how often do you recalibrate your hanna checkers??

[smitten with ocean life]

how often do recalibrate your hanna checkers? im getting suspicious of mine. my tank had been doing so good. but people were telling me that my numbers are way off. so have been trying to correct that by dosing things and now my tank isnt doing as well. i dug out some off my other test kits and the hanna numbers are way off. i know that they wont be exactly the same. and yes, im very careful and meticulous at following directions. but when i compare to my red sea or salifert tests there is a big difference! now im wondering if my numbers were closer to the normal range and my trying to fix it brought numbers too low that were fine to begin with. so im thinking about try to recalibrate them, but wow! those kits are expensive! thoughts?

 

[DrMMI]

I don't think you can calibrate them. You can purchase a standard to verify that they are reading correctly, but if they're not, there's nothing you can do about it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m not aware of any way to recalibrate them. The calibration vials they sell are not very useful. They test nothing besides the electronics. Not reagents, vials, procedures, etc.

 

[jabberwock]

Aren't they "calibrated" every time you use them with the baseline, before adding reagents C1 reading?

 

[KrisReef]

Aren't they "calibrated" every time you use them with the baseline, before adding reagents C1 reading?

They are calibrating their response to the color of the water in the first vial, perhaps zeroing or taring out the meter before the test reagent is applied.

In contrast, pH meters may have an adjustment that can be made by comparing the pH meter reading against known standards and dialing in the reads to “calibrate” the probe and meter.

 

[exnisstech]

im getting suspicious of mine. my tank had been doing so good. but people were telling me that my numbers are way off. so have been trying to correct that by dosing things and now my tank isnt doing as well. i dug out some off my other test kits and the hanna numbers are way off.

If everything is looking good just keep things consistent. Don't worry about numbers being way off. I've come to the conclusion there really is no ideal number because each tank is different. I run three tanks all with different numbers. Never change because someone tells you your numbers are off unless you are trying to correct something. Watch the tank and let it tell you if your numbers are off.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

I don't think you can calibrate them. You can purchase a standard to verify that they are reading correctly, but if they're not, there's nothing you can do about it.

oh! ok! good to know

 

[smitten with ocean life]

If everything is looking good just keep things consistent. Don't worry about numbers being way off. I've come to the conclusion there really is no ideal number because each tank is different. I run three tanks all with different numbers. Never change because someone tells you your numbers are off unless you are trying to correct something. Watch the tank and let it tell you if your numbers are off.

ok thanks! that just saved me a bunch of money!

 

[VintageReefer]

Yup no way to calibrate.
If you question the results buy a new batch of reagents

 

[Reeferbadness]

I recalibrate my Hanna salinity checker frequently as they get out of whack about every month or so

 

[smitten with ocean life]

I recalibrate my Hanna salinity checker frequently as they get out of whack about every month or so

what do you mean? what do you do?

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

They do have a one year warranty on the Marine Line checkers though. If it reads outside of the margin of error, contact them for a replacement. The way to check for that is to buy the standard solution set for the checker in question. There is no user calibration.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

what do you mean? what do you do?

The salinity Checker is an entirely different type of device than the other Hanna checkers. It measures the electrical conductivity of the water, and needs to be calibrated. It’s a good method, but I don’t think the Hannah is the best device using it (by far).

 

[smitten with ocean life]

oh yes. i didnt catch he said salinity checker

 

[Garf]

You can ask one of the chemists on here to help you make a stock solution of a known strength, usually for less than the cost of a test kit. Then you can use any old hobby test kit and alter your expectations with relative confidence. The stock solution is good for donkeys years and you can make litres of it for a few quid, dunno why folks don't sell it on eBay. Randy's DIY salinity solution is in my sig, but the process also applies to nitrate and phosphate stock solutions that are cheap as chips.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

interesting!

 

[Dan_P]

how often do recalibrate your hanna checkers? im getting suspicious of mine. my tank had been doing so good. but people were telling me that my numbers are way off. so have been trying to correct that by dosing things and now my tank isnt doing as well. i dug out some off my other test kits and the hanna numbers are way off. i know that they wont be exactly the same. and yes, im very careful and meticulous at following directions. but when i compare to my red sea or salifert tests there is a big difference! now im wondering if my numbers were closer to the normal range and my trying to fix it brought numbers too low that were fine to begin with. so im thinking about try to recalibrate them, but wow! those kits are expensive! thoughts?

To calibrate the Checkers you will need to test them against a chemical reference standard not the color samples Hanna sells. You would need to make at least three different concentrations of the chemical reference and test each. These three results should form a straight line on a graph.The slope of the line is the calibration line. It will tell you how to adjust the future test results you obtain with aquarium samples. There is no physical adjustment to the Checker, just to the result.

Why do you think the Red Sea or Salfert results are any less suspect than the Hanna test results?

And if you feel like discussing it, what did you add and what test results are disturbing you?

 

[ingchr1]

...There is no physical adjustment to the Checker...

Do we know this for certain? I know there is no adjustment accessible to the end user but has anyone opened one up to see if they have anything internal to them. Do they calibrate them at the factory, or are they just set devices?

Not that it matters all that much in the end as the required reference solutions are not readily available (as you noted) and it's something that would not be recommended to just about all hobbyists to perform, just curios.

 

[Reeferbadness]

what do you mean? what do you do?

Hanna offers recalibration liquid which you dip the salinity checker in and recalibrate. It comes with the checker and you can buy it separately as needed.

 

[exnisstech]

Hanna offers recalibration liquid which you dip the salinity checker in and recalibrate. It comes with the checker and you can buy it separately as needed.

And after calibrating add 0.02 to the test result to get the real number. I'm on my second one and it's no better than the first. Compared to a calibrated refractometer and a TM hydrometer.