Hanna Calcium checker - Instruction confused.

[Aquaman102]

I got a Hanna Calcium checker, but I am confused with the instructions.

It says to use deionized water, but assume that means tank water?

Also, the step about using the mini-pipette instructing to use.1 ml of the sample to the cuvette... What does that mean?

 

[KrisReef]

You are diluting the sample in that step.

You need to add deionized water to avoid adding other elements that would mess up the dilution.

 

[Aquaman102]

So it's add 10 ml of ro/di water, then 0.1 ml of tank water?

 

[KrisReef]

Ok, Lets start over. ( I never bought this Hanna meter because I heard the instructions are as bad as they get!

The first step is diluting 1 ml of the reagent 1 with 9 mls of DI water for total of 10.
Shake the vial.
Then run that through the meter to zero it.

Remove the zeroed cuvette and add .1 ml (using the mini-pipette)
Then add reagent B from the packet, shake for 15 seconds until the powder dissolves, let the solution settle for a few seconds to allow the air bubbles to dissipate

Put the cuvette back in the meter and take the reading.

 

[boacvh]

Yes. I was confused too at first but it's very simple actually.
Fill 1ml of the reagent using the syringe.
Then fill with rodi up to the 10ml line.
Put into checker and press until you see c2
Then you open and put the packet in and use the special pipette to add 0.1ml of tank water
Then put back in checker and hit button again and you are done.

As for how the pipette works you can press the plunger and will feel like 2 "steps". You put in the tank and press to fill to the 1st step and then you put into the vial and press until you feel the second step. That will basically empty the .1 ml exactly into the vial

 

[Terri Caton]

Yea. It takes some thinking to figure it out.

Exactly as @boacvh said above.

Let me say about the step adding the tank water. Try it out first. Take the funky pipette and push the plunger down not to hard. You will feel it stop. Then push down a little more and it wil stop again. Place the tip into your tank. Push down to the first stop and release. Put the pipette into the curettes. Push down to the second stop. That will dispense .1 ml of tank water in the cuvette.

Tip: for every step of Hanna Checkers in the meter make sure the “10 ml” print is facing front. That way the light will go through the glass at the same place every time. Different areas of glass can distort differently and affect the reading.

 

[krash7172]

Got mine today actually. Agreed per above. Seemed like a bunch when you open the case but not bad really. I watched BRS vid using it.

 

[Aquaman102]

Thanks All! I was having a hard time trusting that .1 ml of tank water was enough to get an accurate reading! Guess it must be though.

 

[Sosuke]

I just watched the video they had on youtube

 

[MichaelReefer]

Thanks All! I was having a hard time trusting that .1 ml of tank water was enough to get an accurate reading! Guess it must be though.

Haha, I got mine a few days ago and was so confused. Had to watch their youtube video lol.

 

[Aquaman102]

I just watched the video they had on youtube

Good call. Didn't think about YouTube!

Here's the video if anyone needs it:

 

[gotmesalty77]

Often our rodi doesn't pull all of the calcium out its recommended to use vapor distilled water from pharmacy or hanna themselves. The calcium checker is on tight parameters due to small sample size so it's extremely sensitive.

 

[Aquaman102]

Often our rodi doesn't pull all of the calcium out its recommended to use vapor distilled water from pharmacy or hanna themselves. The calcium checker is on tight parameters due to small sample size so it's extremely sensitive.

Seems I might need to get some deionized water. I did the test right, but I used ro/di water and got a reading of 588.

 

[clm65]

I like this video. I use the recommended CVS distilled water and my results are very believable.

 

[jordan9095]

I would return it & just use a test kit. They are more accurate in my experience and cheaper. This checker has an accuracy of ±6%. If your reading is 425, your CA can be from 400 - 450. I was disappointed to find this out after buying it and getting unreliable readings. The CA test can easily go wrong as well if you don't have a clean cuvette and DI water

 

[gotmesalty77]

Seems I might need to get some deionized water. I did the test right, but I used ro/di water and got a reading of 588.

So i ripped through many testing reagents trying to produce repeatable results and readings that actaully madde sense. Using the distilled water and really beginning a strict process in how i test changed the readings quite a bit. Some other things that i personally do is use the same exact cuvette every test. Always the one on the left, no real reason just consistency. then i tak]e a marker and mark on the checker a small back verticle line that represets exactly where i should put the 10ML part of the marking, again just an easy place to find on the cuvette and match up to the line on the checker. Every step of that process is important and needs to be followed to the letter.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks All! I was having a hard time trusting that .1 ml of tank water was enough to get an accurate reading! Guess it must be though.

It is a very poor product design. It is exquisitely sensitive to tiny traces of calcium in the diluting water. 1 ppm calcium in that water leads to a huge error due to this massive dilution.

 

[Kzang]

So it's add 10 ml of ro/di water, then 0.1 ml of tank water?

yes.