New Hobbie Yikes

[Peace River]

Should we be checking it before each use? I got mine at Petco.

Some brands and some types of salinity meters tend to need more frequent calibration. IMO It is a good practice to calibrate it more often until you establish a trend of its consistency and then you may choose to calibrate less frequently (but don't stop calibrating altogether).

 

[SCReef'n]

Welcome to R2R!!

 

[Silverfish]

Welcome! I hv a Red Sea 525. I love it!

 

[Fred2482]

Welcome! I calibrate my red sea refractometer anytime I use it. I spent countless hours trying to get my apex probe correct and finally gave up. Now I use it more to see if anything changes not actual salinity levels. I purchased a Milwaukee digital refractometer during my attempt to perfect the apex calibration and I love it.

 

[Olefreebe]

Welcome to reef2reef!

 

[Mr_Knightley]

Welcome to Reef2Reef, and more importantly to the hobby!
I have no experience with either of those refractometers, sorry! I do see several others have them though.Good luck, stay safe and God bless!

 

[jk_s124]

Welcome!

 

[Fishbro]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[kyleinpdx]

I have a fairly cheap refractometer from Amazon, its labelled "ATC" (automatic temp control) which if I understand correctly uses a small filament that physically moves the measuring scale depending on the temperature. However mine doesnt always seem to adjust, what I tend to do:

• Mix up my water to the point I am ready to test salinity
• Float the refractometer in a ziplock bag in the new water for a few mins for the temps to equalize
• Take it out of the water/bag and give it a little whack on the palm of my hand
• Test the water, I have a good idea of how much salt should equal what PPT so if its off I'll check the refractometer against my calibration solution, adjust accordingly and retest.

Another thing to keep an eye on, as they get used and get a little cruddy or rusty, make sure the plate/flap that covers the measuring prism lays down flat, if it doesn't sit correctly it may throw off your results.

 

[fishguy242]

hi welcome to the reef going to love it here!!
lots of fun/info/fun/help/fun....

 

[kyleinpdx]

hi welcome to the reefing
lots of fun/info/heartache/fun/help/disappointment/fun/confusion/enjoyment....

Fixed your description ;-)

I will say, few other hobbies require so much $ and time to constantly be concerned/anxious. My other hobby is astronomy and I never go to bed wondering "is my mirror coating going to RTN overnight?"

 

[fishguy242]

Fixed your description ;-)

I will say, few other hobbies require so much $ and time to constantly be concerned/anxious. My other hobby is astronomy and I never go to bed wondering "is my mirror coating going to RTN overnight?"

thank but..sorry i'll stick with what i stated,but thanks for your input

 

[Brandon Smith]

 

[MightyMO]

Hello everyone,I live in Northern British Columbia, Canada, I have had a freshwater aquarium for 25 years and just recently purchased an XL525 from RedSea in January of this year.
Bad timing re-Covid 19, for the simple reason, I cant aquire fish or Coral for my tank as the airlines are refusing.
On that note not sure how my first go around will be? However I now have time to work out the bugs, one of them being Refractometers.
Nothing was making sense in regards to my Neptune System and My RedSea Refractometer, I spent many of hours researching Neptune forums just to hear people having issues with their Neptune Probe not matching the Refractometers.
I discovered my RedSea refractometer was losing its Calibration after 4 Hrs of sitting at room temp.
Once I learned this I calibrate it before each use and it matches perfectly with Neptune everytime.
Now my question, Is this Normal? are all refractometers having the same Issue? again I'm new to this.

Cheers

Eh, mine has it's moments... but stays dialed in for the most part... you may have gotten a bad one... mine usually doesn't go outta whack for about a month, but I check zero 75% of the time before checking my tank...

 

[Crabs McJones]

Fixed your description ;-)

I will say, few other hobbies require so much $ and time to constantly be concerned/anxious. My other hobby is astronomy and I never go to bed wondering "is my mirror coating going to RTN overnight?"

Worse, you have to be concerned with finding an asteroid that's going to collide with earth! Then you gotta send Bruce Willis to take care of it for us ;Hilarious;Hilarious

 

[MightyMO]

hi welcome to the reef going to love it here!!
lots of fun/info/fun/help/fun....

And live sales!!! Lol

 

[MightyMO]

Some brands and some types of salinity meters tend to need more frequent calibration. IMO It is a good practice to calibrate it more often until you establish a trend of its consistency and then you may choose to calibrate less frequently (but don't stop calibrating altogether).

What he said! Still gotta make sure 0=zero...

 

[BlazinNano]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[DeniseAndy]

Welcome. Getting used to your gear is probably a good thing first. So, maybe this delay is a good thing. Teach you patience, grasshopper.

 

[MightyMO]

Welcome! I hv a Red Sea 525. I love it!

I'm still using my old 54 gallon corner tank... it's been good to me... but the wife gave me the ok to get a new tank if I buy her a sectional couch... lol I'm debating between a reefer and a water box... I want atleast 180 gallon...