Hanna testers

[Robg]

I normally use Salifert test kits, i recently purchased all Hanna testers and my pH and calcium numbers with the Hanna tests are out of whack, i tested Hanna against my Salifert and even took it to a trusted aquarium store and my Salifert test match the results from the aquarium store. Is anyone else having problems with Hanna testers?

 

[Reefahholic]

I normally use Salifert test kits, i recently purchased all Hanna testers and my pH and calcium numbers with the Hanna tests are out of whack, i tested Hanna against my Salifert and even took it to a trusted aquarium store and my Salifert test match the results from the aquarium store. Is anyone else having problems with Hanna testers?

Maybe you got a bad lot. Mine have been solid.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Maybe you got a bad lot. Mine have been solid.

Agreed check your dates on your reagents, they may be bad . I do the same once a month with my Hanna nitrate, mag and calc, test against the salifert.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Did you watch some videos on YouTube? You have to follow the instructions super specifically or you get error. Any fingerprints or bubbles or too much or too little water, anything at all, can cause error result, it’s very sensitive. Some of the videos will even say that most people use them incorrectly. They have a reputation as the best for a reason.

 

[mdb_talon]

Yes many people have issues with the ph and calc testers being quite a bit off. I find the others to be good except alkalinity the regeants very inconsistent between batches.

 

[Robg]

Did you watch some videos on YouTube? You have to follow the instructions super specifically or you get error. Any fingerprints or bubbles or too much or too little water, anything at all, can cause error result, it’s very sensitive. Some of the videos will even say that most people use them incorrectly. They have a reputation as the best for a reason.

I have phosphate, nitrate, alkalinity as well as the pH and calcium and i did purchase them based on their reputation, my reagents are far from out dated, my only tests that are off are the pH and calcium, I have heard there are issues with Hanna pH tester but didnt here anything wrong with the calcium, Im just getting wrong results from both.

 

[shadow_k]

mine also test perfectly! Took me a while to get in the hang of it . The curve of the vial is what throws me off sometimes

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Did you use distilled water for the calcium test?

 

[Robg]

Did you use distilled water for the calcium test?

I use my RO water

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The instructions are to use distilled water, so perhaps might explain the result for calcium test

I don’t have the ph tester so I can’t comment , I’m still on the fence about a Milauwaukee monitor.

 

[shakacuz]

i feel like my PH tester(white egg) is throwing mixed results at me. my PH is reading over 8.6, but my alk is at 9. shouldn’t PH be lower if alk is high?

 

[Robg]

i feel like my PH tester(white egg) is throwing mixed results at me. my PH is reading over 8.6, but my alk is at 9. shouldn’t PH be lower if alk is high?

Mine is doing the same 8.6 (is basically out of range) but salifert and LFS had 8.2 reading

 

[Alex V.]

I have used Hanna PH for some time and have tried all kind of tricks to see if I get real results with no success. Hanna is always at 8.6 or higher. I know its off because all batches I mix of RO water and tropic Marin Pro Reef are above 8.6. My alkalinity is at 9.5 yet PH is always 8.6. The Calcium test is also too finicky, tried testing 5 times and all five test end in different results. However, I like and used their Alkalinity and Phosphate.
The problem with PH is that you may have a PH of 7.8 corals doing fine and the test will tell you have 8.2 which will bring you a false sense of ideal PH . My PH Probe states 8.0 to 8.2 yet Hanna insists on 8.6+. You know its above 8.6 when the 8.6 starts flashing. I have also checked the PH test against my Calcium reactor and yes the same off results. By no means I am trying to say all PH tests from Hanna are useless or off. I could be testing from a bad reagent batch or human error on my side.

 

[vpierce3]

I use my RO water

You have to use deionized water: RODI not just RO.

 

[Alex V.]

You have to use deionized water: RODI not just RO.

ok I will be more specific:
I am using Spectrapure MAXCAP MC-RODI-90-10-MF System with for stages and dual TDS indicators.

 

[Cool tangs]

LFS generally use Salifert test kits themselves because there cheap(in aus anyway). Unless they have a testing machine or spintouch, etc. Hanna is pretty consistent in its readings. I went from Salifert to Hanna and my Hanna was reading higher on alkalinity as well. I defs trust the Hanna over salifert, as it's pretty easy to add a extra drop when colour changing to the blue in the vial. Salifert is good though don't get me wrong. I also found that the Hanna salinity tester was reading my salinity at 1.020 so I've now dropped my alkalinity and upped my salinity and finding my acropora are doing a lot better now. So for Hanna alkalinity and salinity I defs go by those numbers now.

My trick is I fill both vials and put the reagent in the other. This allows me to test again if I'm sceptical. I especially find this good with Hanna HR copper as that definitely gives me some in consistent readings. But as Hanna states it has a accuracy of .05 for copper so makes sense.

Overall I'd never use any other test kit now, there just so convenient

 

[Cool tangs]

i feel like my PH tester(white egg) is throwing mixed results at me. my PH is reading over 8.6, but my alk is at 9. shouldn’t PH be lower if alk is high?

Higher alkalinity should boost your PH

 

[shakacuz]

Higher alkalinity should boost your PH

interesting. so lowering my alk, should then lower ph?

my alk currently sits around 8.1-8.5. this previous sunday my ph tested for 8.4

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The Hanna calcium checker is freakishly sensitive to low amounts of calcium in the blank. That's why they recommend distilled over RO/DI.

Perfect megaohm DI is, of course, perfectly fine.

But many RO/DI may let some calcium through and that may cause a low calcium reading in the tank water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

interesting. so lowering my alk, should then lower ph?

my alk currently sits around 8.1-8.5. this previous sunday my ph tested for 8.4

There's no reason to want to lower that pH, and lowing the alk a little will have only a small impact on the pH.

Target alk for alk purposes, not for pH purposes, unless you have seriously low pH (below pH 7.8).