Trust Red Sea or Hanna for dKH?

[Big Mistake]

Just a note.

dKH was low, so in addition to ordering more All-For-Reef, ordered the Hanna dKH meter.

Red Sea titration test reads 2 or 3 points lower than the Hanna

Say 9.2 for the Hanna and say 7/6 drops for the Red Sea. A "drop" is not always a "drop".

Coralline algae will consume all your dKH, and red tuxedo urchins will clear your glass of coralline algae. Repeat.

And your bare bottom tank won't be so bare bottom.

The real lesson? Just buy the Hanna, anything else is a ...

- Big Mistake

 

[Pistondog]

I have both. Use hanna weekly, but check witn red sea if reading seems off.
Alk too important to believe 1 device.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My go-to is Hanna but everyone has a favorite kit. I have seen Many who struggles with the colors on red sea kits

 

[jmichaelh7]

I say salifert!

No I agree everyone has their own preference. Double check with a second but if I’m not mistaken the test kits have a margin to be close to lab results

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Another vote for Salifert for Alk tests. Consisent and cheap. Can't beat that with a baseball bat.

 

[Lavey29]

I think of these tests just give you a good estimate range but not accuracy complete. My Hanna says 8.3 DKH but my ICP from 2 says ago says 7.4 DKH. Which do I got with? I just split the difference and estimate my actual DKH.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Just a note.

dKH was low, so in addition to ordering more All-For-Reef, ordered the Hanna dKH meter.

Red Sea titration test reads 2 or 3 points lower than the Hanna

Say 9.2 for the Hanna and say 7/6 drops for the Red Sea. A "drop" is not always a "drop".

Coralline algae will consume all your dKH, and red tuxedo urchins will clear your glass of coralline algae. Repeat.

And your bare bottom tank won't be so bare bottom.

The real lesson? Just buy the Hanna, anything else is a ...

- Big Mistake

If you want something accurate and consistent go with the Salifert Profi Test which uses a standard ph dye and an acid.

The Hanna reagent drifts over time unless refrigerated, and it is not unusual to find a variation of +/- 0.3 dkh between bottles of reagent.

The Red Sea reagent oxidises on exposure to air, which is why the instructions state to not put reagent from the syringe back into the bottle. It has very limited shelf life once opened.

 

[Waters]

My Hanna always read about 1 dkh higher than all my other test kits (including Trident and Salifert...so I thought). After doing an ICP test, the Hanna was the only one that was dead on so I guess I trust Hanna the most.

 

[gbroadbridge]

My Hanna always read about 1 dkh higher than all my other test kits (including Trident and Salifert...so I thought). After doing an ICP test, the Hanna was the only one that was dead on so I guess I trust Hanna the most.

Well, ICP does not (cannot) measure Alkalinity.

The ICP vendor may well have used a Hanna checker for your test, but possibly they were using a lab version of a pH/acid titration system.

 

[Waters]

Well, ICP does not (cannot) measure Alkalinity.

The ICP vendor may well have used a Hanna checker for your test, but possibly they were using a lab version of a pH/acid titration system.

If it was with a Hanna, that would explain the similarities lol.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The real lesson? Just buy the Hanna, anything else is a ...

- Big Mistake

Wow, that's one strong opinion. lol

IMO, folks are best off doing their own pH titration to get alk.

A DIY Alkalinity Test: By Randy Holmes-Farley - REEFEDITION

Alkalinity is one of the most important measurements that a reef aquarist can make. It can become rapidly depleted in many aquaria, requiring frequent measurement in order to maintain stable levels.

www.reefedition.com

It's not faster, but it can be cheaper and more surely accurate.