Steve Lane
Active Member
Anyone ever used an electronic salinity monitor and if so, do they work?
Salinity monitor?
- Thread starter Steve Lane
- Start date
I have know a couple of people that got one, but this was many years ago.
Yes, they do work, but you do need to check how it's calibrated. Some are designed to measure just salt (NaCl) in water and not the mix of salts we run in a reef system. You may need to compensate for the difference.
An electronic salinity monitor is a very expensive piece of equipment, especially when you consider what you get. They are about double the price of a refractometer.
In an established tank, you shouldn't see major changes in salinity, especially if your using an ATO unit. I'd say save your money unless you have some very specialized requirement to monitor salinity.
As a note, if your using a controller, some of them have a salinity probe or module that can be added to the configuration. This might be a less expensive alternative. I'd still say save your money though.
Yes, they do work, but you do need to check how it's calibrated. Some are designed to measure just salt (NaCl) in water and not the mix of salts we run in a reef system. You may need to compensate for the difference.
An electronic salinity monitor is a very expensive piece of equipment, especially when you consider what you get. They are about double the price of a refractometer.
In an established tank, you shouldn't see major changes in salinity, especially if your using an ATO unit. I'd say save your money unless you have some very specialized requirement to monitor salinity.
As a note, if your using a controller, some of them have a salinity probe or module that can be added to the configuration. This might be a less expensive alternative. I'd still say save your money though.
Steve Lane
Active Member
Thanks very much for that Dave.
I have a Red Sea refractometer but I find i`m always having to re-calibrate it more or less every time I use it.
I have a Red Sea refractometer but I find i`m always having to re-calibrate it more or less every time I use it.
SPR
Well-Known Member
I also use the Red Sea Refractometer and yes you do need to calibrate it with RO water before each use. I also have a solution of 35 ppt that you can buy of eBay but to be honest you may as well us RO
It's extremely sensitive especially with temperature I have found.
To be honest I just keep a little sauce bottle (never had sauce in by the way!) with 0 RO in and it only takes a few seconds to calibrate before use so I have just stuck with that as less to malfunction.
You should seldom need to calibrate a refractometer once you set it up. If your finding that isn't the case, you should replace it. Look into something that compensates for temp.
I only recalibrate mine about every 6 months or so, and it usually need little adjustment.