Which ALK test kit??

redfishbluefish · Dec 12, 2012

mcarroll said:
It's been a while since I had my Hanna out, but I don't recall using a syringe tip for stirring or for dispensing both water and reagent from one syringe as being part of the instructions...........

Utmost to the argument of returning unused reagent to the bottle is good laboratory practices. HERE is a reference, page 109 (which should be the first page you see), bottom of the page, item 5…..”Never return any excess chemical or reagent to a bottle.” Again, it’s just the right thing to do to totally eliminate the chance of contamination of the mother reagent.

Secondly, I wasn’t talking about Hanna’s, which I believe are handheld spectrophotometers whereby you empty a small packet into a cuvette, where there is no returning of unused material to the mother source. I’m talking wet chemistry titration test kits where you withdraw reagent from a bottle and slowly add this titrant to a mixing bottle which contains tank water and typically a second “coloring” reagent. Here is a photo of the Red Sea mixing bottle and you can clearly see that the blue syringe tip is within the mixing bottle. That blue tip is “contaminated” with tank water, coloring reagent and reacted titrant.

Saltgator · Dec 12, 2012

Received my Hanna Checker for ALK today. We'll see how it goes. Question: Does it give you the exact # (lets say 7.5, 8.0, etc) or is in another form that I need to convert? Just asking prior to getting home and testing.

Pkunk35 · Dec 12, 2012

You must convert the result. Multiply by 0.056 to get the dkh.

Totally agree with not returning reagent to mother, just a good practice.

Saltgator · Dec 12, 2012

Saltgator said:
Received my Hanna Checker for ALK today. We'll see how it goes. Question: Does it give you the exact # (lets say 7.5, 8.0, etc) or is in another form that I need to convert? Just asking prior to getting home and testing.

Nevermind. I noted to myself it reads in ppm. ppm x 0.056= dkh:tongue:

Saltgator · Dec 12, 2012

Pkunk35 said:
You must convert the result. Multiply by 0.056 to get the dkh.

Totally agree with not returning reagent to mother, just a good practice.

Thanks.

mcarroll · Dec 13, 2012

redfishbluefish said:
Utmost to the argument of returning unused reagent to the bottle is good laboratory practices. HERE is a reference, page 109 (which should be the first page you see), bottom of the page, item 5â€¦..â€Never return any excess chemical or reagent to a bottle.â€ Again, itâ€™s just the right thing to do to totally eliminate the chance of contamination of the mother reagent.

Secondly, I wasnâ€™t talking about Hannaâ€™s, which I believe are handheld spectrophotometers whereby you empty a small packet into a cuvette, where there is no returning of unused material to the mother source. Iâ€™m talking wet chemistry titration test kits where you withdraw reagent from a bottle and slowly add this titrant to a mixing bottle which contains tank water and typically a second â€œcoloringâ€ reagent. Here is a photo of the Red Sea mixing bottle and you can clearly see that the blue syringe tip is within the mixing bottle. That blue tip is â€œcontaminatedâ€ with tank water, coloring reagent and reacted titrant.

Good link! Not arguing against the ideal, just being a little practical too.

I've never used the Red Sea kits, but I see what you mean from the picture. In the name of form they've sacrificed a little function. Arguably their kits might feel simpler to operate (big handle on syringe, splashproof bottle) but with some additional complication - risk of contamination and necessary wastage.

With most kits, there are seperate syringes, spoons, etc for each reagent which are not involved in the test in any other way than transfer of material, and with a modicrum of care in how one goes about testing with them there will be very very close to no risk of contamination. Can't tell you how many Seachem and Salifert and Hach test kits I've gone through without this happening to me. I'm only an anecdote (YMMV), and you are very right that it's not impossible, but even being conservative it's got to be several dozen test kits worth of tests at least.

-Matt

mcarroll · Dec 13, 2012

Saltgator said:
Nevermind. I noted to myself it reads in ppm. ppm x 0.056= dkh:tongue:

Makes conversing here a little more complicated since it may only be you, me and the fleas talking ppm's, but arguably ppm is a better measurement system. Metric-like, if you will. (Is it metric?) 200 ppm is your target - nice round number, subject to easy math. ;-) Also makes your alk measurment in the same "vernacular" as your other key metrics like Ca, Mg, PO4, etc, etc. Can make some things easier to see and/or think about when the terms are all common. dKH and meq/L are officially depricated from my understanding...but obviously still popular. (I mostly still use meq/L.)

-Matt