Refractometer

[jejton]

Does anyone in Brooklyn have a refractometer I can borrow? I was using a floating hydrometer/thermometer until now and was getting readings appr. 1.025. Today I decided to bring in a swinging arm hydrometer I use at home for my brackish tank ( Instant Ocean ) and am getting a reading of 1.030! I tested it against some distilled water and got a reading of 1.000 so now I am really worried that i have been running my tank way to salty. I would like to test the readings against a refractometer ( I had one but it broke which is why I have been using these ) to see which is the accurate one.

 

[meschaefer]

Sorry kind of off topic but....

a good hydrometer is the most accurate of all the methods to test your water, you just need to make sure you are making a temperature correction. Refractometers are generally much easier to get a reading from. Swing arms, because of the way they work could be right on the money at one reading, but way off on anohther .i.e at 0 and at 1.30.

I would trust the hydrometer over the swing arm, or the refractometer, if it is being read correctly. i.e temperature corrections are being made and the hydrometer is floating freely.

That being said, there was a recent study done of all the methods, and it was determined that swing arms are not as bad as people think.

 

[HAVIC]

When I got the Pinpoint Salinity Monitor and compared the readings with a newer swing arm hydrometer I had, they were the same. However when I tested the original swing arm hydrometer I had it was way off. I guess for piece of mind buy a new swing arm for $10 and it should be pretty accurate.