Refractometer

[derge]

are there Refractometers made only for aqatics or would any type do for testing salt?

 

[an411]

I think that there are other types of refractometers besides the ones that measure salt

 

[Jareth]

The two types I commonly see are salinity and alcohol/sugar content

 

[Myrddraal]

There's one for saltwater, one for honey, and one for alcohol that I know of. Same principle, different scales I think.

 

[Slice of Ocean]

Yeah, there are several different kinds so just make sure you get a salinity refractometer. I got mine on ebay for $52 shipped and it works great.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Heavy-Duty-...hZ011QQcategoryZ20755QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

 

[derge]

thanks i may give that one a go if they ship to the uk.

 

[madreefer14]

SMART REEFER degre!!!! Dont waste your time with a swing arm sg meter. I learned my lesson the hard way. I couldnt figure out why all my corals were dying( See thread "EMERGENCY tank crashing need help stat" sorry i dont know how to insert threads. All my perameters were great. Just so happens I brew beer and used my handy dandy bobbing sg meter to double check my salinity and low and behold my sg was 1.012. Great if your housing oscars, not so good for corals. Needles to say I purchased a refractometer that day on E-bay for 12 bucks + 8 sh. Worth every penny!!

 

[Slice of Ocean]

I know they ship to other countries using global priority. Here's the link for the auction I think you'd need. If you have any questions you can send them an e-mail. They are very helpful!
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-HD-Salinity...hZ011QQcategoryZ20754QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

 

[derge]

how does it work with the temp going up and down?

 

[Jareth]

Look for one with ATC (automatic temp correction I think it stands for).

 

[Mavrk]

Also, calibrate this with something like the Pinpoint calibration fluid. Many of these say to use distilled water. But IME (and from reports by others) doing so will give you a reading about .003 SG too low (I know refractometers don't measure SG, but they normally have a scale for SG built in and I don't know the equivalent salinity for .003 SG). So instead of 1.026, you are actually at 1.023. If you calibrate using the fluid, then your salinity will be accurate (aim for 35‰ = 1.026 SG on most scales).

 

[Slice of Ocean]

It has Automatic Temperature Compensation (ATC) so it accounts for the temp fluctuations.

 

[Jeff-in-Akron]

What Mavrk said. The vast majority of salinity refractometers are for measuring NaCl brine (as in making pickles), not NSW. The calibration fluid used for the PinPoint salinity meter has the same refractive index as NSW, so you can be dead on. But, even if you calibrate with RO water, I think you will be way closer and, more importantly, consistent than using a swing arm hydrometer. There's a recipe for home made calibration solution out there, too.