Atari Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I took my swing are down to the LFS tested with there water, marked the leavle were it should be and i have been good. the readings are always around what i expect to see. I haven't seen any troubles with my tank that would indicate my salinity being off. Can any one help me justify the $100 Link to comment
Grendel0501 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I took my swing are down to the LFS tested with there water, marked the leavle were it should be and i have been good. the readings are always around what i expect to see. I haven't seen any troubles with my tank that would indicate my salinity being off. Can any one help me justify the $100 You can get a decent refractometer off ebay for $20. Link to comment
Nylaspop Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 http://www.premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-sup...REFRACT-HD.html this one is a good one, you get a bottle of calibration fluid with it very nice and half the price of your LFS model this would be my recommendation. swing arms tend to get salt build up over time if not cared for properly and sometimes little bubbles settle on the arm giving you a false reading, why use something that is inaccurate or has a huge possibility to be. when you can have something that will prove faithful and useful for years to come. Link to comment
Atari Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 http://www.premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-sup...REFRACT-HD.html this one is a good one, you get a bottle of calibration fluid with it very nice and half the price of your LFS model this would be my recommendation. that's the one i was looking at that made me ask this question. Link to comment
Nylaspop Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 just to put it in easy terms swing arms suck. Link to comment
supreme_spork Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 but why? Swing-arm hydrometers have a nasty habit of getting stuck and giving false readings, whereas a well-made refractometer is reliable and consistent. There are lots of heartache stories about people winding up with salt concentrations that could pickle an elephant because their swing-arm got stuck and gave a false reading... Link to comment
DrCooper Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Buy one from drs foster and smith. I think the one I got was like 40 bucks and ITS A MUST as far as I am concerned. Either from them or thatpetplace.com not sure but either way, best luck Link to comment
Sac_State Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 what makes you think the lfs water is a good base measurement for long term care? also, is the risk of losing hundreds of dollars worth of livestock because of a $10 piece of equipment worth the short term cost savings? Link to comment
Phixion Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 If you got your hydrometer calibrated to a good working calibrated refractometer, then there's no need to buy your own refracto in all honesty. For one you'll never have to re-calibrate again, just maybe touch up the line you drew every now and again. The key is keeping your hydrometer clean after every use and it should provide many years of accurate salinity and Specific Gravity saltwater testing. Don't listen to the people telling you that a refracto is a MUST, it's simply not true. If they can justify the money then great, if you can't, well you already have a head up on those that can and didn't bother to calibrate a hydrometer if they initially started with one. I have both a hydro, a refracto and even an Aquamate digital salinity meter and i'm still saying don't bother with a refracto if you properly calibrated your hydrometer. For me though, I only use the digital one. WAY faster than a hydro or refractor, and you don't need a light source to use it either, plus they are very accurate like a refracto. But I definitely can't persuade you to justify the $100 for one of those to get one other than it premotes lazyness, lol! Remember the key here is that consistancy will trump accuracy in most cases. Hydros when not sticking will be 100x's more consistant than a refracto which requires constant calibration and checking to be sure it's inline. Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 In all honesty, if you can properly test the swing arm against some known SG, then you know that's the spot on the swing arm that represents that SG. There's nothing magical about it that'll make it change, unless there's an air bubble or something. then there's no need to buy your own refracto in all honesty. beat me Link to comment
Nylaspop Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 well if you have a refractometer you can do your own testing and calibration on a refracto isnt hard and the link i provided comes with a bottle of calibration fluid. and you never know when that swing arm will have little bubbles or possibly some build up that will dissolve when you put water in it changing the salinity. stranger things have happened. and if you are making your own salt water do you really want to always have to go and have your swing arm tested against someone else opinion or equipment, being self sufficient is better imo not having to rely on the people at the LFS to do it Link to comment
Phixion Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 In all honesty, if you can properly test the swing arm against some known SG, then you know that's the spot on the swing arm that represents that SG. There's nothing magical about it that'll make it change, unless there's an air bubble or something. beat me I like how we think alike! Now where's Fosi to chime in on this topic when we need him? lol! He'll beat a refracto to a pulp verses a hydrometer. well if you have a refractometer you can do your own testing and calibration on a refracto isnt hard and the link i provided comes with a bottle of calibration fluid. and you never know when that swing arm will have little bubbles or possibly some build up that will dissolve when you put water in it changing the salinity. stranger things have happened. and if you are making your own salt water do you really want to always have to go and have your swing arm tested against someone else opinion or equipment, being self sufficient is better imo not having to rely on the people at the LFS to do it Your missing the point! Once you calibrate it and mark the spot, you NEVER need to do it again! Set it and forget it is the gist. Yes a hydro is undeniably more work to use, but it's more consistant AND accurate once calibrated properly. You'll never have to re-calibrate again, something that ANY refracto on the market can't say. Trust the veterans here on this, not the ones that buy into any hype they are told. When I started out I bought into the hype only to later on see the light. Of course if i were to do it all over again, I'd have passed up the refracto I have and gone straight to the digital salinity meter. Link to comment
Nylaspop Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 agreed on that digi , i am buying an all in one digi meter in feb. it is going to set me back a good chunk of change but it will take the hassle out of water testing. digi is the best way to go these days. Link to comment
supreme_spork Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 You'll never have to re-calibrate again, something that ANY refracto on the market can't say. Trust the veterans here on this, not the ones that buy into any hype they are told. *This* verteran still prefers refractometers, having used both for years. I've just seen too many people screw-up with hydrometers either because they get lazy and forget to clean them or some other random nonsense. I'll take something without moving parts any day if I can. ;-) Link to comment
Phixion Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 agreed on that digi , i am buying an all in one digi meter in feb. it is going to set me back a good chunk of change but it will take the hassle out of water testing. digi is the best way to go these days. I agree, well until the electronics go berzerk or the batteries run out. But it really does take less effort and time out of testing, and saves the mess or getting anything wet really. You DO have to be sure to keep it calibrated like a refracto though. I check mine after every few months or couple dozen or so water dips just to be sure. Link to comment
DrCooper Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Good point. If you calibrate what you have then you should be fine! Just saying that for 40 bucks I felt it was a great deal! Link to comment
bubbles3660 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I'll say this for my old Coralife deepsix hydrometer: It was consistent. (Consistently WRONG by ~4 points.) --bubbles Link to comment
Phixion Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 *This* verteran still prefers refractometers, having used both for years. I've just seen too many people screw-up with hydrometers either because they get lazy and forget to clean them or some other random nonsense. I'll take something without moving parts any day if I can. ;-) That's why I always stress that keeping it clean is a MUST! But yes, even a calibrated one will cause a catastrophic nightmare if it's not maintained. And even the best of us can still allow a hydro to get dirty and stop working right. It can happen to any of us indeed. Link to comment
Nylaspop Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 http://www.hannameters.com/hi83200-01-2008.html this is the unit i am investing in. Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 *This* verteran still prefers refractometers, having used both for years. I've just seen too many people screw-up with hydrometers either because they get lazy and forget to clean them or some other random nonsense I can not clean my refractormeter all the way and let a smidge of water dry on just as fast as I can not clean a hydrometer. I use a refractometer as well, but really, a person with their head stuck up their a' is still a person with their head stuck up their a' no matter how ya spin it. Nothing in reefing is idiot proof. Link to comment
StevieT Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 but why? $2000+ in my reef $40 refractor to be sure my salt is correct. I call it an investment. I also don't measure my speed on the highway by listening to the wind pass the door molding Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 $2000+ in my reef$40 refractor to be sure my salt is correct. I call it an investment. I also don't measure my speed on the highway by listening to the wind pass the door molding but if you had a device that could tell you your speed by listening to the wind pass the door moulding, and you had it checked to see how much it was off... Link to comment
supreme_spork Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 That's why I always stress that keeping it clean is a MUST! But yes, even a calibrated one will cause a catastrophic nightmare if it's not maintained. And even the best of us can still allow a hydro to get dirty and stop working right. It can happen to any of us indeed. Full disclosure: I get a bigger geekgasm from refractometers than hydrometers, so that might be part of the reason I like them. Link to comment
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