The concentration of salt in seawater, known as Salinity, is the single most important factor to having a successful saltwater aquarium. Therefore, we welcome any device that makes reliable and accurate testing of salt concentration any easier, such as the new HI98319 Salinity Tester from Hanna Instruments.
Unlike some other salinity/conductivity ‘meters’ from unknown companies, private labeled for various countries and markets, this Salinity Tester is from a Hanna Instruments, a company known for its work in water quality monitoring. As we can see this is a new device and original design with a modest price, so what makes this Hanna Salinity Tester different?
First of all the Marine Salinity Tester measures “measures conductivity to determine the salinity of natural and artificial seawater” which is displayed as user selectable specific gravity, practical salinity units or parts per thousand – PPT. The handheld tester is small, portable with a long lasting battery and is completely waterproof, a very welcome feature for use around aquariums.
One of the key distinguishing features of the Hanna Salinity Tester is the use of graphite sensors which won’t corrode, unlike stainless steel sensors which will oxidize somewhat, affecting the salinity reading. Since salinity is highly dependent on water temperature you also get instant temperature readings alongside salinity readings. The one thing which is hard to believe about the Hanna Salinity Tester is its very low price of just $69 and provided it is periodically calibrated, this new device could be both faster, easier, cheaper and more accurate than a traditional refractometer. [Hanna]
