Hanna Checkers

silverado61

silverado61

Well-Known Member
These question are aimed at someone who knows Hanna Checkers and uses them on a regular basis:
I just purchased three Hanna Checkers for Calcium, Iodine and Nitrite testing.

Calcium: It seems that the syringes are printed opposite of each other. On the green syringe, The lowest number starts at the tip. On the white syringe, the lowest number starts back where the plunger inserts the syringe. If I assume the white syringe is printed wrong and flip the number readings when I follow the testing procedures, the calcium readings are 553. If I leave it and follow the printing on the syringe, the results are 459. Which way is correct? Here's a pic of the syringes in question. I'm not dosing Calcium.
syringes.jpg


Nitrite: When I use chemical testing it shows zero nitrites. With the Hanna Checker, The meter shows 11. If I multiply that by the recommended 3.29 I get 36.19. Is this correct?

Iodine: With the Hanna Checker it shows 0.1 The recommended is 0.06 Am I too high or too low? I'm not dosing Iodine either.

I do, however, make weekly 10 gallon water changes in a system with a total water volume of 110 gallons between the tank and the sump/fuge.
 
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snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I'm interested in a couple Hanna checkers myself. I'll be watching this thread.

Just with knowing some biology and a little chemistry, I'm inclined to say that your calcium is 459ppm. If it were nearly 600, your alkalinity would also have to be high for it not to precipitate out of solution.

Do you mean nitrates and not nitrites? I can't imagine you would make the $50 investment for a nitrite spectrophotometer, so I assume your talking about nitrates. Titration test kits, especially API, is notoriously off when it comes to nitrate. It's either zero or 80ppm+. I would assume that if you performed the test properly, you got a much more accurate result.

Iodine at 0.1 is higher than 0.06.

I have never used a spectrophotometer for aquariums. BUT I have used them to get a base line for the number of bacteria suspended in chicken broth. Lol. Gotta love microbiology.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Like I said, I'm looking at eventually getting a few of these checkers.
 
lmforbis

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
The backward calibrated ones are intended to be filled to the top of the calibration marks and your expel the contents until you get to the volume you are looking for. So fill to 0 then if you want .5 mL stop at that mark. You discard the rest. It is usually more accurate that way. I, too, would be curious as to your opinion of them.
 
silverado61

silverado61

Well-Known Member
My alkalinity is 3.2 Meq/L so that tells me which way to read and use the syringe for calcium.
Yes, it is for Nitrites. I wanted one for Ammonia but the only one they make is for freshwater testing so I figured a Nitrite test would be the next best thing for a spot check. I just can't figure out why I'm getting those numbers though.
 
silverado61

silverado61

Well-Known Member
Oh, and does anyone know why my Iodine is so high. Especially when I don't dose Iodine. And is that a dangerous level?
 
lmforbis

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
I haven't used these but I am a chemist and use the technology all the time. The results the Hanna checker gives for Nitrates is in ppb of the end product when you mix the reagents together. To get the concentration in ppb of Nitrite you multiply by the 3.29. My chemical test kit shows nitrite in mg/L not ppb. There is approximately a 1000 fold difference between the two.
 
seecrabrun

seecrabrun

Active Member
I just found out about these, I have issues with color chart tests. I'm not colorblind, but have had issues distinguishing colors of certain types for a long time. I'm wondering if this would be a good option for me?
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Currently I use Seachem titration tests for calcium alkalinity and magnesium. I use my live fish store (LFS) for basic stuff like nitrate, ammonia and pH.

The deeper I get into keeping SPS corals, I'll start picking up a Hanna checker here and there. The initial cost is just too much for me to invest in all at once.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
My LFS uses a basic API saltwater master test kit. I'm too cheap to buy the $30 test kit when I know that all I have to do is wait a sufficient amount of time and watch the biological nutrient signs for nitrate and phosphate.
 
seecrabrun

seecrabrun

Active Member
I have some API. If it isn't obviously 0 then I need help determining which shade of 'random color' it is. So I ask my kids, which aren't very helpful lol! I'm ok with purple and blues, but the reds, yellows, and oranges get me.
 
engineer

engineer

Member
I've got a couple hanna kits I use regularly. The thing I hate the most is that no matter what brand of kits or testing devices you use, I have not found one single brand that makes kits to test everything you need to test.
 
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