Simpler way to check Alkalinity?

Fatboy Stinger

New member
I know this will show my laziness, but does anyone know of a simpler way to check their Alk without using test tubes and shaking between each drop? I really hate testing my water....:hmm3:
 
when your tank crashes due to a PH issue, youll know your alk is probably low

Always something useful to say.

Hanna checker just came out with a $50 electronic checker.

I use salifert, .5 mls in, shake a bit (no cap). Drop by drop while shaking with the other hand. Takes less than a minute including getting the kit
 
i have a test kit that each drop put in you just swish it for a half second and the color just changes with one of the drops and thats the number . its the easiest test that i do ,whats so hard about that compared to calcium or po4 ?
 
Take it to the LFS and have a look around while someone else tests your water :)
I wouldn't rely on a LFS testing your water regularly for more reasons than one.

The Hanna Alk Checker is great but it's not any simpler to use than a Salifert Titration test. JMO
 
try the salifert kei. put .5 ML in, swirl a bit, then drop by drop while shaking with the other hand. less than a minute :)

also hanna just released the alkalinity checker. about $50 and all digital. you do have to wait a few minutes for the solution. demohere:

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the Salifert alk test is soooooo easy quick and reliable!

lazy man's option: monitor pH in your aquarium. A controller is great for this application!
 
I gotta admit, I actually kinda enjoy doing my testing ?? It takes all of a maximum 5 minuits for me to do alk, calcium, nitrates, nitrites, amonia,PH, salinity, Mag. and phos. ??? 5 minuits no BS.. the trick with the alk, ca, and mag ( with the drop by drop method) is to empty half the syringe in one fell push then you only have to drop by drop the last half to quarter... Ive tried testing both ways and the results are identical :) saves a bit of time just be sure to recheck if your parameters are way off..
 
the Salifert alk test is soooooo easy quick and reliable!

lazy man's option: monitor pH in your aquarium. A controller is great for this application!


I already do this. PH stays between 8.1 qnd 8.3 all the time, but I'm trying to figure out my dosing. I realize that pH and alk are closely related, but I'm trying to keep optimum water quality since I lost my second chalice and I believe it to be related to alk.

That digital test is nice, but seems just as cumbersome. I guess I was hoping there was a probe I could buy, but no such luck.
 
Well, ph and alk are related but you can have high alk and low ph and vice versa depending on the CO2 in the tank. The ph monitor though is a favorite tool for watching the ph.

Alk testing is about the easiest test. I like the salifert and cross check it with the api which is very easy. I don't cap and swirl with the api after each drop, just the last two or three.
 
Checker looks like a nice device but the process seems a bit more tedious than an alk test kit. Then you have do do the extra math to get from ppm to dkh or meq.l.Since I test alk frequently I may get one. How much are the reagent packs?
 
Agreed that it doesn't get much easier than a salifert test kit, but there is another way that some might consider easier. The way titration alk tests work is a ph indicating dye changes by dripping an acid until it reaches the specific ph which causes it to change colour. In other words you could accomplish the same thing with a sample of water, an acid, and a ph meter. this would likely be a much more accurate measurement, because I understand the two or more dyes used have a fairly wide range sensitivity.
 
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