mr_tee0419
Aquarium Advice Activist
I've almost got my SW tank ready to go. I'm not sure whether to go w/ a hydrometer, or if a refractometer is really worth the investment. Are the Refrac's much more accurate?
Is A Refractometer Really More Accurate?
- Thread starter mr_tee0419
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mr_tee0419
Aquarium Advice Activist
There are 3 types offered: refractometer, refrac w/ calibration dial, and refrac w/ light. Which one is the best choice?
It's up to you how much you want to spend really... I personally don't see the need for anything other than a basic refractometer. The dial just means you won't have to use a screwdriver to calibrate, and the ones with light seem way too expensive to me.
PhishPhreak
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Is it more accurate than a floating hydrometer?
S
steve-s
Guest
Infinately!!PhishPhreak said:
Cheers
Steve
quarryshark
Aquarium Advice Addict
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They are worth the $$$ IMO.
ReefRaff
Aquarium Advice Addict
buy it!
If you want to know EXACTLY what your salinity is then yes its worth the money. Can you be sucessful with out one? Sure. I used a standard swing arm hydromoter for years until just recently I won a refractomoter at a reef meeting. Now that I have the refractomoter I tested my hydromoter and found it to be off by approx .0025 so if I used the hydromoter to have a salinity of 1.025 it was acutally 1.0275 per the refractomoter.
If your not fimular with how the refactomoter works it uses a prizm inside a tube with some optics mounted on one end and a slanted surface for the water to be placed on the other. The refractomoter will measure how much the light is 'refracted' thru the prizm. Light will bend a predictable amount based on specific levels of salt. A hydromoter simply measures the density of the water and predicts the salt amount upon that.
If your not fimular with how the refactomoter works it uses a prizm inside a tube with some optics mounted on one end and a slanted surface for the water to be placed on the other. The refractomoter will measure how much the light is 'refracted' thru the prizm. Light will bend a predictable amount based on specific levels of salt. A hydromoter simply measures the density of the water and predicts the salt amount upon that.
malkore
Aquarium Advice Addict
check drsfostersmith.com for refractomers. do a search on it. they have one for like $42.
BillyZ
Aquarium Advice Addict
The biggest trouble I always had with my swing-arm hydrometers were stupid little bubbles that always got caught on the arm. Sure, I can tap-tap-tap and stick a toothpick in there for stuborn ones... but it always ended up taking forever just to check the Sg. And because of the hassle, i never trusted the results. Now with the refractometer, I take it out of the case, drop two drops of water on it, hold it up to the light, wipe it off and put it back in the case. It takes seconds and i'm 100% confident in the reading.
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