i was wondering which meters would be good for testing the salinity, ph, etc..i used the cheap plastic hydrometer for a while but just dont really trust them. i figured its time to splurge for a nice decent digital unit. what would you guys suggest to do a lot of the testing for my tank? thanks ahead of time...
water testing equipment
- Thread starter magarnigel
- Start date
- Location
- Merritt Island, FL
For salinity, we're supposed to use a ATC (automatic temperature compensating) marine refractometer. Also, the refractometer instructions will say to calibrate it with distilled water, but we should use a sea water salinity standard instead.
If I had money to burn, I would really enjoy having this stuff:
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/1002/cid/198
Maybe Santa will bring me one for Xmas? 8O
AquaticEco has a lot of other instruments/kits for water quality too. We get most of our lab equipment (including water quality stuff - we use Hach colorimetrer stuff) from here. Anyway, you should look around their site, most stuff on there is high quality or science grade.
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/1002/cid/198
Maybe Santa will bring me one for Xmas? 8O
AquaticEco has a lot of other instruments/kits for water quality too. We get most of our lab equipment (including water quality stuff - we use Hach colorimetrer stuff) from here. Anyway, you should look around their site, most stuff on there is high quality or science grade.
mr_X":5694e7oo said:
do you have any suggestions for one? i was looking at these but i wasnt exactly sure if they checked salinity...but guessing thats what the conductivity testing is. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=9848
get a refractometer for salinity. for everything else (pH, calcium, alkalinity, nitrate, phosphate,...) use a Salifert Test kit. I love those things. They are pretty accurate, but a little pricey.
BTW, the alkalinity test kits for Salifert did have some problems recently, something about a bad batch or something. Just FYI.
BTW, the alkalinity test kits for Salifert did have some problems recently, something about a bad batch or something. Just FYI.
Conductivity can be converted to salinity if you also know the temp (C). There are calculators online, or you can start an excel file (or other spreadsheet) and just input the formula and copy/paste. I would try to use the online calculators, as the equation is a bit confusing (see attachment).
This equation gives you a more precise measurement of Salinity (+/- 0.0001), whereas a refractometer's resolution is broader (+/- 0.2 - 0.5%). Either way you measure, if you make the data file, it is easier to see what trends your tanks exhibit over time. This can come in useful if you have a problem down the road (plus, its cool if you are nerdy like most of us to make graphs and the like).
This equation gives you a more precise measurement of Salinity (+/- 0.0001), whereas a refractometer's resolution is broader (+/- 0.2 - 0.5%). Either way you measure, if you make the data file, it is easier to see what trends your tanks exhibit over time. This can come in useful if you have a problem down the road (plus, its cool if you are nerdy like most of us to make graphs and the like).
Attachments
I bought this:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=9957
and this:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... %20ph&Np=1
So far, they have both worked as advertised.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=9957
and this:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... %20ph&Np=1
So far, they have both worked as advertised.
I would look for one with a knob (instead of screw) for calibration, just makes it a bit easier. Other than that, the higher priced ones usually have high resolution and accuracy. Oh, and make sure it automatically adjusts for temperature (should say in the description).
The one that is 109.99 has a calibration ring. You just rotate it to adjust to a standard solution.
This one (http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~CP2113.html) is $20 cheaper, and has a calibration knob and is temperature compensating. I plan to get it one of these days. I currently bring samples in to our lab to test...
This one (http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~CP2113.html) is $20 cheaper, and has a calibration knob and is temperature compensating. I plan to get it one of these days. I currently bring samples in to our lab to test...
For this hobby, we don't need to use the conductivity-salinity formula with such a complicated polynominal. A simple lookup table is suffice in almost all the cases.
Anyway, one thing that I want to point out that conductivity/salinity/TDS/resistivity meter usually does not have a wide dynamic range. Before you buy a conductivity meter, for example, make sure it is applicable for freshwater or seawater. A lot of the time, it only will work in one extreme, but not the other.
Anyway, one thing that I want to point out that conductivity/salinity/TDS/resistivity meter usually does not have a wide dynamic range. Before you buy a conductivity meter, for example, make sure it is applicable for freshwater or seawater. A lot of the time, it only will work in one extreme, but not the other.
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
