Which One???

alextheromanian

New member
hydrometers im told are unacurate....so unacurate that i might aswell should not bother.

ive been in the hobby for a year now and im ashamed to say that i do not know what the salinity is in my tank other than checking it with my 6$ hydrometer.


i was looking on ebay and RC and what i came to the conclusion i need is an ATC refractometer. now i know there are some that cost an arm and a leg and i know many say what you pay is what you get but ive seen that saying proven wrong a few times in this hobby.


what i came across on ebay are these two.


- 40$ (incl shipping )OPTION A

-29$ (incl shipping)OPTION B
 
The $29 one won't work, the range doesn't go high enough. I don't have experience with the other one, so I can't vouch for it personally.

And FWIW, while refractometers are nice, hydrometers are not the devil they're made out to be. Make sure they're calibrated and use them accurately and they'll treat you fine. Many successful hobbyists have been using them for decades without problems.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14817399#post14817399 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by der_wille_zur_macht
The $29 one won't work, the range doesn't go high enough. I don't have experience with the other one, so I can't vouch for it personally.

And FWIW, while refractometers are nice, hydrometers are not the devil they're made out to be. Make sure they're calibrated and use them accurately and they'll treat you fine. Many successful hobbyists have been using them for decades without problems.

how do you calibrate them?

i just rinse mine with hot water after every use
 
im not sure about these cheap refractometers tbh alex, mine cost £40.00 but i have to say the cheap 29 dollar one does look very similar to mine, it doesnt look like the scale goes high enough as mentioned though and the 40 dollar 1 looks kinda strange, id definately keep looking though they are very useful tools
 
Generally they are not adjustable, so instead of "calibrated" I should have said "tested to be accurate." In other words, test it against a known measurement to determine if it is giving good readings when being used correctly.

And rinsing them out is a great start - most would suggest to rinse with freshwater before and after each use. In addition, fill it slowly such that air bubbles aren't trapped against it, otherwise it'll be inaccurate.
 
I have had hydrometers before. I know that people have said that they worked for them, I have never had any luck with them. I took one back to my LFS years ago & he tested 4 new ones. every single one was off from a refractometer reading, each hydrometer was a different reading from each other. Thats when I just went and bought a Refractometer.

As for the refractometers sold on ebay, be carefull. I know a few people that bought them just to find out that they were advertised wrong. They said that it was for salinity, but it really was for measuring Anti-freeze & other things.

IMO, I would buy one from your LFS or someone here on RC....LIke, Aquacave, ThefilterGuys...someone that you can trust.
A good Sybon is only around $50.00
 
just do a search for refractometer salinity...there is one for a buy it now of 24.00 Have used it for years and works great. Calibrate it and get on with your life
 
There ya go..............that one will work just fine. Also make sure that you calibrate it. I use the PinPoint solution. It calibrates it to 35 ppt / 1.026. You can get it right at DFS along with the refractometer.
 
yes - that's the one I've been using for over a year. Follow flipper's advice and you'll love it. Good buy.
 
hydrometers are hit and miss and i have had a couple that just stopped being accurate all of the sudden! the refractometer from dr fosters is nice i have the same one and as long as i check the calibration once in awhile i havent had a problem
 
Here's a couple. Either would be a good choice. ;)

Comes with calibration solution.
$40


The one I use. Comes with calibration solution as well.
$50
 
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