Red Sea Reef Foundation kit questions

[NittyGritty]

Anyone using this kit?

If so I have two questions. First, what is the end color for the KH test? The card shows an orange but the demo video says pink. I can find orange but pink I don't even see. After blue there is a strange grey color until orange.

Second, it states to pull the syringe to 1 ml and to the bottom of the stopper in which will leave an air gap. This will be the volume in the tip. So do you also read the end result based on the bottom of the stoppers location and not the volume of liquid in the syringe?

Also, there are different amounts of air gap from test to test from .1 .2 in the mag test! What gives? Help.

 

[Reefvet]

Red Sea video tutorials for the kit's are right here.

 

[NittyGritty]

Well, that sort of helps clarify the end color for KH is random but a 3 color change effect is what we are looking for. The videos showed nothing about the air gap/reading issue on the syringes though.

 

[c.rob]

Subtract the end reading of where the plunger is from 1.0 where you started. The orange color is where you want to end.

 

[Tweaked]

Yes always read based on the bottom of the stoppers ending location and not the air bubble which represents the tip space.

 

[NittyGritty]

C.rob. Are you sure about that orange color? In the videos listed they actually say it's whatever color follows the purple change. I have an almost gry/colorless color

 

[schatzi]

C.rob. Are you sure about that orange color? In the videos listed they actually say it's whatever color follows the purple change. I have an almost gry/colorless color

When you see a change away from purple (which can also look gray) to something else, be it pinkish or orange, that's when you've hit the endpoint. Once I gave up trying to match the color to the card and just waited for the first color shift after purple using the test became easier. Once you hit the end point check the reading and then add another drop and another and you probably won't see much change in the pink and you'll know you have your reading. And be sure to throw out the unused reagent in the syringe, don't put it back in the bottle.

 

[NittyGritty]

What would be the reason for not saving the remaining reagent?

 

[schatzi]

Not sure...the booklet says to dispose of it.

 

[Tweaked]

Not sure...the booklet says to dispose of it.

Of course "they" do lol. What I have been doing, is if I'm confident where I should be ending up, say 7ml used, then I will only fill the syringe to 8 from the start and count from there. Less waste.

 

[bertoni]

You should be able to reuse the reagent in the syringe at the end of the test, but starting with less is fine. You should be able to ignore the size of the air bubble. As long as the syringe is dispensing reagent when you move the plunger, the test will be fine.

 

[inetmug]

See, this kit is not necessarily intuitive to the first time user.... I had all the same questions about syringes, colors, etc.

However, if you look at the book in detail, it does cover the titration syringe specifics, as well as the color. But, until you have seen it done, and hear, the simplicity of it can escape you.

 

[mindi]

Red Sea Titration

Red Sea Titration

I might stand likely to be corrected by RedSea Kev but I think:

1. The idea of the air gap under the plunger rubber equalling the tip capacity is meaningless and irrelevant,and suggests that you couldn't do the test without the tip..? The amount of titrant dispensed is the only thing that matters and that is best measured by subtracting the stopping point of one edge of the rubber washer from the starting position of the same reference point on the washer... stop thinking about air gaps and tip capacities. If you move the plunger through 4.6mm then that's how much titrant you have dispensed if you have loaded the titrant syringe without bubbles.

2. Colour change..? keep going until you can discern no reversion to the intermediate colour between blue and orange...I stop when I get to a solid peach colour which doesn't weaken back after 30 secs. As long as I have a standard approach and dose on that basis I figure all is well....worrying about "orange" or "orange tending to wash back a little towards blue" is really arguing the toss between 3.6 meq/l and 3.7 meq/l..it's a hobby kit. Write down 3.65 and move on.

 

[c.rob]

NittyGritty , I get an orange (not pink) after the grey/blue change. It only takes 1 to 2 drops to get to solid orange after that. The 1 to 2 drops doesn't seem to meen much on the scale anyway.

 

[mindi]

agree

 

[Reefvet]

The frustration with the Red Sea kit motivated me to buy the Hanna. I tested the two against each other several times. They didn't agree but the difference between them was always consistent.

When I ran out of the RS reagent I continued to use the Hanna. However accurate it is, or isn't, it's at least repeatable and it gives me a finite number. NO wondering/guessing/frustration.

 

[wcharon]

Red Sea ALK Kit

Red Sea ALK Kit

Which one had the higher readings and what was the difference between them????

I am using the Red Sea and yesterday i bought a new ALK refill. In the old reagent i was getting a constant 8.4 which i measure daily to keep constant but for my surprise with the new reagent i got 7.0. That a 1.4 difference between reagents. Hummmmm..

Thanks in advance...

The frustration with the Red Sea kit motivated me to buy the Hanna. I tested the two against each other several times. They didn't agree but the difference between them was always consistent.

When I ran out of the RS reagent I continued to use the Hanna. However accurate it is, or isn't, it's at least repeatable and it gives me a finite number. NO wondering/guessing/frustration.

 

[Reefvet]

Which one had the higher readings and what was the difference between them????

Red Sea read higher by 1 to 1.25 dKH. I did go through 2 bottles of reagent when I was using the Red Sea and it was consistent. You may have had reagent that had been contaminated or something.

I'm on my third bottle of the Hanna reagent and it's been consistent through them.

 

[wcharon]

Thanks... Will be thinking to get the Hanne also.

 

[SGTMAJOR]

Air Gap

Air Gap

Well, that sort of helps clarify the end color for KH is random but a 3 color change effect is what we are looking for. The videos showed nothing about the air gap/reading issue on the syringes though.

Nitty, greetings. As stated precisely on the test booklet, ignore the air gap and liquid all together. Make sure the bottom of the plunger is at the 1.0 mark exactly. At the end of the test (color change), take the reading from the bottom of the plunger and deduct amount of titration used (from the 1.0 initial mark) and that's your result. Hope that helped! Good luck and Happy Reefing!!!