I don't get it

[Gordonm]

Over the years in my 40 gal I've struggled with nutrients. I managed to finally get my nitrates down to 1-3 ppm over the last year but phosphates are a different story. Recently and probably due to feeding the corals and not the fish my phosphates were as high as 0.23ppm. Then back on the 16th the reading showed 0.17 ppm. Today after opening my new reagent packages for my HI736 it read 0! I dang near fell over!!!! All I did yesterday was changed out 5 gal of water with a little sand and being consistent with it over the last 4 or 6 weeks. I do have a little cheato but not a lot in my DT. As well, yesterday I took it out and rinsed it under R0 water and returned it. Don't have a sump but built a cage out of egg crate. Be interesting to see where my phosphates will be now over the next months. I'm not in the habit of feeding my corals or when or if I do it's very infrequent.

 

[Gordonm]

Over the years in my 40 gal I've struggled with nutrients. I managed to finally get my nitrates down to 1-3 ppm over the last year but phosphates are a different story. Recently and probably due to feeding the corals and not the fish my phosphates were as high as 0.23ppm. Then back on the 16th the reading showed 0.17 ppm. Today after opening my new reagent packages for my HI736 it read 0! I dang near fell over!!!! All I did yesterday was changed out 5 gal of water with a little sand and being consistent with it over the last 4 or 6 weeks. I do have a little cheato but not a lot in my DT. As well, yesterday I took it out and rinsed it under R0 water and returned it. Don't have a sump but built a cage out of egg crate. Be interesting to see where my phosphates will be now over the next months. I'm not in the habit of feeding my corals or when or if I do it's very infrequent.

Kind of makes u speechless doesn't it....

 

[Waters]

Kind of makes u speechless doesn't it....

Are you sure it isn't the new packet of reagent? Every time I switch reagents (doesn't really matter which test kit brand I am using) I get different numbers. It might not be 0....but it definitely is dropping which is good

 

[Larry L]

Then back on the 16th the reading showed 0.17 ppm. Today after opening my new reagent packages for my HI736 it read

I've been disappointed with the consistency between batches of reagents or Hanna's phosphate/phosphorus checker. Sadly it doesn't seem unusual to start using a new batch and get inconsistent results, even if the old batch is not expired. Now whenever I am running low, I make sure the have new reagent available while I still have at least a pack or two of the current batch, so that I can test with both and compare.

Kind of makes u speechless doesn't it....

I'm guessing you were surprised your late-night post went two hours without a reply? A more informative thread subject might have attracted more interest sooner.

 

[Gordonm]

I've been disappointed with the consistency between batches of reagents or Hanna's phosphate/phosphorus checker. Sadly it doesn't seem unusual to start using a new batch and get inconsistent results, even if the old batch is not expired. Now whenever I am running low, I make sure the have new reagent available while I still have at least a pack or two of the current batch, so that I can test with both and compare.


I'm guessing you were surprised your late-night post went two hours without a reply? A more informative thread subject might have attracted more interest sooner.

Well I'm glad you can read.....

 

[Gordonm]

Are you sure it isn't the new packet of reagent? Every time I switch reagents (doesn't really matter which test kit brand I am using) I get different numbers. It might not be 0....but it definitely is dropping which is good

Of course our numbers will be different but I'm surprised by a new pack of reagents I went from 0.17 ppm to 0 in three days. Time will tell when i continue to test.