The importance to keep you refractometer calibrated

[Magostini]

It is very simple, but I forgot to do it.
After 10 years of my red sea max 130d, reading, testing and learning a lot, I set my 100 gallon tank 70 days ago. Since the beginning I tested a lot... Followed day by day the cycling process, adding fish, corals and etc. I prepared a sump with UV, refugium, good skimmer, co2 scrubber dosing pump and etc.
Lots of red sea, tropic Marin, Hanna tests and seneye monitoring.

And I was fighting against the low alkalinity, low magnesium and calcium despite the use of 100% of red sea coral pro...

But yesterday, only 70 days after set the tank I thought about the calibration of refractometer.... And just confirmed... My tank was all the time at 1020....and not 1025...dosing lots of MG and alk mainly.

Today I adjusted the salinity (the other issue... I shouldn't do it in one time... But I didn't think about that).

Well, the result now is:
Alk at 10 dkh, calcium at 480 and MG at 1600.
Luckly fish and corals are fine... The water now is clearer, it is more beautiful. During this 70 days, the only loss, some weeks ago, my blenny Midas decided to jump and my dog decided to have fish in the lunch... But I don't think things are related.

Well just to reinforce : calibrate your refractometer... You will save time and money.....

At least, Chemistry is making sense again...

Best

 

[M Stein]

How long have you gone without calibrating?

 

[Zer0]

I calibrate my digital one monthly, since salinity is pretty much the only thing I test for, unless of course things look off.

 

[Magostini]

How long have you gone without calibrating?

Many months ago... Adjusted procedure...

 

[mikereefing]

I would also suggest you make your own refractometer solution from the recipe that Randy posted. I had a similar issue where I would have to recalibrate my refractometer every day. I thought this was weird and my corals looked really unhappy. Did an ICP test and it turns out that my two bottles of refractometer solutions were reading way too low! My 1.026 was actually 1.022. I made my own solution using Randy's recipe and since then it's been 100% spot on.

 

[Nano Saltyy]

I would also suggest you make your own refractometer solution from the recipe that Randy posted. I had a similar issue where I would have to recalibrate my refractometer every day. I thought this was weird and my corals looked really unhappy. Did an ICP test and it turns out that my two bottles of refractometer solutions were reading way too low! My 1.026 was actually 1.022. I made my own solution using Randy's recipe and since then it's been 100% spot on.

Share Randy’s recipe link please.