Refractometer calibration solution

[jhj0112]

ummm.... am I supposed to calibrate this often? maybe I'm lucky but I have not calibrated it for over 4 years... -.-

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[Frogger]

Originally Posted by jhj0112

ummm.... am I supposed to calibrate this often? maybe I'm lucky but I have not calibrated it for over 4 years... -.-

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Depending on the refractometer you have. My first one a Vertex I needed to calibrate almost every time I used it. My new one a Tropic Eden pro-1 normal seawater refractometer I have only had to tweak it a bit over the past 6 months. I still check it a couple times a month. The Tropic Eden is a way better unit then the Vertex.

Do not use the Sybon Standard Seawater Saline because it is almost 4ppT off.

I use the Pinpoint solution and find it more accurate. Also old calibration solutions are not always accurate.

[calo247]

i wonder if the electronic testers are immune to this problem as they use conductivity?

[Myka]

Originally Posted by crimper

No need to buy those dropper from Amazon or ebay, if you had used those little "Blue Bottles" from Zeovit as they have droppers. I have used them in making my own calibration fluid. It will last a life time

Not that kind of dropper. A sealed one, like eye drops. An open dropper is prone to evaporation and contamination.

Originally Posted by Frogger

Do not use the Sybon Standard Seawater Saline because it is almost 4ppT off.

I have found the same thing even though it is NIST-certified!! I like the dropper bottle it is sealed in though. It reads the same when it's 6 years old.

[hunggi74]

salinity is the most important and easiest parameter to maintain in this hobby. It dictates the starting point of all the elements in your tank. I use a Sybon refractometer and calibrate before I test any new salt water or the water in my tank. Doesn't take that much time but the results can be disastrous if you've got more sensitive corals and are using a unit that isn't calibrated properly

[Zoaelite]

HOKKAYYYYYY.
So I went and dropped $25 at Picies to get the Two Little Fishies calibration fluid. Who would of thought a 250mL bottle of saltwater... the most plentiful liquid on the planet... would cost $100.00/L...

Talk about profit margin...

Whining about price aside, my salinity which I thought sat at 1.026 has been more around the 1.022 point... for however long.

Now I have had really good success with most everything in my tank, so take this info with a grain of salt (). I will certainly be slowly raising my salinity but I think this is a strong testament to the power of keeping things stable in the tank.

[Wheelman76]

Originally Posted by Zoaelite

HOKKAYYYYYY.

So I went and dropped $25 at Picies to get the Two Little Fishies calibration fluid. Who would of thought a 250mL bottle of saltwater... the most plentiful liquid on the planet... would cost $100.00/L...



Talk about profit margin...



Whining about price aside, my salinity which I thought sat at 1.026 has been more around the 1.022 point... for however long.



Now I have had really good success with most everything in my tank, so take this info with a grain of salt (). I will certainly be slowly raising my salinity but I think this is a strong testament to the power of keeping things stable in the tank.

But is the new calibration fluid correct ? Lol

This is the thing that's so frustrating with these calibration fluids. They all seem to give slightly different readings , and sometimes way off. I bought a bottle of the sybon calibration fluid several months ago , and found my tank water was at 1.030!! Damn I thought , but before making any changes , I had a friend come over with his refractometer and his own fluid. His refractometer said my tank water was 1.022 , so I returned the bottle to my LFS and had them check it. Turns out this bottle was off by .004 , they checked the other 4 bottles of sybon fluid on the shelf , and they were all bang on at 1.026 like they were supposed to be.

Anyhow , just something to think about before you adjust your salinity.

[Zoaelite]

I feel like I'm currently opening the Pandora's box of calibration fluid .

Thanks for the heads up, if I paid $25 for overpriced saltwater to nuke my tank I'm going to be rather frustrated...

Anyway to calibrate my calibration fluid without buying more calibration fluid?!

[calo247]

Originally Posted by Zoaelite

I feel like I'm currently opening the Pandora's box of calibration fluid .

Thanks for the heads up, if I paid $25 for overpriced saltwater to nuke my tank I'm going to be rather frustrated...

Anyway to calibrate my calibration fluid without buying more calibration fluid?!

you can make your own using rodi water and table salt. Randy Homes-Farley has a good article with a recipe.

i am going to make a batch and buy some of the pinpoint fluid, which from my research seems to be the most reliable fluid.

[Brunz]

Originally Posted by Zoaelite

Anyway to calibrate my calibration fluid without buying more calibration fluid?!

I know this feeling!!!
Very few of us have the equipment necessary to test or correct the equipment we test things with.....wait, what!

Best case senario is you get two independent tests to match and you can sleep a little better. I go through it all the time at work. Between me and my business partner we own 5 wood moisture metres.... we pick the 2 that are the closest that day, for the record it isn't usually the same two lol