ps my brother likes fishing, but he never caught one as big as yours. He is actually trying to find live worms as bait…got any sources?

And don’t say you pick them fresh off the ground. lol

Thank you for your kind words! Again, I don't want to derail this thread, but yes, we had this space in our downstairs that was built in 1977 to both encase where the town water comes into the house (so can't be easily just knocked down), and ostensibly built to hold an old standard def TV. Since the day we looked at this house, I saw that spot as the perfect place to put either an aquarium or vivarium. I mean, we are fresh out of SDTV's, what else would you do lol!

 

[Fish Fan]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more perfect spot for a tank. It looks like something you’d find in a museum.

I’ll be anxiously waiting for that new build.

Ps my brother likes fishing, but he never caught one as big as yours. He is actually trying to find live worms as bait…got any sources?

And don’t say you pick them fresh off the ground. lol

Oh! If your brother is chasing bass like the largemouths we see where we go camping, please check out the "whacky worm" to "whacky rig". it's seriously the easiest way I've ever found to catch big bass. It takes zero skill, except to cast, and they typically hit it on the way down:


Sorry again @Notsolostfish

 

[FrugalReeferJon]

I am devastated that i broke my tropic marin hydrometer. I shattered it after owning it for years to pieces. I need to buy another one. But i also trust my milwaukee. The manufacturer actually recommend calibrating it with rodi after every use.

Sorry about your loss. Love my T.M. Hydrometer that I’ve been using for over 2 years now. No calibration needed, ever, and I don’t see myself using anything else to measure salinity any time in the near future.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Good question; following!

I have - and love - that Milwaukee digital refractometer. I can't get past how quick and easy it is to use. But it has been pointed out to me that it's not necessarily the most accurate solution for testing salinity. That said, I frequently calibrate mine with distilled water, which is the manufacturer's recommended way to calibrate this instrument, and indeed the ONLY way to calibrated it (you cannot calibrate it with like 7.0 and 10.0 pH solutions). I recently purchased the Tropic Marin glass hydrometer to verify, and my Milwaukee refractometer is right on, using Dr. RHF's DIY standard/calibration solution. I'm interested to hear how accurate an ICP test would be for salinity.

I own every friggin contraption known to man kind. This was my go to, until I realized how unreliable it can get from time to time. I try use the one you hold up to the light, but I have a hard time seeing the little black lines to count where I am. What I love to use is the tropic Marin glass thing (that’s the official name in case you were wondering). I bought a tube that I can put water in and then put the glass tester thing (second official name) so I don’t have to shut my flow off. This is dead nuts on. But, it’s only in SG. I wish they made one in ppt, but I am sure there is reason why they don’t.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I own every friggin contraption known to man kind. This was my go to, until I realized how unreliable it can get from time to time. I try use the one you hold up to the light, but I have a hard time seeing the little black lines to count where I am. What I love to use is the tropic Marin glass thing (that’s the official name in case you were wondering). I bought a tube that I can put water in and then put the glass tester thing (second official name) so I don’t have to shut my flow off. This is dead nuts on. But, it’s only in SG. I wish they made one in ppt, but I am sure there is reason why they don’t.

lol. Because it measures specific gravity not ppt :-)

Specific gravity varies with temperature.