To refracto or Not?

[skeeter_ca]

I went into two LFS the other day asking about Refractometers. One set of employees looked at me like i was asked a question about Einstein theory of relativey. They had absolutely no clue until i said it was used to check the sanility levels. Then they said you need to use the one with the floaty thing. Funny, didn't realize how stupid they were til then. The second LFS luckily knew what one was but said they were to expensive to use. He told me they were over $100 and hard to read. I did buy a hydrometer because i needed to mix up water that day. Using it made me mad because it was diffulcult to get all the bubbles off the swing-arm to get an accurate reading. Does anyone have an easy way to get the bubbles off. Am going to order a refractometer as soon as i can.

 

[kraze3]

Drsfostersmith.com just had refractometers on sale $47 I think. I bought mine about a month ago, dont know how i dealt without it. Its so easy.

Ive read the float arm hydrometers need to be broken in to work properly. I believe you jsut soak them for a 24hour period in salt water. Im not sure if that will help with the bubbles or not.

 

[xinumaster]

Go for refractometer if you want an accurate reading.

 

[Bippus]

I just got this one, http://www.toofishy.com/product.php?productid=80203&cat=0&page=1&featured and I am very pleased. $37 shipped is a hard one to beat.

 

[RonD]

for what its worth.. we own both the glass floating one (Marine Enterprises) and a Deep Six (Coralife) swing arm one and both register exactly the same. Would be interesting to get an actual refractometer and compare all three side by side.

Are any of these on ebabe, the cats meow ?

http://search.ebay.ca/search/search...&query=refractometer&category0=&Submit=Search

 

[sassyfishy]

I had a Deep Six (swing arm) Coralife hydrometer which measured 1.024.

My new refractometer (yes, calibrated) told me the Deep Six was lyin'. It measured 1.028!

Now that the refractometer measures 1.025, the swing arm measures 1.021....so while it is .004 off, at least it's consistent.

 

[MarkD40]

After 7 years I bought a refractometer after discovering my sg was 1.042 when my 3 year old swing arm was reading 1.024! STUPID! I highly recommend a refractometer to periodicaly check your swing arm to make sure it is accurate. You could also have your water check by refractometer by another reefer or LFS and compare it to your swing arm. If your swing arm reads a bit high or low just factor that in to your measurement. As long as your swing arm is consistantly inaccurate (as mine was) it can be used.

 

[Alaskan Reefer]

The glass floats are extremely accurate, as are refractometers. Swing arms are usually consistent, but you need to calibrate it against a glass float or refractometer.

All things equal, the refractometer I paid $35 for from Marine Depot was the best investment I ever made in the tank. Can't believe my dumb azz waited 4 years to buy one.

 

[goda]

100 percent worth the price and easy to use. check salinity in under 10 seconds compared to tapping on a hydrometer for a minute to get all the bubbles out

 

[Paulairduck]

super easy

super easy

I just bought one from the DR fosters and it was worth every penny, super easy!!!

 

[bertoni]

Any of the SG devices can be accurate if calibrated. This article should be useful whatever you have:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/rhf/index.php

Without calibration, swingarms are often extremely inaccurate. I tossed mine into the garbage pretty quickly. The swingarms are also problematic because they're harder to keep clean and bubbles on the arm can make them measure inaccurately even with calibration.

I bought both a refractometer and a conductivity meter. Both are far more handy than either style of hydrometer. Most people like the refractometers quite a bit, and they're far more flexible than the floating hydrometers. They can be used with a few drops for a water sample, which is handy when acclimating an animal you've just bought.

So I think it's possible to get by with a floating hydrometer or a swing-arm if you calibrate the device, but I'm glad I have something more convenient and flexible.