Help with Hanna Checkers

[NoahBurger13]

Well, I'm finally tired of trying to match colors to a chart. So, I think id like to invest in some Hanna Checkers. My question is, which Checkers are essential in your opinions?
Would i really need Ammonia and Nitrate checkers if I do water changes religiously and my ammonia, Nitrate & Nitrite are always at 0.
I think i'd like to invest in the Phosphate, Calcium, Alkalinity and PH Checkers.

Also, would i use the ppm or DKh ones?

Thanks for your advice & input!

 

[4FordFamily]

@Hanna Instruments has lots of great products, I particularly enjoy their high range copper checker. I don’t have much experience with others, I’ll wait for others to chime in

 

[blkhwkz]

I just got my high range copper today. I use the alkalinity ppm one, since the other was not out yet when I bought it and the ULR phosphate. I have not used the calcium one, read it is a bit of a pain to do. They make testing much easier than trying to match colors for sure.

 

[cracker]

I have the alk checker which I love & the Po4 checker. I'm also tired of looking at colors never knowing if it's correct. The Hanna checkers ,I understand are fairly accurate as kits go. I use the red sea kits for Am, nitrite, nitrate, Mg & Ca which seem ok to me.

 

[SPR1968]

I have the alk checker which I love & the Po4 checker. I'm also tired of looking at colors never knowing if it's correct. The Hanna checkers ,I understand are fairly accurate as kits go. I use the red sea kits for Am, nitrite, nitrate, Mg & Ca which seem ok to me.

I do exactly the same. Hanna for Alkalinity (dKH version) and ULR phosphate and then Red Sea for everything else. The calcium looked a pain so I sent it straight back!

The Hanna Alkalinity and phosphate are very easy to use but you need to hold the vials with a cloth and keep them spotless.

 

[blackizzz]

Use Alk (dKh) and ULR Phosphorus.

Alk is super easy to measure with Hanna checkers, cleaning the vials is the most difficult part (or rather having the patience to let them air dry)

The ULR phosphorus checker I find a little more frustrating. It's often easy to spill some of the powder unless you have a good funnel of some kind. That plus that you should "shake" for 2 minutes before putting the vial in the checker has caused me to have problems before as the checker turns off after 3 minutes, so if something goes wrong before or while you pour the powder in, you're in a bit of a hurry

 

[tastyfish]

Alkalinity and the Phosphorus ULR are my choices with Hanna.

Both very consistent and accurate, however care must be taken with the Phosphorus ULR and the instructions followed to the LETTER.

I'm less impressed by the calcium or any which replace a titration test as TBH, the advantage is lost (You're looking at a colour change on titration, not colour matching).

Ammonia - I wouldn't bother with. I only test ammonia in my QT. Nitrate is a personal choice. I use Red Sea's High Res test kit, but rarely test for it as it's always so low.

I am considering the high range copper kit for my QT so that I am more confident treating with copper.

 

[jkapit]

I use Hanna Alk, Phos ULR, and Calcium and they all work great. The calcium test I use distilled water from the grocery store instead of RODI to get more accurate readings.

Also, very happy with Salifert for Mg and N03.

 

[BigJohnny]

I use Hanna Alk, Phos ULR, and Calcium and they all work great. The calcium test I use distilled water from the grocery store instead of RODI to get more accurate readings.

Also, very happy with Salifert for Mg and N03.

Why would you expect to get more accurate readings with distilled water? RODI is equal to or more pure that distilled water, not the other way around. Just fyi.

 

[Krzydmnd]

Keep a micro fiber cloth handy and cleaning the vials before testing isn't a problem!

 

[Richie27]

have them all and i love it takes no time at all just keep class clean

 

[Vincent100]

Iv the alk ( like) and calcium ( rubbish)
Calcium aways gives me high readings no matter what I do so it doesn't get used any more ....waste of money in my eyes

 

[NoahBurger13]

Thanks for the replys, i think ive decided to go with the phosphate and Alk checkers. Not going to bother with the calcium.
But what about PH? My ph likes to swing so im constantly checking it. Are any of the Checkers made for saltwarer aquriums for PH?

 

[blackizzz]

Thanks for the replys, i think ive decided to go with the phosphate and Alk checkers. Not going to bother with the calcium.
But what about PH? My ph likes to swing so im constantly checking it. Are any of the Checkers made for saltwarer aquriums for PH?

I use Salifert for pH, I feel like it’s plenty fast enough to use frequently. However there are “pens” from both Hanna and other makers, and from what I’ve heard they’re accurate and easy to use.

 

[Hanna Instruments]

Iv the alk ( like) and calcium ( rubbish)
Calcium aways gives me high readings no matter what I do so it doesn't get used any more ....waste of money in my eyes

We apologize for any inaccurate readings you may have experienced. Our HI758 Calcium Checker uses a 100 to 1 dilution to analyze calcium.

Calcium Checker Troubleshooting Tips

1. Never rinse your cuvettes with tap water or saltwater
2. Use pure vapor distilled water from your local pharmacy at C1 phase. RODI water from home filtration units may not be suitable for this test as calcium can easily permeate through your filter membranes. Even though your TDS meter may read "zero" that number is subjective as you have to factor in the accuracy statement of the meter itself and if your storage reservoir has been contaminated.
3. Clean your cuvettes with distilled or deionized water absent of Calcium that is going to be used for C1 phase dilution.
4. Measure out 9 ml of distilled or deionized water for C1 phase
5. Make sure no excess aquarium sample saltwater is on the tip of the pipette. Only administer the saltwater that is sucked into the pipette tip.

 

[Dragon52]

I have the Alk, Calcium & P04, PH love them. watch YouTube about the Calc & it made it easier to figure out. Still use Red sea for Nitrate, nitrite & ammonia.

 

[kecked]

I use the ulr phos alk and calcium. I use a volumetric piper for the calcium. Works fine. Diabetic syringe works too. I even tried a dilution. All worked fine. I want them to make a nitrate meter and magnesium meter. I found for the phos you can use the spare curette to zero the meter while you do the two min shake. Works fine. Also not getting all the phos dust out isn’t a big deal. The result is fine.

 

[Salt1972]

We use Alk, Ca, & ULR PO4. Very consistent results. We chose NYOS for Nitrate & Mag... also very easy to use.

 

[O'l Salty]

Use Alk (dKh) and ULR Phosphorus.

Alk is super easy to measure with Hanna checkers, cleaning the vials is the most difficult part (or rather having the patience to let them air dry)

The ULR phosphorus checker I find a little more frustrating. It's often easy to spill some of the powder unless you have a good funnel of some kind. That plus that you should "shake" for 2 minutes before putting the vial in the checker has caused me to have problems before as the checker turns off after 3 minutes, so if something goes wrong before or while you pour the powder in, you're in a bit of a hurry

I use one of those little magnetic stirrers for the phosphorus mixing. 30 seconds on that thing is way better than 2 minutes by had. I leave the little pill in the vial and it doesn't seem to mess up the test.

 

[O'l Salty]

I clean my vials in RODI water and put them on the little pink rack. They stay pretty clean and dry fast that way. Every 4 months or so I wash them in dish soap with a little pipe cleaning brush. Had these about 4 months.