don't trust hydrometers!!

tomato clown

tomato clown

Member
Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/2621795
They are easy to check and recalibrate though just a couple of drops of distilled water check your reading and adjust as necessary and you are good to go again.
They still need cleaned. Just putting drops of water on doesn't do it because your adding to what's there already. If cleaned properly with a soft cloth then there is no need to recalibrate every time. Microfiber works best
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by Tomato Clown
http:///forum/post/2621894
They still need cleaned. Just putting drops of water on doesn't do it because your adding to what's there already. If cleaned properly with a soft cloth then there is no need to recalibrate every time. Microfiber works best

I wasn't talking about recalibrating a dirty refractometer, I clean mine every time I use it after I take my reading so I have never had any kind of buildup on it and I have never had to recalibrate it in the two years I have been using it. Simple maintenance solves so many problems.
 
J

jrthomas40

Guest
i used once and it crashed my tank...SG read high when it was actually low
 
grouperlover

grouperlover

Member
yea my local fish store (When you buy a Hydrometer) gets the hydrometers and pinpoints how inaccurate it is with another hydro. ,which is accurate
 
turbonut

turbonut

Member
yea fracto's are cool but they can be just as faulty as hydro's everybody uses distilled water to calibrate when they should be using an 35ppt solution. i have a deep six hydro as well as a fracto and belive it or not my hydro is just as accurate as my fracto
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/2621920
I wasn't talking about recalibrating a dirty refractometer, I clean mine every time I use it after I take my reading so I have never had any kind of buildup on it and I have never had to recalibrate it in the two years I have been using it. Simple maintenance solves so many problems.
I clean mine off every time that I use it. Just wipe it off when you are done with a paper towel. My goodness, what do others do

Originally Posted by turbonut
http:///forum/post/2623702
yea fracto's are cool but they can be just as faulty as hydro's everybody uses distilled water to calibrate when they should be using an 35ppt solution. i have a deep six hydro as well as a fracto and belive it or not my hydro is just as accurate as my fracto
I have NEVER once had a problem with mine. It came pre-calibrated. I bought it from here. I wish they still sold that brand.
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/2623759
I clean mine off every time that I use it. Just wipe it off when you are done with a paper towel. My goodness, what do others do

I started out just wiping it off but, I ended up with some rust in the hinge that was making the lid difficult to move so now I rinse it under the tap to remove the saltwater then wipe it off. You'd think if you were selling something that is used in saltwater you would build it out of corrosion resistant materials.
 
A

alexmir

Guest
I recently bought a refractometer, my hydrometer read .06 llower than the water actually was, so i was keeping my tank at 1.033 for a while and thinking i was spot on at 1.026. ITs not worth killing your tank because you dont want to spend 40 $.
 
05xrunner

05xrunner

Active Member
personally I think this is crappy advice. I have used NOTHING but hydrometers my whole time of having SW..never had any issues. Ref can be even worse. someone doesnt setup right and it could be so far off will kill things. There is nothing wrong with a Hydrometer
 
artie1209

artie1209

Member
I agree that a hydrometer can be less than perfect but the important thing is more about being consistent and providing stability.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/2623782
I started out just wiping it off but, I ended up with some rust in the hinge that was making the lid difficult to move so now I rinse it under the tap to remove the saltwater then wipe it off. You'd think if you were selling something that is used in saltwater you would build it out of corrosion resistant materials.

My lid is plastic. Yours is metal? The hinges?
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
What brand is it?
Swing arm hydrometers are worse than worthless. They deceive the hobbyist into believing that they are getting accurate readings, when, in reality, the swing arm hydrometer is usually not even in the general ball park of accuracy. Quality glass hydrometers can be good for testing salinity, but, in my view, a refractometer is the only way to go. Don't get those expensive pinpoint monitors either. They too have their accuracy problems. Water to marine animals is like air to us, so you want to get it right. Refractometer.
 
keith burn

keith burn

Active Member
Originally Posted by Beth
http:///forum/post/2629148
What brand is it?
Swing arm hydrometers are worse than worthless. They deceive the hobbyist into believing that they are getting accurate readings, when, in reality, the swing arm hydrometer is usually not even in the general ball park of accuracy. Quality glass hydrometers can be good for testing salinity, but, in my view, a refractometer is the only way to go. Don't get those expensive pinpoint monitors either. They too have their accuracy problems. Water to marine animals is like air to us, so you want to get it right. Refractometer.
I see it is a Refractomter.
it is on a site for about $20 is it a good one
RHS-10ATC
* Ranges: 0-100 ppt of Salinity and 1.000 to 1.070 Specific Gravity
* Accuracy: +/- 1 ppt / 0.001 Specific Gravity
* Divisions: 1 ppt / 0.001 Specific Gravity
* Automatic Temperature Compensation (ATC)
* Sturdy design made of durable Aluminum, not "carbon" plastic, 3-Year Warranty
 
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