Salinity Probe

[pixelpixi]

I'm thinking about getting a salinity probe and I was wondering if anyone has recommendations. Here's what google found for me:

The pinpoint salinity monitor seems to be the most common. Anyone use it? Is it good?

http://www.americanmarineusa.com/salinityfacts.html

There's a Tunze meter. It's pretty expensive, though. I can't see spending $300 on a conductivity meter.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~category~Tunze_Conductivity_Meter_Max_200_ms_7032m_Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies_Testing_Equipment_Monitor_Equipment_Single_Item_Monitors___Controllers~vendor~Tunze~SearchStr~~action~view~idProduct~TZ7171~idCategory~FITEMOID~tab~1.html

The hanna salintest looks okay. It's a sodium ion probe not a conductivity probe. Strangely, it reads values which are inversely proportional to NaCl concentration. :-

http://www.hannainst.com/usa/prods2.cfm?id=002003&ProdCode=HI%2098203

There's this one from omega, with readings in % salinity. I guess 35ppt would be 3.5%. Their spec sheet says the accuracy is only +/- .5 in that range, which would be +/- 5ppt. Do I have a digit in the wrong place? That seems really bad.

http://www.omega.com/pptst/CDH45.html

So I guess I'm leaning towards the pinpoint. Any others I should consider?

 

[Tumbleweed]

I have heard that the pinpoint equipment is good and reliable. Have you considered getting a controller with a salinity and PH meter for it?

 

[pixelpixi]

Cool. I'm glad to hear that they're reliable.

I'm building my own controller, but in the meantime I need a decent salinity meter. Actually, even though it's not finished that's what I'd been using, but the salinity probe got a short (I think some water leaked into the handle) and stopped working reliably.

Regardless, I figure I won't want to pull the controller's probe out of the sump when I'm mixing salt water, checking quarantine tanks, etc. so a separate meter would still be useful.

 

[islandcreation]

How many gallons is the tank? If its a large volume a salinity probe isn't really necessary as long as your top off is systems working testing with a refractometer should be 1-2 times a week. I have a 120 but plumbed to a 45 sump and a refugium 75. I test 1 to 2 times week. Its pretty hard to have salinity swing that much if your topoff is working correctly. I wa going to get a salinity probe too but got talked out of it.

Look at the reviews for the americanmarineusa

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~category~American_Marine_Pinpoint_Salinity_Monitor_Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies_Testing_Equipment_Monitor_Equipment_Single_Item_Monitors___Controllers~vendor~American_Marine~SearchStr~~action~view~idProduct~AM1115~idCategory~FITEMOID~tab~4.html


Good luck