StevieT Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 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... And it was $40, I would buy it Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 And it was $40, I would buy it what if I told you that you could buy one right now for $5... Link to comment
StevieT Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 what if I told you that you could buy one right now for $5... does it include calibration solution? Or can I just use my GPS to calibrate it? Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 does it include calibration solution? Or can I just use my GPS to calibrate it? You could take it down to the local car shop/car club and calibrate it there... Link to comment
Atari Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 there seem to be a lot of strong opinions about his one. for fun i'm turning it into a pole. I call it an investment. I also don't measure my speed on the highway by listening to the wind pass the door molding I measure my speed on they highway with my radar detector. if its beeping i'm going to fast and if its not i'm not going fast enough. Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 i voted refractometer... i'm just sayin if push comes to shove, a hydrometer checked and used properly works just fine Link to comment
StevieT Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I measure my speed on they highway with my radar detector. if its beeping i'm going to fast and if its not i'm not going fast enough. What if they nail you with laser? Speeding tickets are less than the cost of my tank Link to comment
Atari Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 What if they nail you with laser? Speeding tickets are less than the cost of my tank I have only seen laser used once in Denver. but i see your point. $150 to protect me from $200 worth the speeding tickets $100 (or less) to protect me $1000+ investment. Link to comment
Nylaspop Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 they are using more and more lasers in CO, i live south of denver and they have them in most of the hi po cars Link to comment
psykobowler Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I had a bubble hydrometer that told me I was at 1.025 and my clownfishes were discolored like salted fish. The refractometer gave me a reading above 1.03, barely avoiding a tank crash. Never again dealt with a floating hydrometer. eBay atc refrac are around 40 bucks., it's a necessity imo. Link to comment
Atari Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 they are using more and more lasers in CO, i live south of denver and they have them in most of the hi po cars Thanks for the FYI Link to comment
psykobowler Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 You also do not need a calibration solution as some would make you believe. All you need is rodi water to calibrate it to zero. Link to comment
Nylaspop Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 FWY? i am a little slow on acronyms You also do not need a calibration solution as some would make you believe. All you need is rodi water to calibrate it to zero. and if the op bought the one i suggested it comes with it. problem solved wouldnt distilled be a better choice if you were using something other then calibration fluid ? Link to comment
StevieT Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 You also do not need a calibration solution as some would make you believe. All you need is rodi water to calibrate it to zero. But you are testing your tank at a salt level, not a zero level. RO/DI works on some expensive refractors but not on the majority in the hobby. IME the calibration solution worked a lot better than RO/DI which was off by a few ppt Link to comment
Atari Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 FWY? i am a little slow on acronyms No your not i'm just an idiot. I just edited it. Link to comment
Phixion Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 What if they nail you with laser? Speeding tickets are less than the cost of my tank Laser? That's why the Valentine One was invented. Anyways, everyone knows you guage your speed by your tachometer, not your speedo. Link to comment
psykobowler Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 But you are testing your tank at a salt level, not a zero level. RO/DI works on some expensive refractors but not on the majority in the hobby. IME the calibration solution worked a lot better than RO/DI which was off by a few ppt Ro/di should not have any salt at all, 0 ppt. That is the point of reference. If you put the drops of ro/di water in the refractometer and adjust the screw to level the shaded area at zero, then that would be the base reading - zero. The solution is helpful because it gives you a point of reference but there is more than one way to get to the same point of reference. If a calibration solution says it is at 1.019 you adjust the screw in the refractometer until it reads 1.019. If you have no salt in the water, then the reading should be at zero, if not adjust the screw to show the reading at zero. Another example would be a weight scale. You have to calibrate it to zero by turning a nob, etc, before you actually measure weight. Link to comment
NanoReefNovice Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 The most precise way to measure a liquids density is a good quality precision float hydrometer, not those cheezy ones I have seen aquarium stores and not a swing arm and not a refrac. I have never used a swing arm type but they seem they will loose there accuracy b/c you are depending on there being no resistance from the float needle to the body. In all cases (for accuracy) to account for slight variations form measuring instrument, and people, always practice repeatable error. This means be consistent of the way you measure, and you will get consistent results. I use a refrac b/c it is quick and it takes only a very small sample. If my results differ slightly from the "exact number" it not as important as keeping consistent measurements so you can see any trends in the density of the water in your aquarium. Link to comment
davidncbrown Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Honestly I use a refractometer because they're so quick. I just dip the end in my tank and pull it out, point it at a light, and presto. plus its so easy to clean. It's worth the money I think. Link to comment
NanoReefNovice Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Honestly I use a refractometer because they're so quick. I just dip the end in my tank and pull it out, point it at a light, and presto. plus its so easy to clean. It's worth the money I think. Testify Link to comment
Atari Posted January 9, 2009 Author Share Posted January 9, 2009 Ok, so we now have all this "accuracy". What do we do with it? what is an expiable swing in salinity? I know the cops seem to except a 5Mph swing in speed. Link to comment
P-DUBS Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I would say no more than .005 down from 1.025 and no more than .003 up is my safe range..... Link to comment
Atari Posted January 9, 2009 Author Share Posted January 9, 2009 I would say no more than .005 down from 1.025 and no more than .003 up is my safe range..... How fast? When I do a water change i test both the tank and the new water. if the tank is at 1.027 or so I might mix the new water to be at 1.023 so that after the water change the tank is right at 1.025. Too Fast? Link to comment
StevieT Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Ro/di should not have any salt at all, 0 ppt. That is the point of reference. If you put the drops of ro/di water in the refractometer and adjust the screw to level the shaded area at zero, then that would be the base reading - zero. The solution is helpful because it gives you a point of reference but there is more than one way to get to the same point of reference. If a calibration solution says it is at 1.019 you adjust the screw in the refractometer until it reads 1.019. If you have no salt in the water, then the reading should be at zero, if not adjust the screw to show the reading at zero. Another example would be a weight scale. You have to calibrate it to zero by turning a nob, etc, before you actually measure weight. Right RO has nothing in it, so our refractor would be calibrated to a zero level. But, you are not testing your tank to find a zero level, it is not like a scale where you tare it. You are trying to find a salt level and most $40 refractors need a slight adjustment to find this accurately. Just like a scale, when you have a professional service come out to callibrate it, they do not just tare it out, they measure it with materials that have known weights. So you callibrate with a solution that has 35ppt, set your refractor to that known value and now your prisim is in the correct postition. You can experiment with this if you want to see how off it can be. Try RO/DI water first. Then the calibration solution at 77°. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.