Hannah nitrate checker

[GREEF stricken]

So I'm wanting to know if anyone has laid out the dough for one these spendy little doodads? Are they as accurate as one would expect
from an instrument this pricey? Is it user friendly? With frequency you use it, do you find the expense of the reagent prohibitive? If you had it to do over, would you buy it again? And lastly, if NOT, what would you go back to?

Thanks,
GS

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Which device do you mean? I don't know that they have one suitable for seawater.

The HI 96728C is not, since it says chloride interferes above 100 ppm, and seawater has 19,000 ppm.

 

[GREEF stricken]

Well that clears that up. Can I ask Randy which nitrate test you find to be the most hobbyist friendly and accurate?

Thx
GS

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well that clears that up. Can I ask Randy which nitrate test you find to be the most hobbyist friendly and accurate?

I don't personally measure it on my system (at least not in the past decade), but folks seem to like both the Salifert and Red Sea kits.

 

[GREEF stricken]

Thanks Randy. I must admit, I also do not check my nitrates. But admittedly, that is more out of laziness then comfort at not knowing the number. Just ordered a phosphate checker, as I am beginning to battle a kermit the frog green sheet algae. Someone I trust told me that algae is not necessarily relative to NO3's but figured I should know what they are anyway. Your thoughts?

GS

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks Randy. I must admit, I also do not check my nitrates. But admittedly, that is more out of laziness then comfort at not knowing the number. Just ordered a phosphate checker, as I am beginning to battle a kermit the frog green sheet algae. Someone I trust told me that algae is not necessarily relative to NO3's but figured I should know what they are anyway. Your thoughts?

GS

Algae ALWAYS requires ALL of a source of N, P, trace elements such as iron, light, space, freedom from excessive consumption by other organisms, etc.

Take any away and it will not thrive.

It is not the case the having one of these elevated causes a problem, it just means that all are present in enough quantity. For example, 100 ppm nitrate is unlikely to result in algae any more than 50 ppm, because both are more than enough that some other factor is likely going to be the limiting factor to the growth.

Knowing what is is can be useful to know if you are reducing it enough to limit algae growth, or to know how much you need to drop it before that becomes significant.

I discuss it here:

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/nitrate-in-the-reef-aquarium