Hanna Checker Alkalinity

Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum

Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:

NC2WA

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 14, 2006
Messages
5,383
Location
Bothell,WA
What is the status of these checkers (Alk, Ammonia, etc.)?

I believe I read that returnofsid there are some problems in an unrelated thread, but I am not able to find any articles that says these checkers have problems. All the articles/reviews (http://reefbuilders.com/2010/09/09/marine-alkalinity-hanna-checkers/) I have read says these are good.

Reason I ask, I am thinking about the Alk checker and Calcium when available and want to know if it really is worth getting.
 
Last edited:
$10 bet on Boomer saying no good :)
I really hope I'm wrong, it would be soooo nice and handy if they work well!
It seems to good to be true though...
 
wotz so good to be true??
you still got to do the test, it just reads the results for you.
the vials used must be super clean for it to work well, but
colorimeters have been around awile and are just more accurate than most peoples eyes, especially if your colorblind. :)
for $50 i would get the alk checker for sure.. i think there's a mag coming too.
 
So ive been looking for these also, debating on a full set for the new tank, do they just read the results or run the test?
 
the new liquid reagant is right on and the alkalinity checker is very nice and easy to use. the calcium one is not any different than a normal calcium test other than it reads the color for you and gives an exact number in PPM. The alkalinity also displays in ppm but the calculation to figure it out is right in the directions. i love the alkalinity and phosphate checkers. not sure about the rest but those 3 are good enough.
 
Thanks Darth. Looks like more new toys for the tank to play with. So you still would need to take the test with say an ELOS test kit then these just read it for more accuracy.
 
$10 bet on Boomer saying no good :)

The light is still not on at Hanna until we see some actual "real" tests. Those that say it is accurate or right on have allot to learn.

They had issues with the earlier Alk ones

Yah, as I pointed it out to them and what is the like the 3rd attempt no to say it works correctly now.

the calcium one is not any different than a normal calcium test other than it reads the color for you and gives an exact number in PPM.

Not even, people need to learn the meaning of the word "Accuracy"

Accuracy @ 25°C±6% of reading

Calcium Checker HC Handheld Colorimeter, HI 758 | HANNA Instruments

Math Lesson 101

Meter reads 450 ppm Ca++

450 x ± 6% = ± 27 added to or subtracted from 450

So, that calcium level of 450 you have is sooooooooooomewhere between 423 - 477 and you do not know where and that is a 54 ppm spread.



Calcium in water as carbonate is one of the primary components of water hardness which can cause pipe or tube scaling.
https://hannachecker.com/index.php?...ategory_id=36&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=29

That can not even word harness correctly. If calcium is in the water as carbonate it is Calcite, CaCO[SUB]3[/SUB] which you do not want the meter picking up, not that it is.

It should read: Calcium in water, often expressed as calcium carbonate, is one of the primary components of water hardness which can cause pipe or tube scaling. Note: expressed, I can express some ion in the water or a salt any way I want. Meaning, if I want, I can express that CaCO[SUB]3[/SUB] as say MgSO[SUB]4[/SUB] or Mg++ as Ca++ and to make a point, CaCO3 as Uranium Hexafluoride (UF[SUB]6[/SUB]). It is like expressing temp as F, C or K.

When one expresses WH as Calcium Carbonate, such as 250 ppm CaCO[SUB]3[/SUB] it is a gross misleading of what is there and it can misled people. It really means that if all the calcium in the water was or could to attach itself to a carbonate ion (CO[SUB]3[/SUB]--) , that is how much Calcite it could produce/make, not that it is. So, if I have water with Calcium Chroide in it and there is no CO[SUB]3[/SUB]-- in the water the WH kit will still be as 250 ppm CaCO[SUB]3[/SUB], even though there is no CO[SUB]3[/SUB]-- there. CaCO[SUB]3[/SUB] has a MW of ~ 100 g / mol and Ca++ makes up 40 % of that 100. So, the amount of Ca++ in that 250 ppm CaCO[SUB]3[/SUB] is really 250 x 40 % = 100 ppm Ca++.

Note:

I for sure am not against Hanna by a long shot I want these metes to work but they need to be more accurate. I have had many dealings in the past with Hanna, HACH and LaMotte on issues.
 
This is alot of great information :) Thank you! Looks lie 2 of each elos test kit at the Barrier sale for the year :D haha
 
well for me i ussually have trouble doing most titration tests out there but have had decent luck with the checkers. but yah the calcium one is not always exactly on. but ive duplicated the alk test 5 times in a row with the exact same reading each time but i did not cross reference any other tests to see how accurate. The accuracy issues for me on the calcium test are human error more than anything but at least the thing reads the chart for me haha.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top