Calibrate your refractometer!!!!!!! - 1.030

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jgoal55

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Well I feel like a total moron......Since my last water change I have had quite a few problems and usually water changes makes things better in my tank....in other words, the corals react well to the changes....

this last one however caused some problems including the alage on the growth tips of my corals. My xenia was acting all weird and my flower pot never opened.....a couple of the pther corals were looking weird but nothing too drastic....still, not normal.

Well, while I was mixing some salt water tonight, I chcked my salinity at the point where I usually hit my desired 1.023.....instead I had 1.019....because i was using a new measuring cup (i used to just use a plastic cup with a line on it) I kept adding salt.....checked again and again, and finally i hit my 1.023......

and THEN IT HIT ME!!!!!!!! - That seemed like alot of salt - Don't these refractometer things have to be calibrated? HMMMMMM!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!

Well I proceeded to do so only to find that my display tank water was at 1.030 as was my new salt water........

I just did an emergency water change over the last few hours so as to not shock the fish and corals!!!! I have no idea how my corals are doing cuz the lights are off and they are closed up but I am pretty sure that come tomorrow they are going to be much happier......

Is 1.030 that bad????? it sounds like it.
 
Nah.... 1.030 isn't horrible. Lowering the salinity will help though as there are a lot of advantages to lower salinity, but 1.030 isn't likely going to do any permenant damage.
 
do you think that that could be why sme of the corals started acting all weird though?
 
Jgoal55;62059 wrote: do you think that that could be why sme of the corals started acting all weird though?
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If you changed the salinity that drastically in a short amount of time,then yes it is very likely.As long as you gradually got it down to where it needed to be then you should be fine.
 
Dee-Dee-Dee

Yes it is best to calibrate your refractometer once every month or two. It is quick and easy to do. If you want to be double sure, use RO water for the 0 end and a calibration solution for the high end. I got some if you need to borrow.
 
yeah even though the 1.030 isn't that i thnk it was since that's what went in when I did the water change, it was very quick and sudden......I brought it back down very slowly though.

Brandon, my refractometer instructions don't ask me to calibrate to a high mark, just that zero mark.....
 
Do you know if the calibration process is temperature specific? In other words, do you have to have your sample water at a given temp?
 
It does say that you have to let it adjust to the temperature of the daylight plate (so about 30 seconds)......it makes a little bit of a difference I noticed...about 1 pt.
 
twhitti;62185 wrote: Do you know if the calibration process is temperature specific? In other words, do you have to have your sample water at a given temp?
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Yes, You have to let it sit for a few seconds on the plate UNLESS you have a refractometer that compensates for temp.
 
A couple of points to also consider. Salinity has effect on alkalinity and pH, so be sure to monitor them in the adjustment period as well. And, without beating any dead horses bwteen me and Cameron, If you have calibration fluid, use it. But, I dont see the point in using fluid and RODI. These tools aren't dually adjustable. SO, calibrate with one or the other (preferably fluid), but how does both help you?
 
jmaneyapanda;62196 wrote: A couple of points to also consider. Salinity has effect on alkalinity and pH, so be sure to monitor them in the adjustment period as well. And, without beating any dead horses bwteen me and Cameron, If you have calibration fluid, use it. But, I dont see the point in using fluid and RODI. These tools aren't dually adjustable. SO, calibrate with one or the other (preferably fluid), but how does both help you?
Click to expand...


Thats good to know that salinity has an effeect on alk and ph.....and I kind of knew that but it just never occured to me to check the salinity (I mean really....salinity important? cmon! - duh!)

But yeah, I guess that's why all those things dropped for me.....

And as to your question above that is a good point....Id like to know the answer to that as well
 
Because some of us order our refractometers off e-bay and other places and I want to make sure that the scale that is inside is correct. God only knows if that sweat shop worker sneezed when she was drawing the lines on my equipment! ;)

Good enough answer for ya?!? ;)
 
jmaneyapanda;62196 wrote: A couple of points to also consider. Salinity has effect on alkalinity and pH, so be sure to monitor them in the adjustment period as well. And, without beating any dead horses bwteen me and Cameron, If you have calibration fluid, use it. But, I dont see the point in using fluid and RODI. These tools aren't dually adjustable. SO, calibrate with one or the other (preferably fluid), but how does both help you?
Click to expand...
To beat that arguement a bit more... not all refractometers are created equal and something like the printing of the graph on it could be off. I am not saying you should calibrate with both all the time, but you should at least consider using both when you first get your device just to make sure it doesn't have a manufactorer defect.

Brandon beat me to it.
 
Cameron;62215 wrote: To beat that arguement a bit more... not all refractometers are created equal and something like the printing of the graph on it could be off. I am not saying you should calibrate with both all the time, but you should at least consider using both when you first get your device just to make sure it doesn't have a manufactorer defect.

Brandon beat me to it.
Click to expand...
ah mine just sad to use distiled water ? is that bad can some one calibrate mine to make sure then ?
 
Distilled water or RO is fine for the 0 end, if you want to bring it over I can check for the high end range.
 
i still dont understand, as jmaneypanda said, its not dually adjustable. if its off at the bottom and you fix it, and then you fix it at the top, thats going to throw off the bottom again. I guess thatd mean that its defected?
 
Nishant3789;62312 wrote: i still dont understand, as jmaneypanda said, its not dually adjustable. if its off at the bottom and you fix it, and then you fix it at the top, thats going to throw off the bottom again. I guess thatd mean that its defected?
Click to expand...
i think thats what they mean
 
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