Hanna digital checkers...

[flchevygrl]

How accurate are these? We are looking/thinking of getting the nitrate and ph checkers to start with. And adding others here and there.

thanks in advance for thoughts and input...
betty

 

[Birtikidis]

I have the alk and phosphate checkers. They're very accurate. every month I do a test with the hannah and salifert kits and cross reference them. They're usually the exact same. I didn't know they had a nitrate checker..

 

[BryanS4]

I just got my alk checker in the mail yesterday and it seems spot on. Really easy to run the test as well. Imo worth every dollar.

 

[JVD BVI]

I have the Calcium, Alkalinity and Phosphorous


Couldn't live without them

 

[TampaSnooker]

I've found that my phosphate checkers are very inconsistent after some time. Granted, I use them several times a day. I also haven't looked into seeing if they can be recalibrated due to switching to the phosphorous checker. No troubles with it yet.

 

[JVD BVI]

If you are keeping SPS and need to check low levels, the phosphorous is the way to go.

 

[nitr8]

I have Calcium, Alkalinity, Phosphate, Phosphorus and Nitrite. I have been using them for about two years and the only complaint I had was with the calcium checker. I spoke with CS and they shipped me a 1/2mL syringe instead of the 1mL syringe for the test sample and it works like a dream now. Do not buy more than one pack of reagents at a time. They do have an expiration date and unless your testing every day you probably wont use all the reagents in a single box before reaching the expiration date.

 

[zachfishman]

I've found that my phosphate checkers are very inconsistent after some time. Granted, I use them several times a day. I also haven't looked into seeing if they can be recalibrated due to switching to the phosphorous checker. No troubles with it yet.

We use the Hanna PO4 and Alk checkers at work (can't beat objective results between 5 aquarists and numerous volunteers). For the PO4, I find it important to invert the cuvette back and forth for an entire minute to fully develop the dye. I instruct staff to press and hold the Hanna checker button after they've added the powder and re-capped the cuvette (starting the 3min countdown) and then invert for a full minute before reinserting the cuvette and closing the lid.

It's also very important to keep the cuvette clean of fingerprints (we use kimwipes) and interior bubbles during both the C1 and C2 stages to minimize errors.

 

[rogergolf66]

Avoid the calcium checker. Very inconsistent. You can do the test over and over and get very different reading over the course of 30 minutes. Most others are good. Kc had his tank crash do to the Alk checker malfunction. It was reading 9 but was actually 14 for a few weeks. Lost everything. This could happen with any test kit so regularly back up your results with another brand of test kit. Maybe test at a friends house or a Lfs one a month so u know your test results are accurate.

 

[JVD BVI]

Avoid the calcium checker. Very inconsistent. You can do the test over and over and get very different reading over the course of 30 minutes. Most others are good. Kc had his tank crash do to the Alk checker malfunction. It was reading 9 but was actually 14 for a few weeks. Lost everything. This could happen with any test kit so regularly back up your results with another brand of test kit. Maybe test at a friends house or a Lfs one a month so u know your test results are accurate.

Just my two cents but I have actually had good luck with the calcium checker. I tested it side by side with a Salifert kit for almost 6 months and the ppm reading were every close.

 

[rogergolf66]

Just my two cents but I have actually had good luck with the calcium checker. I tested it side by side with a Salifert kit for almost 6 months and the ppm reading were every close.

Maybe they fixed them but I had 1 with a problem. then have had multiple calls for people needing help with calcium. After testing calcium with other test kits turned out the problem was always the calcium checker.