beachy Posted April 21, 2006 Report Share Posted April 21, 2006 What are the most acurate types of thermometers? Im sure this was posted here not that long ago, but i cant find it. Is there any really acurate aquarium thermometers? i have an aquaone digital, and im sure it reads just over 1 deg to high. What do most people here use, mercury or digi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted April 21, 2006 Report Share Posted April 21, 2006 I have a digital one, I don't think it's particularly accurate. The instructions say to put the probe furtherest away from the filter outlet, but it still seems to fluctuate heaps. I am thinking of getting one of those glass and red alcohol ones with a suction cup that goes in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stompa Posted April 21, 2006 Report Share Posted April 21, 2006 i agree..... ive use a digital thats has the wire in the tank and a mercury and a digi stick on the front ... use them all on the same tank at the same time and they all read differently .... so beats me whic one to trust.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachy Posted April 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2006 I am thinking of getting one of those glass and red alcohol ones with a suction cup that goes in the tank. me too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted April 21, 2006 Report Share Posted April 21, 2006 For supreme accuracy.. go to the Chemist and get one for testing human temps. They have much strickter quality control on these. Then check your others against it... you "may" be surprised at the variations. Zev wrote: I am thinking of getting one of those glass and red alcohol ones with a suction cup that goes in the tank. Last batch of these I bought (6).. there were two that "almost" gave the right temp.. the other four went in the bin. Now I get into the habit of testing the temp through the glass with the back of my hand as I feed out each day... mind you.. I'm not bothered about a degree or two either way.. so this works for me Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachy Posted April 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2006 Thanks Bill, i have tried a digital probe kind from the chemist, the kind that beeps when its taken the temp, they dont seem to work. So i guess its the glass ones are the ones to get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted April 21, 2006 Report Share Posted April 21, 2006 I meant the glass type that you put under your tongue.. not the digi ones Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachy Posted April 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2006 cool 8) , thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsarmina Posted April 22, 2006 Report Share Posted April 22, 2006 i have 3 tanks set at about 26oC. i can tell by touching the glass on all 3 if there is a temp problem. i also have one of those external stick on thermometers and an internal glass one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted April 22, 2006 Report Share Posted April 22, 2006 i have both glass and a digi, the digi is out by 1C and fluctuates ALOT, it tells me my tanks fluctuating from 27-29 in half an hour!? it could be my heater though which im goin to replace (its a jebo and ive heard they can be pretty inacurate, itll let the temp drop to 27C before turning on and bringing it back up to 29C- according to the digi). i might just go to the chemist but i like to check the temp lots, that would be taping it to the tank or something right? i have a stick on thermom, the ones that sit on the outside and i think theyre useless, they get affected by air temps too much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 I am thinking of getting one of those glass and red alcohol ones with a suction cup that goes in the tank Umm...isn't that mercury in them?????? I tried one of the stick on the outside digitals ones, I don't know it wasn't working correctly but I found it realy hard to see the temp. Am I understanding you correctly Bill, a "human" thermometer that you would stick under the tongue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 For supreme accuracy.. go to the Chemist and get one for testing human temps. They have much strickter quality control on these. I had a look at these the other day, the only ones they had started at 35degC, not much good for fish temps, and the little line of mercury was soo hard to see, even with the beveled side of the glass that is supposed to magnify it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachy Posted April 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 True, interesting thanks, i might look into a dairy thermometer, my mates a dairy farmer, he might be able to get a good deal for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 Umm...isn't that mercury in them?????? There hasn't been a thermometer made using mercury(Except for maybe some specialist ones) in like 30 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 :oops: :oops: that's how much I know...so what is the "red" stuff in them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 Alcohol. With red dye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 Gee I didn't know that! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachy Posted April 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 so what is the little silver balls that comes out of the bottom pf the red ones when they break? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 Mercury, which expands and contracts with the temperature and pushes the alcohol up and down the tube. Those little silver balls are poisonous, btw. Really cool to play with though.... they break and combine like the quicksilver Terminator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 but I thought: There hasn't been a thermometer made using mercury(Except for maybe some specialist ones) in like 30 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachy Posted April 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 Cool, thanks. Done a google on it, but didnt have much luck, cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 The ones I used to use.. (which I am pretty sure were for human use..).. were used for our incubators for egg hatching.. and they certainly didn't "start" at 35c. Other types we had were the long glass ones.. possibly for brewing.. can't remember. Both types were around 6mm diam. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 Here are some temp comparisons from my 2ft tank. Temps above taken from the same spot in the tank - furtherest point from the heater. The heaterstat is set to 24 deg. Temp of middle of tank 25.2deg. The Fluke is calibrated annually, so is the most accurate thing I can find to measure temp (rather an expensive option, though, at roughly $500.00) Whilst some of you say that you can check the temp by putting your hand on the glass, some of us newbies are reluctant to trust ourselves with this sort of method, and are always seeking reassurances - albeit from obviously not so accurate thermometers - that all is well in our tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 Yes, I was wondering that as well Luke, about the mercury that is :-? Okay, the thermometers I have are the small stick on inside of tank ones because that's all you get around here! But, is the temp in the entire tank going to be 100% consistent throughout and if it's not, does that mean the heater isn't efficient OR is the thermometer off???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 Those little balls aren't mercury and they aren't used to push the alcohol up. They're little balls of iron or steel. They're used to weigh down the bottom so the thermometer floats vertically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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