what hanna checker's should I buy first?

[reefgall]

i've had corals in my tank for almost a month I believe, what two hanna checker's should I buy first? which will I get the most use out of? I have api reef master kit and it is a pain in the a** to constantly have to drop and sit and wait, so I'm looking to upgrade! thank you

 

[MadTownFess]

Alk for sure, 100%. I own both the Alk and Phosphate checker, as the manual phosphate checker is too hard to get an accurate reading. Many people say Calcium one is not very accurate, and you are better off with RedSea test kit for that. Mag is something you probably only need to test once a month, so I would just use the RedSea for that as well. Long story short, get the Alk one, you won't regret it. I use mine daily.

 

[tankstudy]

I use the alk and calcium checkers. For magnesium I just use Salifert's test kit.

 

[saltyhog]

If I could only have one (thankfully not the case) it would be the alkalinity checker. Next on my list would be the Phosphorous ULR. If you are proficient and careful the calcium is good but Salifert has done well for me there.

 

[Amps Reef Life]

The only Hannah Check I use is the phosphate one. It's very simple to use and I am not a fan of the others. I recommend red sea for ALK and Calc testing. They are easy and very accurate.

 

[Chilli]

The only Hannah Check I use is the phosphate one. It's very simple to use and I am not a fan of the others. I recommend red sea for ALK and Calc testing. They are easy and very accurate.

i agree, if you mean the hanna 736! for the others i use salifert, is simple, easy and cheap.

 

[JimFuller]

I have Alkalinity, Phosphate, and Calcium checked. I would buy them as Alkalinity first, second the Phosphate LR, lastly, the Calcium. The ease of the first two, a long with the need to track those more often, makes them the obvious first chooses.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

i've had corals in my tank for almost a month I believe, what two hanna checker's should I buy first? which will I get the most use out of? I have api reef master kit and it is a pain in the a** to constantly have to drop and sit and wait, so I'm looking to upgrade! thank you

I went with Hanna calcium tester, why? Calcium testing is time consuming. Then get phosphate tester or alkalinity tester. I plan to get pinpoint tester for nitrates. I like the idip photometer but testing is limited for saltwater tanks.

 

[jp_75]

Alkalinity for sure. Phosphate second.....

 

[eXact iDip®]

I went with Hanna calcium tester, why? Calcium testing is time consuming. Then get phosphate tester or alkalinity tester. I plan to get pinpoint tester for nitrates. I like the idip photometer but testing is limited for saltwater tanks.

Thanks for the consideration! We love feedback and I'm just curious as to what other parameters you would want the iDip 570 to be able to test for in saltwater tanks.

We currently have Total Alkalinity, Calcium, Total Hardness, Nitrate, pH, phosphate, ammonia, and copper.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Thanks for the consideration! We love feedback and I'm just curious as to what other parameters you would want the iDip 570 to be able to test for in saltwater tanks.

We currently have Total Alkalinity, Calcium, Total Hardness, Nitrate, pH, phosphate, ammonia, and copper.

My question is this
"Our kit will be tested at Triton as well as another German lab and the results will be released."
Have your kits been tested and if yes, please provide results

 

[madweazl]

Alkalinity and ULR phosphorus; the calcium checker makes me want to stab babies and kill kittens.

Edit: didnt realize this was a necro-post. My bad

 

[eXact iDip®]

My question is this
"Our kit will be tested at Triton as well as another German lab and the results will be released."
Have your kits been tested and if yes, please provide results

Thanks for bringing our attention to this! We have not had our kits tested but we are investing in predetermined samples so that users can have confidence that their reagents, method, and iDip 570 are all working properly and giving accurate results. Below is the image for the one we currently have for our freshwater tester and the saltwater one will work the same way. The samples will have set values for different tests and then users can test the samples with their iDip to make sure their values are within an acceptable range.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks for bringing our attention to this! We have not had our kits tested but we are investing in predetermined samples so that users can have confidence that their reagents, method, and iDip 570 are all working properly and giving accurate results. Below is the image for the one we currently have for our freshwater tester and the saltwater one will work the same way. The samples will have set values for different tests and then users can test the samples with their iDip to make sure their values are within an acceptable range.

Ive been eyeing these but don't see much feedback but very much want to try it

 

[vetteguy53081]

Alk, Phos and calcium are my recommendations for essential first kits

 

[eXact iDip®]

Ive been eyeing these but don't see much feedback but very much want to try it

Do you visit any shows? We'll be at Reef-a-palooza California and MACNA if you wanna come try it out for yourself

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you visit any shows? We'll be at Reef-a-palooza California and MACNA if you wanna come try it out for yourself

Unfortuanetly I have Misbehaved with vacation used at work, BUT will be at reef Palooza in October- Chicago.
This would be great !!

 

[eXact iDip®]

Unfortuanetly I have Misbehaved with vacation used at work, BUT will be at reef Palooza in October- Chicago.
This would be great !!

We'll be at the Chicago show, stop by to see us! Booth #141

 

[dwest]

Alkalinity
ULR phosphate
Copper (if you treat with copper during quarantine)

 

[Salthead007]

Bottom line is that ALL hobby grade test kits will have a margin of error. They are not multi thousand dollar, scientific, laboratory grade test. That being said, not any single test has much merit. But a trend over time is a better window into what is going on. As for which test to purchase first? If you are already past the nitrogen cycle, and coral is your intent, I would personally want to start tracking my Alk. I test alkalinity daily; nitrate and phosphate weekly, calcium biweekly, and magnesium monthly. But I have over two years history of those parameters with my tank. So I can almost guess what those numbers will be before I test. If for instance the Chaeto in my refugium stops growing. I can look back at my nitrate, and phosphate levels over the past few weeks, to see if they have declined. If indeed they have, Then feeding my fish a little more each week, will probably do the trick. But if I hadn’t tested my tank in the last six months, any number I get on my nitrate test isn’t really going to tell me anything. Just some food for thought.