Hydrometer Question

i would spent my money on the refrac, i had one since day one and never had i thought about buying any other thing to test my salinity, you'll save thousand down the road

 

Is it reliable?? You just stated it is not! I wouldn't trust anything that you have to guess at, you have way too much money in a tank to skimp on something that costs 8 bucks compared to 50.

I have a great portable refractometer... Premium Blue Refractometer - RHS-10ATC: Premium Aquatics

Hydrometers should be outlawed!!! Think about it... you save say $40 buying a hydrometer... your salinity gets screwed up and you lose 2 $30 fish... you just lost $20 my friend!!! IMO just one of the things you CAN NOT skimp on in SW, do it right the first time... I've heard too many horror stories!!

Also, make sure any hydrometer you buy has automatic temperature compensation

 

Thanks everybody. I am for sure going to buy a refractometer now. The old add .0015 is just too crappy to rely on. Thanks for the help!

I'll let you know which unit I buy and the results when I test!

 

I have one of those old square, floating arm thingamagigs. For the life of me I cant remember the name of it. To be honest, I dont know if its accurate or not, but I've been guiding myself by it for over 20yrs.;D

 

I've only ever used a hydrometer, also. My fish are happy, my corals are happy, everything is growing. In fact, I pretty much never check my salinity at this point. I don't even test my water regularly. Unless something is amiss, I don't see the need. And I feel like I've been pretty successful during my 6 years in the hobby. *Shrug* but that's just me. IMO some people obsess too much with the testing and the worrying. Less is more in this hobby, my friends, less is definitely MUCH MUCH more.

 

I use the one of the glass ones that you put in the water and it floats at different levels depending on the sailinty - always worked for me!

 

I just bought this one online. Seems like a good price. I also bought the calibration fluid. I should get it in a week. I'll test using my coralife hydrometer and the new refractometer and post the results I get.

 

I haven't used a hydrometer in years. A refractometer is all I use so in my opinion, it's a necessary investment

 

Amen. I used a hydrometer when starting out in this hobby and everything seemed fine until one day I started noticing my corals weren't opening like they were before. Water tested fine and I couldn't figure out what the problem was. Tested my salinity with my friends hydrometer and got a totally different reading. Ordered a refractometer that day and when I got it my salinity was at 1.030. I brought it down over the course of two weeks to 1.026 and everything in the tank returned to normal. Also tested my friends water and it was at 1.030 as well.

Those hydrometers jsut leave too much to chance. No temp compensation, bubbles on the swing arm, salt build up, holding it level, etc.

 

A MUST have!

Anything else is risky and not nearly as accurate.

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* Precision refractometer measures salinity & specific gravity
* Easiest and most accurate way to maintain ideal salt levels
* Professional testing device at an affordable price


Test concentration of salt in several aquariums with this portable, economical, and lightweight refractometer. Featuring the same accuracy as more expensive models, this optical device provides a direct reading of specific gravity and salinity in water. Requires no batteries and automatically compensates for temperature.
Portable Refractometer?
Professional testing device at an affordable price - easiest and most accurate way to measure salinity and specific gravity.




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