3 different alk test brands 3 different results

[dannyboy92]

This is driving me nuts. should i just stick to one brand and call it a day? Everything looks healthy in my tank and i'm going to start dosing alk but don't know which test to believe.

Hana: 8.2
Local fish store: 7.1
Red Sea Pro: 6.5

 

[Denisk]

I usually wouldn’t overthink this. I use the Hanna one and just make sure it stays consistent. Don’t worry too much about different tests kits showing different results.

 

[ScubaShane]

Agreed!!! ^

 

[Sean Clark]

Trends will serve you better than any single test. You are using home grade hobby test kits. Your expectations of the accuracy should be in line with that.

 

[dannyboy92]

alright thanks everyone. was about to go buy every test kit on the market lol.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Trends will serve you better than any single test. You are using home grade hobby test kits. Your expectations of the accuracy should be in line with that.

Just be careful when you get to expiration dates. My Red Sea alk expired early and showed high alk when in reality it was dangerously low.

 

[dannyboy92]

Just be careful when you get to expiration dates. My Red Sea alk expired early and showed high alk when in reality it was dangerously l

i checked the red sea test kit i bought today from the LFS and it says it expires in 2023. do you know if that means it's good for the entire year or expires at the start of 2023?

 

[bushdoc]

This is driving me nuts. should i just stick to one brand and call it a day? Everything looks healthy in my tank and i'm going to start dosing alk but don't know which test to believe.

Hana: 8.2
Local fish store: 7.1
Red Sea Pro: 6.5

In case of Alkalinity, difference between 6.5 and 8.2 dKH is too much to ignore.
Hana is reliable and reputable instrument albeit bit expensive to run.
Red Sea has got some reliable test kits, but not sure if Alkalinity is the one.
Many people (including myself) are using Salifert for Alkalinity. I started using Aquaforest recently, which gives me virtually same results as Salifert and additionally they have calibration fluid included in a set.
Who knows what LFS is using, API?

 

[dannyboy92]

In case of Alkalinity, difference between 6.5 and 8.2 dKH is too much to ignore.
Hana is reliable and reputable instrument albeit bit expensive to run.
Red Sea has got some reliable test kits, but not sure if Alkalinity is the one.
Many people (including myself) are using Salifert for Alkalinity. I started using Aquaforest recently, which gives me virtually same results as Salifert and additionally they have calibration fluid included in a set.
Who knows what LFS is using, API?

that difference is what has me puzzled too which is why i went out and got the red sea kit thinking it would give me a better idea of which one is accurate but it just threw out another crazy number. might just spend the money and grab a salifert as well, just annoyed i'm wasting money on test kits that i'll probably never use after.

 

[stoney7713]

I use Salifert for alk, also used API, both were very close in my experience. I find Salifert is crazy easy for alk. API is a pain counting drops. The only Hanna checker I have is for phosphate.

 

[bushdoc]

that difference is what has me puzzled too which is why i went out and got the red sea kit thinking it would give me a better idea of which one is accurate but it just threw out another crazy number. might just spend the money and grab a salifert as well, just annoyed i'm wasting money on test kits that i'll probably never use after.

If you have Hana, you should be good, I would rely on it. Also tests which are using titration require very strict adherence to how you perform the procedure, for example shaking/swirling sample for certain amount of seconds after EACH drop administered.

 

[vtecintegra]

Buy the Alk standard for the Hanna. Confirm its accuracy, and use that.

 

[anthonygf]

You can also get an ICP test done and see how close it is to your tests and pick the one that is closest to ICP. I do ICP for other reasons and picked the test kit that is closer to ICP, and I think they would be closer to the actual value than your test kits. This is my reasoning anyway, and just my opinion.

 

[gbroadbridge]

This is driving me nuts. should i just stick to one brand and call it a day? Everything looks healthy in my tank and i'm going to start dosing alk but don't know which test to believe.

Hana: 8.2
Local fish store: 7.1
Red Sea Pro: 6.5

Nothing wrong with any of those numbers. Consistency is the key.
Stop driving yourself nuts Pick a kit and get it to around 8dkH and keep it there.

 

[gbru316]

Make an alkalinity standard, repeat the tests. Use the kit that most closely matches the standard.

DIY alkalinity standard

For folks who may want to evaluate the accuracy of their alkalinity test kits, here are two suggested ways to do it. One is DIY and one is a mostly commercial standard with one DIY step. Method 1 Standard solutions could be made with sodium bicarbonate, but it can be hard to be sure it hasn't...

www.reef2reef.com

For what it's worth, I've found Salifert both more accurate and more consistent than Hanna.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

i checked the red sea test kit i bought today from the LFS and it says it expires in 2023. do you know if that means it's good for the entire year or expires at the start of 2023?

Mine says 0424 which means April, 2024. If yours is missing a month date, I would check with whoever you purchased it from for a replacement.

Mine old set was due to expire in December when it was already toast in November. As I result, I needlessly spent money on a second doser.

 

[gbroadbridge]

i checked the red sea test kit i bought today from the LFS and it says it expires in 2023. do you know if that means it's good for the entire year or expires at the start of 2023?

It means it expires at the end of 2023 i.e. 12/23

 

[gbroadbridge]

Buy the Alk standard for the Hanna. Confirm its accuracy, and use that.

I'm not sure why so many trust Hanna Alk.

It has wild variations between reagent batches of up to +- 0.6 dkH.
It is supposed to be used within 3 months of opening and drifts a lot once opened even in 3 months.
Many refrigerate the Hanna Reagent which does sometime extend it out to past 6 months, but is a pain.

Honestly, I threw mine in the trash and went back to Salifert which is without a doubt the most consistent and reliable Alk test available.

I use the salifert to check the kH Keeper auto titrator test and it is always spot on.

The is a DIY Alk test you can do for super reliability but does require an accurate pH Meter and a standard Acid.

 

[dannyboy92]

I'm not sure why so many trust Hanna Alk.

It has wild variations between reagent batches of up to +- 0.6 dkH.
It is supposed to be used within 3 months of opening and drifts a lot once opened even in 3 months.
Many refrigerate the Hanna Reagent which does sometime extend it out to past 6 months, but is a pain.

Honestly, I threw mine in the trash and went back to Salifert which is without a doubt the most consistent and reliable Alk test available.

I use the salifert to check the kH Keeper auto titrator test and it is always spot on.

The is a DIY Alk test you can do for super reliability but does require an accurate pH Meter and a standard Acid.

going to buy the salifert and test it against the red sea then just stick with one brand. what do you use to test ca, mag and nitrates/phosphates?

 

[anthonygf]

I use (Salifert for Calcium and nitrates Hanna as a back up for Calcium); Red Sea for Magnesium; Hanna for both phosphates and ULR phosphorus. I have tried them all in the past 7 years and find these the best, most consistent for me.