Hanna Calc Checker issue

[PeterEde]

So I'm 10 months into reefing and have been using the Redsea Foundation kit and had Alk/Calc sitting nicely.
So when the reagent ran out I bought Hanna kits for Alk/Calc.

I have never got near the readings I was getting with the Redsea. Every test has been at least 40ppm higher.
So I turned off the dosing pump for calc for a few days to drop to where Hanna says 420 as I wanted. Nope even with pump off Calc was rising.
Yesterday I measured Calc at 464 up from the day before. So I did a 2nd test. Surely it can't go up with corals using it? So next test was 560. what the heck

I had enough so went to the lfs and bought a NYOS kit and tested. Pretty much the same titration method as Redsea at 1/2 the cost.
Calc measured 400ppm. As expected it's being depleted.

Possible bad reagent lot? on 2nd refill
Possible I'm doing it wrong? Followed exactly the BRS/Hanna instruction.

Help me Obi Wan. You're my only hope

 

[Dan_P]

So I'm 10 months into reefing and have been using the Redsea Foundation kit and had Alk/Calc sitting nicely.
So when the reagent ran out I bought Hanna kits for Alk/Calc.

I have never got near the readings I was getting with the Redsea. Every test has been at least 40ppm higher.
So I turned off the dosing pump for calc for a few days to drop to where Hanna says 420 as I wanted. Nope even with pump off Calc was rising.
Yesterday I measured Calc at 464 up from the day before. So I did a 2nd test. Surely it can't go up with corals using it? So next test was 560. what the heck

I had enough so went to the lfs and bought a NYOS kit and tested. Pretty much the same titration method as Redsea at 1/2 the cost.
Calc measured 400ppm. As expected it's being depleted.

Possible bad reagent lot? on 2nd refill
Possible I'm doing it wrong? Followed exactly the BRS/Hanna instruction.

Help me Obi Wan. You're my only hope

Are you using distilled or RO and a clean test vial for the calcium test? This test is very sensitive to calcium contamination.

 

[PeterEde]

Are you using distilled or RO and a clean test vial for the calcium test? This test is very sensitive to calcium contamination.

I use my own 0TDS RO and rinse the cuvette in RO before use.
I tried store bought distilled and got worse numbers.

I'll test my RO tonight to verify it's free of Calc or at least give me a base line. But levels should still drop after I stopped dosing instead it continued to rise. where the NYOS showed 400ppm. Which is more inline with expected.
I have watched the Hanna video a number of times.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

best thing i ever did was got rid of the Hanna Calcium checker. no consistently whatsoever. I haven't looked back since switching to Salifert

 

[PeterEde]

best thing i ever did was got rid of the Hanna Calcium checker. no consistently whatsoever. I haven't looked back since switching to Salifert

Yes I think a Calcium checker will be up for sale soon.
I actually liked the NYOS test. Same principle as the Readsea. I'll just swap the test bottle for a RD one and use the RD titration holder. All in one hand. NYOS 1/2 price of the RD

 

[PeterEde]

I tested my RODI water. ZERO Calcium
I then tested tank water with NYOS and Redsea 410 and 420
I tested with the Hanna again. 440
I have either got a bad lot of reagent or my checker is faulty. Hanna Australia dont seem to care and saying it's me. I have followed the procedure and watched the videos. I am doing nothing wrong. Only thing different is I use a 10ml syringe to draw exactly 9ml of RODI instead of using the inaccurate pipette provided