TM hydrometer vs Hannah Salinity/temp monitor

Court_Appointed_Hypeman · Jul 28, 2024

Alright guys, I have heard the buzz for a long time about how good hydrometer are, and want to make sure I am looking at this right.

I have been considering it for a long time getting one, but BRS made the decision for me as I won a big box of stuff that included the hydrometer.

I have used it a few times in tank and I get a clear reading every time that is consistent with changes in my system. So It's clear to me it's at the least consistent. But always off from my hannah stick, and further more even freshly calibrated, 2 minutes later the hannah will give me a different reading .4 ppt different than it's previous reading. So it's clear to me that the hydrometer is the best to trust.

I got a graduated cylinder today, so I can be sure my results are acurate, and included photo was my result. To the eye it's 1.0267 but photo I think the meniscus makes it appear slightly deeper.

My hannah is reading 34.1 ppt, a fairly substantial difference. Though while I am consistently getting this reading, iirc this is withing it's margin of error of 1.026

TLDR: am I reading this hydrometer correctly, and am I right to trust it over the hannah?

Edit: water temp was 77.8 during the readings in the cylinder.

Mechano · Jul 29, 2024

Yes. The hydrometer is a better option in my opinion.
I don’t trust the Hannah salinity pen at all and got rid of it. Also refractometer constantly need adjustment and recals as well.

The hydrometer is idiot proof, just make sure the water is at 77 degrees and read it in the graduated cylinder and done…no nonsense.

Court_Appointed_Hypeman · Jul 29, 2024

Mechano said:
Yes. The hydrometer is a better option in my opinion.
I don’t trust the Hannah salinity pen at all and got rid of it. Also refractometer constantly need adjustment and recals as well.

The hydrometer is idiot proof, just make sure the water is at 77 degrees and read it in the graduated cylinder and done…no nonsense.

Yeah given this I am not even sure keeping track of the deviation of the hannah is worth it as a quick method of measurement, it's easy enough even in a small tank that doesn't really accommodate me sticking the graduated cylinder in it, to just use a measuring up to fill it for measurement. At first I was thinking it would be worth it to continue to use as a quick test, but at it's cost, i'd be better posting it on marketplace.

Mechano · Jul 29, 2024

Court_Appointed_Hypeman said:
Yeah given this I am not even sure keeping track of the deviation of the hannah is worth it as a quick method of measurement, it's easy enough even in a small tank that doesn't really accommodate me sticking the graduated cylinder in it, to just use a measuring up to fill it for measurement. At first I was thinking it would be worth it to continue to use as a quick test, but at it's cost, i'd be better posting it on marketplace.

Yeah, it just become more “work” in a hobby that should be simplified as much as possible so it’s more enjoyable.

Even when I calibrated my hanna tester, it still was precise. At the end of the day, the hydrometer doesn’t lie. It’s either good or bad salinity readings—-simple