Calibrating refractometers

plankton

Premium Member
What do y'all use to calibrate your refractometers? Distilled or RO/DI water?

The reason I ask is that I recently used a swing-arm to test my tank water and it came out at 1.016 specific gravity. Refract. reads 1.024. So, wanna make sure my refract. is not the one that is off.

TIA

Scott
 
Distilled

Distilled

I used distilled water for my refractometer when I got if from Marine Depot. I brought the meter to the last meeting to calibrate to 35 ppt fluid and it was almost dead on from the Distilled Water - might have been off .25-.5 ppt. HTH.
 
I use RO/DI that tests out at 0ppm on the TDS meter, but I've heard calibration solution is more reliable, never read the logic behind it though... Anybody got a link?
 
I always figured, since calibration fluid is dirt cheap, why not use it...
The only thing that I can think of in reference to ro/di water is that the water's chemical content can change as the filters age, so what may be at 0ppm at one point in time may not be so at another.
 
Found the ReefKeeping and DIY 35 ppm standard solution procedure. Thanks all.

"This 3.65 weight percent sodium chloride solution can be made by dissolving 3.65 grams of sodium chloride in 96.35 grams (mL) of purified freshwater. This recipe can be scaled to any appropriate size if suitable instruments are available (36.5 grams in 963.5 grams (mL) of water, 0.365 grams in 9.635 g (mL) of water, etc.).

This concentration roughly corresponds to ¼ cup (73.1 g) of Morton's Iodized Salt dissolved into two liters (2000 g) of water (giving very slightly more than 2 L of total volume).

For a rougher measurement in the absence of an accurate water volume or weight measurement:

1. Measure ¼ cup of Morton's Iodized Salt (about 73.1 g).
2. Add one teaspoon of salt (making about 79.3 g total salt).
3. Measure the full volume of a plastic 2 L Coke or Diet Coke bottle filled with purified freshwater (about 2104.4 g).
4. Dissolve the total salt (79.3 g) in the total water volume (2104 g) to make an approximately 3.65 weight percent solution of NaCl. The volume of this solution will be slightly larger than the Coke bottle, so dissolve it in another container.

[Note: the standard described here using soft drink bottles is subject to variation in the volume of the bottle. It turns out that such bottles can vary in total volume, and this can lead to at least a one ppt error in the salinity of standards matched to seawater of 35 ppt salinity. Standards made with accurate measurements of salt and water, however, will accurately match 35 ppt.]
"
 
We have calibration fluid in the club equipment toolbox. It's available at most of the meetings, I'm not sure if Bruce will be bringing it to the Dec meeting since it's mostly a party.
 
I calibrated mine with RODI and tested it at the last meeting with the calibration fluid and it was .001 off.

Close enough for me!!
:)
 
Thanks all. Ordered a bottle of 53 mS/cm calibration fluid and will calibrate with that and distilled water.

Scott
 
Until I get my calibration solution above, I mixed some new Oceanic salt per instructions (1/2 cup per gallon of water) and measured 1.023 SG. So, hopefully my refractomer is not too far off.

Scott
 
I would bet on a refractometer being close as it gets then a swing arm any day. That said i also use ro/di water to calibrate mine.
 
Bad news.

I just received my PINPOINT 53.0 mS calibration solution which equates to about 1.0264 specific gravity and when I measured via my refractometer I got 1.0335! So, that means that my tank which measures 1.025 is really off by 0.0071 and is at 1.0179!!

Cr*p

So, do I leave my tank at that SG or slowly raise to 1.025?

Scott
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11427938#post11427938 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plankton
Bad news.

I just received my PINPOINT 53.0 mS calibration solution which equates to about 1.0264 specific gravity and when I measured via my refractometer I got 1.0335! So, that means that my tank which measures 1.025 is really off by 0.0071 and is at 1.0179!!

Cr*p

So, do I leave my tank at that SG or slowly raise to 1.025?

Scott

I would recalibrate your refractometer and then use diluted salt water for top off until you get your tank back to ~1.025. One problem with low salinity is you also lower the buffering capability and it makes it harder to maintain stable alk and Ca levels. IMHO 1.0179 is much too low for any salt water tank.
 
Good idea.

In fact, I'll compare my results with other who have refractometers.

I cleaned the refractomer window and glass with RO/DI, dried it off then measured again and got 1.0290 with calibration solution. So, I think I might only be off 0.0026. So, my tank water is at 1.0224. Still low.

Funny thing is that PINPOINT calibration chart shows SG of 1.0259 at 53.0 mS where Randy's article says it should be 1.0264. Not sure what the difference is but it is only 0.0005 delta which is tiny compared to the difference my tank is at now than NSW.

Scott
 
Update.

For a X-mas present, I received a digital salinity meter by Aqua-Mate.

410salinitymeter.jpg


and with it I measured after recalibrating with the supplied 30 ppt calibration solution, the PINPONT 53.0 mS calibration solution:

I) PINPOINT 53.0 mS calibration solution as measured by digital salinity meter:

- temp 66.3 deg F (+/- 1.8 deg F)
- salinity 31 +/- 2ppt
- salinity 1.024 (+/- 0.002 SG)

whereas according to the PINPOINT conversion chart:
53.0 mS calibration solution should be : 35.0 ppt salinity and 1.0259 SG. So, the meter appears to be ballbark.

I'm slowly raising my salinity now by adding salt to my makeup water towards 1.025. I'm currently at 1.021 (as measured by digitial meter).

Thanks all

Scott
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11457017#post11457017 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plankton
Update.

For a X-mas present, I received a digital salinity meter by Aqua-Mate.

410salinitymeter.jpg

Really cool! I want one I want one :)
 
Back
Top