I am using a traditional ATC refractometer yet noticed some problems that was worse because of my doing a water change in my sunroom during the winter. I have been keeping a reef tank since about 2011 and I am still learning so much. This ordeal was humbling.
My readings for my salinity were too high both for my sunroom system and for my newly mixed SW today. I kept cleaning the refractometer using a quick dip into a bucket of RO to rinse it and then dry it off with 100% cotton. The readings kept getting higher the more I re-tested. I was so confused. I called my brother who told me before about cold temperatures throwing the tests off. After that conversation, I realized that my rinse-dips were in very cold RO water and the refractometer was getting increasingly colder because of the dips. Recalibration did not help. Once I brought the device to room temp and then recalibrated it again using my calibration solution, the readings were normal.
Here is my plan from now on:
(1) I will keep the device in its case and then inside my coat pocket to keep it warm before testing. I will also make sure it feels room temp and not cold.
(2) I will rinse the refractometer between tests using a pipette and room temp water. Maybe I will use a squirt-bottle. I will only do a rinse-dip before putting the device away.
(3) Do water changes when weather is moderate or warm only.
This problem has me more interested in something like the Milwaukee digital refractometer. I am curious about what you all think of those units.
My readings for my salinity were too high both for my sunroom system and for my newly mixed SW today. I kept cleaning the refractometer using a quick dip into a bucket of RO to rinse it and then dry it off with 100% cotton. The readings kept getting higher the more I re-tested. I was so confused. I called my brother who told me before about cold temperatures throwing the tests off. After that conversation, I realized that my rinse-dips were in very cold RO water and the refractometer was getting increasingly colder because of the dips. Recalibration did not help. Once I brought the device to room temp and then recalibrated it again using my calibration solution, the readings were normal.
Here is my plan from now on:
(1) I will keep the device in its case and then inside my coat pocket to keep it warm before testing. I will also make sure it feels room temp and not cold.
(2) I will rinse the refractometer between tests using a pipette and room temp water. Maybe I will use a squirt-bottle. I will only do a rinse-dip before putting the device away.
(3) Do water changes when weather is moderate or warm only.
This problem has me more interested in something like the Milwaukee digital refractometer. I am curious about what you all think of those units.
