Milwaukiee Refractometer VS. Triton Results

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I found it to hold calibration quite well. I rarely adjusted it.

I personally wouldn't leave a conductivity probe in the reef water 24/7. Too much chance for fouling to mess with the measurement.

Conductivity probes are stored in air.

FWIW, I don't know that I ever adjsuted it, or the Orion 128. I simply noted how much it was off and manually adjusted the reading for that offset. SO if it read my standard of 35 ppt as 52 mS/cm, I just knew it read seawater slightly low. The Orion read the same offset for many years with no adjusting.

 

[Myka]

Randy, why do you choose not to adjust the calibration? Do you think that harms the equipment in some way?

 

[jason2459]

Randy, or @jason2459

How long does the Pinpoint stay calibrated?
Does the calibration duration change between... if the probe stays in a sump all the time or if you use it a couple of times a week and air is in contact with the probe most of the time?

Regards, GoVols

I don't recall the last time I calibrated the pinpoint. I have calibrated it maybe twice since I've had it. Little screw in the battery compartment. I do remember it was a pain as when you are touching the screw with a screw driver it seems to influence the reading. So, I made very small adjustments and would let it sit. As Randy pointed out it is slow to come to a stable value.

I would not keep the pinpoint in the sump. Keeping it stored out of water and use as needed is just fine. I just keep mine in my saltmix container as it's convenient and doesn't have the chance to build anything up on it or get precipitation on it like keeping it in a sump would. I do not heat or continuously mix my new salt mix which could increase the chance of precipitation on the probe.

My apex probes I need to maintain and clean periodically because they are in the sump 24/7 and gets growth and precipitation on them. I have had to calibrate those probes a few times over the past couple years since having them. Having 2 helps to let me know when they need cleaned or calibrated. Same as my temp and pH probes. I have multiple of each. I can easily see when one is drifting and the others confirm if it's an actual change or the probe is needing cleaned or calibrated.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ph-probe-and-this-is-one-way-to-know-you-need-to-calibrate.285739/

 

[GoVols]

@Randy Holmes-Farley @jason2459

Thank You.

 

[JimWelsh]

I was using my calculations based on Randy's Reff Edition My Triton Results
I'm not sure where Jim's spreadsheet is.

This does the same thing as my spreadsheet, only better: https://monrecifamoi.saulme.fr/salinite/elements_compute_salinity.php

 

[jason2459]

This does the same thing as my spreadsheet, only better: https://monrecifamoi.saulme.fr/salinite/elements_compute_salinity.php

Very nice someone on here put that up?.

Edit: nvm

bernard92
Calculation of salinity from Triton ICP-OES test results

 

[Velcro]

I sold my milwaukee because it never jived with refractometer calibration solutions. It was always 2ppt off when calibrating it with RODI and verifying with a SEAWATER refractometer solution.

I prefer using my red sea refractometer even though I have to calibrate the stupid thing ever use (even minutes apart). It seems to be extremely sensitive to temperature of the calibration solution and even the temperature changes of bringing it from one from to the other.

I'd kinda like a pinpoint to be honest. My apex probe seems to think that my tank is at 37ppt with a fresh calibration while my refractometer is dead on at 35. I don't know if there'd really be any difference between 35 and 37ppt as far as what my tank actually is.

 

[jason2459]

I sold my milwaukee because it never jived with refractometer calibration solutions. It was always 2ppt off when calibrating it with RODI and verifying with a SEAWATER refractometer solution.

I prefer using my red sea refractometer even though I have to calibrate the stupid thing ever use (even minutes apart). It seems to be extremely sensitive to temperature of the calibration solution and even the temperature changes of bringing it from one from to the other.

I'd kinda like a pinpoint to be honest. My apex probe seems to think that my tank is at 37ppt with a fresh calibration while my refractometer is dead on at 35. I don't know if there'd really be any difference between 35 and 37ppt as far as what my tank actually is.

It's very possible your calibration solution is off and your Milwaukee and Apex are correct.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/does-your-calibration-solution-need-calibrated.250133/

If you do get a conductivity meter you will need to adjust the reference solution as Randy points out in his articles and I think in that thread as well.

I hated the Red Sea Refractometer due to constantly needing calibration.

 

[Velcro]

It's very possible your calibration solution is off and your Milwaukee and Apex are correct.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/does-your-calibration-solution-need-calibrated.250133/

If you do get a conductivity meter you will need to adjust the reference solution as Randy points out in his articles and I think in that thread as well.

I hated the Red Sea Refractometer due to constantly needing calibration.

Funny story, I used the same solution to calibrate the apex and my red sea. It's the pinpoint solution which is supposed to be seawater and be able to used for conductivity as well as refractometers.

 

[GoVols]

I hated the Red Sea Refractometer due to constantly needing calibration.

I'm in the same boat with my old meter. :mad:

Your Vital Sine refractometer is on my short list too. That meter has the best refractometer reviews that I've seen.

The milwaukee is not on my list.
From a lesson learned ... I don't want a meter that zeros out for it's calibration... but that's JMO.

I'm down to the Pinpoint or the Vital Sine Refractometer.

@CoralNerd
Thank you for starting this thread.

Regards, GoVols

 

[CoralNerd]

Thanks to Jason, I just ordered the Vee Gee Scientific STX-3...it's the same thing as Vital Sine but the Vee Gee on Amazon was only $86.

 

[GoVols]

Thanks to Jason, I just ordered the Vee Gee Scientific STX-3...it's the same thing as Vital Sine but the Vee Gee on Amazon was only $86.

OMG it is the same meter and I was just about to pay the $142.29

God Bless this Thread

 

[jason2459]

The Vitalsine is a rebranded veegee. In fact looking in the scale says veegee on the bottom. The vital sine used to cost the same as the veegee on DFS site but has been marked up a lot it seems now.

 

[Velcro]

What's the advantage for this one over the red sea other than not needing to calibrate it between every use? The scale seems a little large, which would make me thing it'd be hard to read

 

[jason2459]

What's the advantage for this one over the red sea other than not needing to calibrate it between every use? The scale seems a little large, which would make me thing it'd be hard to read

Being larger makes it easier to read and I find it a bit brighter then others and a lot brighter then the DD H2O seawater refractometer. The Red Sea scale I found annoying besides not holding it's calibration. It was a very squished view.

 

[GoVols]

Being larger makes it easier to read and I find it a bit brighter then others and a lot brighter then the DD H2O seawater refractometer. The Red Sea scale I found annoying besides not holding it's calibration. It was a very squished view.

Also, So long to the tiny screw driver...

 

[Velcro]

Being larger makes it easier to read and I find it a bit brighter then others and a lot brighter then the DD H2O seawater refractometer. The Red Sea scale I found annoying besides not holding it's calibration. It was a very squished view.

What I meant is that the range is larger. Is the physical size of the scale bigger?

 

[jason2459]

What I meant is that the range is larger. Is the physical size of the scale bigger?

Ah, I forgot about the range being cut off at 40ppt. That sucks too if you want to measure above that range.

Reef Builder's image

I took this picture of my vital sine/vee gee which is a bit brighter when lined up right with a good light source. The phone camera also made it look a bit farther away as it is after all right in front of the eyes. Triton vs. Aquamedic AWT vs. Hobbyist kits API Salifert Elos RedSea Hanna etc

 

[Velcro]

I really think the red sea is quite a bit easier to read. Especially since they alternate the hash marks from left to right of the center line except for the halfway marks which are on both sides. I'd love to see a side by side comparison of these two freshly calibrated with 35ppt seawater to see if there's a measuring difference.

 

[jason2459]

I really think the red sea is quite a bit easier to read. Especially since they alternate the hash marks from left to right of the center line except for the halfway marks which are on both sides. I'd love to see a side by side comparison of these two freshly calibrated with 35ppt seawater to see if there's a measuring difference.

There should be no difference once calibrated. Just the red sea IME given time with no apparent outside force will drift from that calibration sooner then later.

To me the hash marks extending out further serves the same purpose.