Are refractometer's worth it?

kaotik

kaotik

Member
i am thinking about purchasing a refractometer since recently finding out that my hydrometer has been way off!! Was wondering though if they are worth the $50-$60? Does anybody have one? Any pros or cons??
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Yes worth every penny... Swing arms will vary... You could take 2 brand new ones and get 2 different readings. They wouldn't be bad to use as long as you check them against a calibrated refractometer to see where they stand!!!!!
 
kaotik

kaotik

Member
the only thing that is stopping me from buying one is that I know a steady specific gravity is more important than an accurate one...so does it REALLY need to be that accurate or just consistant??? :notsure:
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Consistency is the key, but you could be "thinking" all the time your at 1.025 or whatever and your really at 1.021 or whatever, and yes over time I think it would make a difference
 
kaotik

kaotik

Member
yeah...thats what happened. I was measuring at 1.023 and I was actually at 1.028!!!! The funny thing is that everything in my tank is doing great! I contacted the company that supposedly calibrated it and they are sending me another one. im trying to slowly lower my SG down.
I always wondered why it took one cup of salt per gallon rather than 1/2 cup?
DUH!!!
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
So for piece of mind why not buy one, that way you know if it's on or not... I run my tank at 1.025 though
 
reefnut

reefnut

Active Member
IMO they are worth every penny also. How can someone maintain consistency with an inaccurate device??
 
G

gsxr1100

Guest
I bought mine on an auction site for $42 shipped to my door. Other retail online stores whent from $45 to $70 for the same thing.
 
kaotik

kaotik

Member
yeah, i found a couple on an "auction site" too. Actually the same one that ReefNut suggested. Thinking about getting that one.
 
T

thomas712

Guest
I don't know how I ever got along without mine. It's nice to have a peice of equipment that you can trust. It especially comes into play when preforming hyposalinity as a cure against ick, with it there is no guessing on the salinity and you know that you are killing off the ick without hurting the fish.
Beth can give me/you an amen and hallaluah on that point.
Thomas
 
kaotik

kaotik

Member
Okay, now Im even more confused...
I have been doing some research and have found that Milwaukee makes one of the best but they are in the $100 price range. There are also the less expensive versions like this site sells for about half the price. I have heard that these are not as accurate as the $$$ Milwaukee. For a non-professional, would the $50 version be okay or is it not even worth buying and should I get the credit card out for the Milwaukee???? I dont really want to spend that much though.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
IMO the $50 versions are decent as long as you calibrate them.
FYI - Ignore the Specific Gravity scale on the refractometer. Use the Salinity scale.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The only use for Specific gravity is to derive the salinity of the water. A refractometer will tell you the salinity so there's no use for the S.G. scale. Refractometers don't have any way to measure S.G. anyway so the results won't be accurate.
 
kaotik

kaotik

Member
Dont they usually have scales for both tho??
Do you mean that the SG scale is off compared to the salinity?
 
sprieto

sprieto

Member
Has any one heard of a "Digi-Lab".
I think it just came out, it's a refractometer that looks like a thermometer.
Around $150, but it looks why cool, anyone else seen these yet?
 
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