Hi. I heard that phosphorus checker is more reliable in term of showing the real phosphate in your tank because phosphate is broken down from phosphorus (correct me if im wrong). So many reefer tend to use phosphorus check and then convert it to the phosphate amount. Help me out with your knowlege before i make a purchase. Thank you so much.
Hanna Checker Phosphorus vs Phosphate
- Thread starter h2pvnus
- Start date
cherubfish pair
New member
The hanna checkers have a low level of accuracy.
JMorris271
New member
Can you support that? It would be helpful to know why you think that.
watsonj
10 & Over Club
The phosphorus checker is inconsistent in my experience results can be all over the place after using the ULR phosphorus for years I switched over to the Phosphate low range unit and the results are repeatable the resolution is good enough for me to see what is happening in the tank.
cherubfish pair
New member
I have read that many times on the chemistry forum.
JMorris271
New member
Thanks. That tell me quite a bit about why or why not I should buy one.
Just looking for facts here because I now nothing about them.
I think that if 100 people use a product and 99 are happy and 1 is unhappy the person who is unhappy will make more "noise" about his displeasure than the 99 that were happy.
I've used the hanna 736 ulr for several years and I get extremely consistent readings every time even with different batches of reagent !!:lolspin: I cant say for sure that it's accurate however.
same for the alkalinity meter.
JMorris271
New member
O.Well thanks for sharing.
tkeracer619
New member
They are pretty darn accurate for a hobby grade kit and they are very sensitive to the testing procedure. Most people complaining about the checkers don't understand how phosphate works in an aquarium and what the purpose of the test is. It is testing in parts per billion and any changes in testing procedure will effect the results. Just dipping the vial and taking surface water is inadequate.
I would go with the 736.
I would go with the 736.
chris.scang
New member
According to Hanna the HI713 has an accuracy of +/- 0.04ppm and the HI736 has an accuracy of +/- 5ppb.
reefgeezer
Active member
Is .05 ppm the same as .5 ppb?
chris.scang
New member
No 5 ppb is = to .005 ppm. The HI736 is accurate to +/- .005 ppm whereas the HI713 is accurate to +/- .04 ppm.
d2mini
Premium Member
If i had to do it again, I would get the phosphate checker. The hi736 is much too inconsistent to take seriously. Test 3x and get 3 different results. And that's using all the tricks like making sure the test vile is inserted exactly the same each time to account for glass inconsistency. You might want to search the chemistry forum. I started a thread in there that went on for many pages.
reefgeezer
Active member
Thanks.
ganjero
saiperchémibatteilcorazon
You need to compare apples to apples...one gives you accuracy measuring phosphorus and the other one phosphates...the accuracy of HI736 for measuring phosphate, after the conversion, is ± 0.015ppm or 5% whichever is greater (if the reading is greater than 0.3066 ppm then the 5% applies); It is still more accurate than the HI713.
Sounds a little mixed up.
The test is for orthophosphate, PO4. Hanna's accuracy comes from the fact that a photometer reads the color not your eye. The phosphorous versus phosphate thing is just a calculation.
No test measures all the phosphate in the tank because some is still part of an organic molecule like fish food or it is bound to aragonite or precipitated as calcium phosphate.
xp964
.Registered Member
Hello, and thank you for your interest in the Hanna checkers! There are some key differences between the two checkers. The HI 713 is designed for most water applications, while the HI 736 is a marine checker, which is designed for use with saline water. The HI 713 gives results in ppm phosphate, and the HI 736 gives results in ppb phosphorus; the HI 736 is therefore more sensitive because it can detect much lower concentrations. Regardless of the checker units, the results can easily be converted to the desired units by multiplying by a correction factor.
To convert from phosphate to phosphorus, divide results by 3.066, and to convert from ppm to ppb, multiply by 1000. To convert from phosphorus to phosphate, multiply results by 3.066, and to convert from ppb to ppm, divide by 1000. In summary, when deciding which checker is right for your application, consider (1) the salinity of the water, and (2) the expected concentration range, remembering to convert units if necessary.
Hanna Instruments
To convert from phosphate to phosphorus, divide results by 3.066, and to convert from ppm to ppb, multiply by 1000. To convert from phosphorus to phosphate, multiply results by 3.066, and to convert from ppb to ppm, divide by 1000. In summary, when deciding which checker is right for your application, consider (1) the salinity of the water, and (2) the expected concentration range, remembering to convert units if necessary.
Hanna Instruments
I would never get rid of my phosphorous checker.
Those who say they're inconsistent, are probably wrong, unless they have a defective unit.
The biggest variable with these tests, is how the user handles the materials.
I get spot on results and I've done hundreds of these tests. Make yourself a ritual as to how you do the test. I always remove the reagent, put it in a limited card folded, and then start the meter, put it in, etc. It makes it much easier to get the reagent in the vial, and also doing it like that ensures you get ALL the reagent from the pouch. Missing some grains of reagent could indeed throw off test results.
Btw, you can increase your accuracy with multiplying by 3.0661, vs 3.066
Those who say they're inconsistent, are probably wrong, unless they have a defective unit.
The biggest variable with these tests, is how the user handles the materials.
I get spot on results and I've done hundreds of these tests. Make yourself a ritual as to how you do the test. I always remove the reagent, put it in a limited card folded, and then start the meter, put it in, etc. It makes it much easier to get the reagent in the vial, and also doing it like that ensures you get ALL the reagent from the pouch. Missing some grains of reagent could indeed throw off test results.
Btw, you can increase your accuracy with multiplying by 3.0661, vs 3.066
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