Hannah Alk checker vs. salifer

[Max93]

Hello,

not really sure what’s going on here. My Hannah checker shows 8.9 - 9.0 alk (10ml mark and 10ml syringe) but then my salifer consistently shows 7.7 - 8.0…

Which is it? I’m getting a second salifert kit to check the first one to see where it lands momentarily.

 

[Max93]

Second salifert tests at 6.7-7.0 (two tests)

 

[Biglew11]

Do you have any calibration solutions? Neptune, fauna marin multi-reference?
My hanna alk checker reads both of these about one Dkh higher than listed. My trident reads them spot on.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hello,

not really sure what’s going on here. My Hannah checker shows 8.9 - 9.0 alk (10ml mark and 10ml syringe) but then my salifer consistently shows 7.7 - 8.0…

Which is it? I’m getting a second salifert kit to check the first one to see where it lands momentarily.

The color change on the salifert is tricky.

If the solution has gone completely pink you've gone too far. and you need to use the reading about 0.2-0.4ml above that on the syringe.

As soon as it has started to turn pink is about the right place.

In any event, the actual number is not that important - more important is to try and keep the number and test method consistent.

Your tank is probably swinging +/- 0.5 dKh over 24 hours anyway - testing at the same time is also important.

 

[Max93]

Do you have any calibration solutions? Neptune, fauna marin multi-reference?
My hanna alk checker reads both of these about one Dkh higher than listed. My trident reads them spot on.

I don’t have a calibration solution but should definitely acquire one.

 

[Max93]

The color change on the salifert is tricky.

If the solution has gone completely pink you've gone too far. and you need to use the reading about 0.2-0.4ml above that on the syringe.

As soon as it has started to turn pink is about the right place.

In any event, the actual number is not that important - more important is to try and keep the number and test method consistent.

Your tank is probably swinging +/- 0.5 dKh over 24 hours anyway - testing at the same time is also important.

It is very tricky, once I get the initial pink “flash” I do one drop at a time and as soon as it’s a dark pink that’s where I measure. So it lands anywhere from .50 to .48 in the chart hence why I say 7.7 - 8.0.

back to the Hannah - I realized my Reagant was still warm from being outside in the heat for about an hour (just got delivered today), and I just retested it and it came back at 8.7. Maybe the temperature affected it, I will retest in 30 minutes to see if that shows up as 8.0. I will say though that my salifert kit always testing the same is a good sign even if I’m overdoing it on the drops, at least it’s consistent at the 7.7-8.0.

 

[radfly]

My Hanna reads 1dkh higher than my Salifert. Guess we are in the same boat.

 

[gbroadbridge]

It is very tricky, once I get the initial pink “flash” I do one drop at a time and as soon as it’s a dark pink that’s where I measure. So it lands anywhere from .50 to .48 in the chart hence why I say 7.7 - 8.0.

back to the Hannah - I realized my Reagant was still warm from being outside in the heat for about an hour (just got delivered today), and I just retested it and it came back at 8.7. Maybe the temperature affected it, I will retest in 30 minutes to see if that shows up as 8.0. I will say though that my salifert kit always testing the same is a good sign even if I’m overdoing it on the drops, at least it’s consistent at the 7.7-8.0.

Don't forget the measurement uncertainty of the Hanna is +/- 0.3, so both the measurments are within spec, especially as they were taken at different times

 

[Max93]

This drives me bonkers.

I guess we’re all measuring nothing accurately lol. I did all these tests back to back at the same time. Meaning, I did SIX alk tests with salifer and Hannah to check myself.

 

[Justdrew]

This drives me bonkers.

I guess we’re all measuring nothing accurately lol. I did all these tests back to back at the same time. Meaning, I did SIX alk tests with salifer and Hannah to check myself.

Just looking for consistency. I have Salifert and Hanna, but mine measure within .3 of each other.

 

[Max93]

Just looking for consistency. I have Salifert and Hanna, but mine measure within .3 of each other.

It’s good to remember just consistency. With that said though, I would like to get away from salifer and stick with Hannah.. I’ll let my tank come down slowly so I’m not making it swing and adjust with what Hannah says.

 

[reaper93]

Yeah what others have said, go for consistency over exact numbers

 

[gbroadbridge]

This drives me bonkers.

I guess we’re all measuring nothing accurately lol. I did all these tests back to back at the same time. Meaning, I did SIX alk tests with salifer and Hannah to check myself.

You're attempting to measure a moving target with a hobby grade tool

My auto tester which tests much more consistently than I ever can shows the moving target.

 

[Biglew11]

You can use the hanna and adjust your alk with those numbers. Just keep in mind that your actual alk is one dkh lower than what hanna is reading.

Your 8.9-9 reading with hanna puts your tank at about 8 dkh a nice sweet spot that allows a little room to be a little high or lower. If you go to 8 Dkh with the hanna this will put your tank at 7 Dkh.

 

[Max93]

You can use the hanna and adjust your alk with those numbers. Just keep in mind that your actual alk is one dkh lower than what hanna is reading.

Your 8.9-9 reading with hanna puts your tank at about 8 dkh a nice sweet spot that allows a little room to be a little high or lower. If you go to 8 Dkh with the hanna this will put your tank at 7 Dkh.

Is Hannah being off by 1.0 a known thing? Just wondering why the manufacturer doesn’t state, subtract 1.0. Just curious as to why we have to learn about this via forums.

but if that’s the case, then my salifert more accurate, but Hannah is easier just remember to subtract 1.0 which then matches my salifert results.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Is Hannah being off by 1.0 a known thing? Just wondering why the manufacturer doesn’t state, subtract 1.0. Just curious as to why we have to learn about this via forums.

but if that’s the case, then my salifert more accurate, but Hannah is easier just remember to subtract 1.0 which then matches my salifert results.

Just remember that when it's time to open a new bottle of reagent, do a test with the old reagent and one with the new from a sample of water taken at the same time.

They can shift quite significantly between batches. I've had a jump of 0.5 from old to new.

 

[mdb_talon]

It’s good to remember just consistency. With that said though, I would like to get away from salifer and stick with Hannah.. I’ll let my tank come down slowly so I’m not making it swing and adjust with what Hannah says.

If you want consistency though an entire bottle of reagent and consistent to the next bottle of reagent i recommend stick with salifert. Hanna can be very consistent test to test but has variation between bottles of reagent and the older the bottle is the more it has changed from initial readings.

 

[Justdrew]

Is Hannah being off by 1.0 a known thing? Just wondering why the manufacturer doesn’t state, subtract 1.0. Just curious as to why we have to learn about this via forums.

but if that’s the case, then my salifert more accurate, but Hannah is easier just remember to subtract 1.0 which then matches my salifert results.

I don't buy that it is a known thing. My Hanna and Salifert are within .3 of each other. I'lll take my Hanna values as actual values. Testing fresh TM Pro it comes out exactly where the manufacturer states. Bad advice to say always subtract 1.

 

[Max93]

I don't buy that it is a known thing. My Hanna and Salifert are within .3 of each other. I'lll take my Hanna values as actual values. Testing fresh TM Pro it comes out exactly where the manufacturer states. Bad advice to say always subtract 1.

Gah, so I don’t know what to trust. It’s very conflicting information - would explain why some of my acros have burnt tips though. Although consistent, I feel that the initial swing up caused a burn.

 

[homer1475]

I've used hanna exclusively for the last 5 years, and salifert(my old backup that I used for the last 20 years) as a reference if something comes up wonky with the Hanna.

Always within a couple tenths of each other. Hanna being 1 dkh higher is pure BS and is not an issue with the hanna. I honestly have never had any of the issues that most report in here with the reagents. The most I have found between bottles is .5DKH. 99% of the issues with the hanna checkers is user error.

If the 1DKH thing was an actual problem, most of us that are SPS dominant that run ALK around 7 would actually be 6 and not growing sticks.

Pick a test kit, and stick to it. DO not chase numbers, but rather gauge trends. If one rwading is 8.0, and th enext is say 8.5, then your next test is 8.3, your fine. Thats a trend, and not something you would need to tighten up. A specific number is almost impossible to attain, simple because of our hobby grade test kits, and ALK fluctuates all the time.