Do you trust your Hanna Alk Checker?

[DE FISH]

Clue is in the title do you trust your Hanna alk checker ? Interested to see what the general thought is compared to a standard Alk test like salifert, Red Sea ect

if yes or no please state why in the comments below

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

Why wouldn't I? It is the best out there from my reading. If something seems off I do usually check with a salifert and sometimes with the lfs, but for the most part I have no reason not too.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Ditched mine a long time ago after getting wildly different readings between reagents. Have had the Alkatronic for about 6 years and back that up with weekly Salifert tests.

 

[X-37B]

My Hanna runs consistently .4 higher than Salifert and Elos.
So Hanna at 8.4 for me is an 8.

 

[JPM San Diego]

No test is perfect. Neither is the human eye. A colorimetric test with a gradual color change requires human interpretation. I prefer an electronic test over trusting my eyes. That said, I use fresh reagents and try to keep the glass clean, etc

 

[Reeferbadness]

I test both of my tanks regularly using the hanna and have had no issues over 2 years. The hanna calcium checker, not so much (ditched that for salifert after wildrly different readings )

 

[DE FISH]

I test both of my tanks regularly using the hanna and have had no issues over 2 years. The hanna calcium checker, not so much (ditched that for salifert after wildrly different readings )

Haven’t even bothered buying the cal checker based on feedback on here

 

[Gtinnel]

I periodically use a red sea test to verify my results and my Hanna checker has always matched the red sea test.

 

[flyingscampi]

I think the reagent goes off 3 - 4 months after opening, the KH starts climbing a bit. I test once a week so I get about 16 tests from a 25 test bottle. I always keep the lid on the bottle as much as possible.

Another giveaway is that the KH also creeps up on a newly mixed batch of saltwater. To check my salinity readings are correct, I always check the KH, Ca, & Mg are close to the published parameters for the TM Pro salt I use.

I also use a Salifert KH kit which consistently reads about 0.5 higher than the Hanna.

Edit: Just to clarify, I use Salifert kits for Ca & Mg.

 

[uzreefer]

I am beginning to count less on mine. My Alk reading has been going up for the last 2-3 weeks. I even stopped dosing all together. I kept comparing results between Hanna and Salifert tests. At one point there was a 1.6 dKH differenceHanna showing the higher reading.

I ordered the Hanna Alk Calibration Check Set, which came today. I ran 10 tests using the Check Set, and got a different reading each time, ranging from 4.8 to 5.1 dKH. The Certificate of Analysis that came with Check Set says the "acceptable results must be between 4.7 and 5.3 dKH." This is a 0.6 dKH of variation which is consistent with the precision of the Hanna Alk Checker itself.

I guess the good news is that I got the Check Set's intended reading of 5.0 dKH 4 times out of 10, so maybe there is some comfort in this. But overall, Hanna Alk Checker is far from an accurate tool to measure alkalinity in the tank.

 

[X-37B]

Mine is always .4 higher than salifert, verified by another test kit.
I now use Salifert on 3 systems. I use the low range and it provides up to 200 tests and is fast.
Hanna is now used as a spot check if something is off.

 

[PatW]

I routinely use Salifert, Red Sea Pro and Hanna. Salifert reads higher than the others. But I look for changes in the values so I can be precise in dosing. In my experience, they all vary by about the same amount.

With Salifert, I watch the vial very carefully as I approach the end point. When I no longer see a change in color where the titrant falls, I know I am done.

With Red Sea Pro, it is a bit of by guess and by golly. The color change goes from blue to yellow, but you are supposed to stop at a green that has ceased to have any blue (or so I interpret it).

The Hanna is nice because there is no interpretation at all. So given my lack of confidence in my eyes, I would expect it to be more consistent than the other two. And from my results, it just isn’t. And there is the disturbing matter of Hanna not being able to produce consistent reagent. When I use a new bottle, there can be a noticeable difference in reading. Salifert and Red Sea do not have this problem.

But, given all that, it is a good test And it requires zero interpretation.

 

[EricR]

I trust the checker.
Not sure how much I trust the reagent and for how long after opening.

 

[Nhjmc]

I learned a very hard lesson not to 100% trust hanna alk checker. Apparently had a bottle of "bad" reagent and dosing tank thinking alk was low when SKY HIGH and believe that is why I lost ALOT of coral and fast. Just this past weekend I first "calibrated" my checker using "Marine Alkalinity Checker HC Calibration Check Set" then tested using reagent purchased in August and tested using reagent purchased in Dec. readings were VERY different, 6.5 using older bottle, 9.6 using newer bottle. I contacted Hanna and was told the reagent is good for one year as long as stored properly (cool dry place) which it is. I ordered another reagent should be here any day very curious reading I'll get.

 

[Nhjmc]

I trust the checker.
Not sure how much I trust the reagent and for how long after opening.

Exactly. Hanna customer service told me "good for one year" I find that very hard to believe nor trust that.

 

[Dburr1014]

I do.
As Lasse said, regents in the fridge will last longer, as in like freshly opened.

 

[codenfx]

wow after reading this thread, I'll need to get salifert kit as a backup. My alk is low right now according to the checker and I was planning to dose but will check with salifert first.

 

[DE FISH]

I read on here to keep the reagent in the fridge once open helps keep consistent readings

@Dburr1014 you beat me to it lol

 

[MONTANTK]

I trust mine. I use it regularly and never get any funky readings even after changing reagents

 

[Lividfanatica]

I use mine on occasion to verify my trident isn't telling me lies. So far so good (on both counts, unless they are in cahoots and colluding to give me false information). Checker is a couple of years old and I try to use my reagent within 6 months of opening.