A Convenient Hanna Alkalinity Checker Accessory

[trevorhiller]

This isn't exactly a ground breaking hack, lots of people use those cheap adjustable pipettors for the Hanna checkers. I do as well... But I always worry about using the my adjustable pipettor for the water sample and then for the reagent after a near miss of getting the reagent in my tank.

I've seen the little pipettor that comes with the Hanna Calcium checker and found a similar style one available in 1,000 μL (1 mL) volume for use with the Hanna Alkalinity Reagent on Amazon.

It cost me around $17. I did check it on a jeweler scale and one "dose" of fresh tap water weighs 1.000 grams, so it seems spot on for accuracy. I also think the lack of adjustability means the reagent volume is highly repeatable & consistent.

 

[trevorhiller]

On a related note I use these accessories during my testing process as well to make it faster and more repeatable:
Little Funnels
Auto Aqua Smart Stirrer
1-10 mL Adjustable Pipettor

These are all well known, but at least this info will all be in one thread for new hobbyists.

 

[mikem.dvm]

I have a pipette that measures 1-5ml and another one that goes up to 10ml. Makes life a lot easier. can put exactly 10ml in each vial without really having to measure. very accurate.
I also have a test tube rocker for the nitrate and phosphate tests that tell you to mix for 2min. I can do nitrate, phosphate, alk, Ca, mg, and ph in under 10 minutes. test a couple times a month to double check my trident.

 

[Jeeperz]

I have a pipette that measures 1-5ml and another one that goes up to 10ml. Makes life a lot easier. can put exactly 10ml in each vial without really having to measure. very accurate.
I also have a test tube rocker for the nitrate and phosphate tests that tell you to mix for 2min. I can do nitrate, phosphate, alk, Ca, mg, and ph in under 10 minutes. test a couple times a month to double check my trident.

Link to that test tube rocker? Sounds handy for Hanna checkers

 

[Malcontent]

I have some 1, 5, 10 mL pipettes and found that the adjustable models weren't accurate at elevation. I could calibrate at one point (1 mL) but it would be off by quite a bit at the other end of the range (10 mL). If I calibrated in the middle (5 mL) both endpoints would be off. The larger the capacity pipette, the greater the problem.

I eventually got positive displacement pipettes which aren't affected by elevation.

 

[mikem.dvm]

Link to that test tube rocker? Sounds handy for Hanna checkers

I'm a vet and got it from a veterinary distributor. ITs made to rock blood samples back and forth. There are some on amazon but WAY more than what I paid.