GoVols: Red Sea S-400

[GoVols]

Why is ur salinity so high

LOL!!!

 

[HolisticBear]

Besides the Red Sea refractometer being an instrument from Satan, I found the BRS much easier to read with my eyes. The Vee Gee looks easier. It's 2x the cost of the BRS, so need a full report.

 

[reefwiser]

I have a vee gee. Really nice. Refactor meter

 

[GoVols]

Besides the Red Sea refractometer being an instrument from Satan, I found the BRS much easier to read with my eyes. The Vee Gee looks easier. It's 2x the cost of the BRS, so need a full report.

Compared to my old Red Sea this thing lives up to it's hype.

Heavy, super well built and so long tiny screw driver.

Brightest and clearest meter display that I've seen.

Calibrated it to the (tlf) natural .35 solution and my display is dead on 1.025sg.

Your BRS has great reviews and I don't have anything to compare the Vee Gee to, but the Red Sea

Almost got the Pin Point (and could not make up my mind, between the two for about 3 months) but I'm happy with the Vee Gee.

@CoralNerd @jason2459
Thank You!!!

 

[hybridazn]

Very nice pickup!

I still love my Milwaukee digital refractometer hahaha

 

[GoVols]

Very nice pickup!

I still love my Milwaukee digital refractometer hahaha

Thanks Hybird,
My old meter would take 3 adjustments and one more check to dial in to .35 and it would only hold for about 15 mins.

I'm hoping this one will stay dialed in like the old one used too, and the view screen is very crisp and bright on the Vee Gee.

 

[jason2459]

Glad you like it. The BRS along with many other store brand and cheap ebay/amazon refractometers will work just fine as long as it's kept calibrated to 35ppt and must be calibrated to 35ppt as they are brine refractometers and not seawater like the veegee is.

Which the cheap brine refractometers tend to not hold their calibration as well as the veegee and like mentioned the veegee is a much better display.

 

[bif24701]

@hybridazn
Lol...

Looks like we are the only ones online.

Do you want to take a stab, at it?

I ordered a test from ICP-Analysis on Amazon. Have yet to send it in but I'll be happy to share my experience with all. I somehow thought it was an actual Triton....... I didn't read into it well before purchasing. Here goes to blindly shooing and hoping for the best! Lol

 

[bif24701]

Glad you like it. The BRS along with many other store brand and cheap ebay/amazon refractometers will work just fine as long as it's kept calibrated to 35ppt and must be calibrated to 35ppt as they are brine refractometers and not seawater like the veegee is.

Which the cheap brine refractometers tend to not hold their calibration as well as the veegee and like mentioned the veegee is a much better display.

Vee Gee a? I'm going to look into this.

Honestly if I ever need a new meter I'll just get the digital Milwaukee. But very intrigued by this product. Sounds promising.

 

[jason2459]

Vee Gee a? I'm going to look into this.

Honestly if I ever need a new meter I'll just get the digital Milwaukee. But very intrigued by this product. Sounds promising.

The Milwaukee is ok but I'm not very enthusiastic about it. It tends to round up and vary in results slightly. Not a big amount and I think accurate enough but it does have a +/- 2 accuracy where as the Veegee is +/- 1 and pinpoint much less. Only down fall of the pinpoint it does take some time to settle in. Veegee is just more convenient and more then accurate for our needs.

A step up digital wise comparable to the veeegee accuracy wise and better then the Milwaukee all around is the Misco digital seawater refractometers but it is quite a bit more in cost.

 

[prsnlty]

Compared to my old Red Sea this thing lives up to it's hype.

Heavy, super well built and so long tiny screw driver.

Brightest and clearest meter display that I've seen.

Calibrated it to the (tlf) natural .35 solution and my display is dead on 1.025sg.

Your BRS has great reviews and I don't have anything to compare the Vee Gee to, but the Red Sea

Almost got the Pin Point (and could not make up my mind, between the two for about 3 months) but I'm happy with the Vee Gee.

@CoralNerd @jason2459
Thank You!!!

I'll have to look this up...

Sorry I'm late tonight! Babysitting....

 

[bif24701]

The Milwaukee is ok but I'm not very enthusiastic about it. It tends to round up and vary in results slightly. Not a big amount and I think accurate enough but it does have a +/- 2 accuracy where as the Veegee is +/- 1 and pinpoint much less. Only down fall of the pinpoint it does take some time to settle in. Veegee is just more convenient and more then accurate for our needs.

A step up digital wise comparable to the veeegee accuracy wise and better then the Milwaukee all around is the Misco digital seawater refractometers but it is quite a bit more in cost.

You mean this one?
https://www.amazon.com/MISCO-AQUAR-H2O-Handheld-Refractometer-Seawater/dp/B00BS9X0HW

Free shipping! +$467.00 + tax.

That's going on the wish list. Lol

 

[justingraham]

So I know you said u use tlf calibration fluid.

I just want to tell u my impressions on it

I have two different refactimeters the Red Sea one and another one someone gave me don't know the name off hand. Like everyone has said the Red Sea losses its calibration and the other one has been real consistant for me.

So on to my point. With a triton test there is a way to figure out ur specific gravity of the water by inputting certain values in the test on a web page see below. ( https://monrecifamoi.saulme.fr/salinite/elements_compute_salinity.php ) and after calibrating my tank to the tlf calibration fluid it is my great pleasure to say that my triton result and the web page put me at 1.025 ish right where the tlf calibration fluid is.

So I trust it I have read about people not likeing tlf and that there are better ones out there or it's better to make ur own but as of right now it hasn't let me down. Now I always shake the bottle before use and when I'm done I make sure the cap is on tight.

So to sum it up I think using tlf will be ok for you

 

[jason2459]

Fwiw, I would not rely on the calculation of Salinity from an ICP-OES test. First the test can be wrong and second the calculation is a estimate based on a few assumptions. I have found the salinity calculated tends to be slightly lower.

I prefer to make my own reference solution
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/does-your-calibration-solution-need-calibrated.250133/

 

[justingraham]

Fwiw, I would not rely on the calculation of Salinity from an ICP-OES test. First the test can be wrong and second the calculation is a estimate based on a few assumptions. I have found the salinity calculated tends to be slightly lower.

I prefer to make my own reference solution
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/does-your-calibration-solution-need-calibrated.250133/

First I respect what u do on this site everything u do
Second I have read pretty much everything u have done.
Third I'm looking for constant ballpark answers not the exact as it doesn't have to be in this hobby. U can run a tank anywhere from .022-.027 without problems same goes with every parameter U don't have to run a tank at these exact numbers or u fail consistency is what matters. And although I agree with u there are some variables that make it not 100% correct those variables are temp and alkalinity which I knew what my alkalinity was I tested it and the temp is what the room temp is I'm guessing. So to me it's good enough. And to ur comment about the test being wrong well what makes u think it's wrong and ur right? Not really a topic I want to get into nor feel like it's even worth a discussion on. All I know is it's a better job then we can do with hobby grade test kits. I don't care what the numbers exactly are as long as they stay consistant.

For me the tlf does the job consistant and the calculator I used matched the tlf salinity and that's good enough for me. I'm not going to go chasing a problem hat doesn't exist. Or question everything.

I didn't have it set for 1.025 and then find out it was at 1.019. Even if we go off what u say and it's a slightly lower what does that mean? Is that a half a point lower or five points lower?

This is a hobby we should have fun not loose sleep over if my water is exactly at .026 one because it doesn't matter consistancy does and two it's a hobby.

Some people enjoy finding out the exact sg and find it a fun part of the hobby to make there own solutions. I don't
I feel like spending hours measuring exact amounts of diffent stuff to make sure I have it exactly right isn't fun esp if I can buy something that isn't that expensive that's close and I have found matches what it claims to be. And I understand why people enjoy doing that I enjoy the hands on and building part of the hobby.

So what I'm saying to Govols is that If u want to know exactly dead on what ur specific gravity is well I don't know how looking thru glass at some numbers with a shadow that bends across it will do that for you but for me the tlf calibration fluid has the same shadow and same bend as my tank water and with my triton test and the website I added above (which I beleive I got from Joe welsh or randy)came out to 1.025 ish. And that's exactly what the shadow kind of looked like in my refractometer at the time I took the triton test and calibrated it with tlf and it is good enough for me to continue using it.

 

[jason2459]

First, thank you. Second, I said I personally would not use an ICP-OES and my experience why. And yes, the calculations have an assumtions on temp and alk along with F and the rest of the trace elements. Plus, the tests do very quite a bit even from the same sample which does not make it exactly right but neither am I or the results I get. Never said I am.

 

[justingraham]

First, thank you. Second, I said I personally would not use an ICP-OES and my experience why. And yes, the calculations have an assumtions on temp and alk along with F and the rest of the trace elements. Plus, the tests do very quite a bit even from the same sample which does not make it exactly right but neither am I or the results I get. Never said I am.

So jason u said slightly lower what did u mean by that? As now u have me thinking more about this

 

[jason2459]

So jason u said slightly lower what did u mean by that? As now u have me thinking more about this

I'll respond back fully later. Going out fishing. [emoji4]

 

[jsker]

Ghosting again Freddie I will also have to look in the Vee Gee

 

[GoVols]

Ghosting again Freddie I will also have to look in the Vee Gee

Jsker,

(Lol) Ghosting is good.
I hope that you and the family are all doing fine.

With the Vee Gee:
I'm getting my ducks in a row with the best testing kits and meters before I go back to the Fritz RPM salt mix.

Then, I will mix a fresh batch of the RPM to 1.025 and test all the big-3.

Then, I will send part of that mixing brew to Triton labs.

I love the Red Sea "Blue Bucket" and it's spot on to their "My Batch" report but I've been dosing it up while mixing to match my display.

I've used IO most of my life an have no problems with that salt either but right now I'm dosing the ABC+ powder and the high alk in the IO with my big water changes knocks the ABC+ powder (dosing) out of rhythm for a day or two.

The one box of RPM that I used nailed my displays big-3 at 1.025sg and I could just keep plugging away with the ABC+ powder without modifying the mix.

So, I want to do a Triton test on the RPM and I can double check all my test kits too.

Shaun at Fritz is always trying to improve on that mix.
So lets see a full blow Triton report on it.

Freddie