Hanna Alk Test or Red Sea Alk Test?

[reefrox]

Thanks everyone. I ordered the Hanna checker. 

[gone_PHiSHin]

8 hours ago, reefrox said:

Thanks everyone. I ordered the Hanna checker. 

you won't be disappointed, but i would expect to get some more reagent (only 8 bucks) very soon!  

[burtbollinger]

4 hours ago, gone_PHiSHin said:

you won't be disappointed, but i would expect to get some more reagent (only 8 bucks) very soon!  

yeah, I order a new bottle about once a month.

[Oracus]

On 12/22/2017 at 2:18 PM, burtbollinger said:

IMO the Hanna Alk Checker is the biggest instant game changer I've  ever experienced doing this stuff for years ....absolute no brainer.

Is there two verions of the Hanna alk checker? I had read that the Hanna alk checker is not very reliable. I'm trying to find where i read it

[JcSH2o]

21 minutes ago, Oracus said:

Is there two verions of the Hanna alk checker? I had read that the Hanna alk checker is not very reliable. I'm trying to find where i read it

Yes, there is one that reads dkh, and another that does either ppm or meq/l (I can't recall)

 

The first thing I did when I received my Hanna Alk dkh meter was cross test it against my Red Sea and it was dead on accurate. 

[Clown79]

I got a Hanna for xmas. Mine reads in ppm. I love it! 

Testing is so fast and easy.

[burtbollinger]

8 hours ago, Oracus said:

Is there two verions of the Hanna alk checker? I had read that the Hanna alk checker is not very reliable. I'm trying to find where i read it

It’s very reliable...disregard what you read elsewhere 

[TheBig053]

On 12/22/2017 at 12:40 PM, reefrox said:

Nope I purchased the Pro Alkalinity Refil from brs. The refil because I alread had the card and holder. But the new pro kit came with a new card that had the new colours on it...

Same thing happened to me. The new kit (blue>green>yellow) is a real PITA. I end up having to test 2-3 times in a row just to make sure. Not sure who thought that was a good idea. I miss the red to blue version. 

[Nola Bear]

9 hours ago, burtbollinger said:

It’s very reliable...disregard what you read elsewhere 

+1 very reliable. It’s the Hanna calcium checker that is super finicky

[Sjadet]

Hanna when you need to know exact values like re-calculating for accurate dosing rate etc every month or so.

Then use salifert every 2-3 days to make sure it stays in range..

[tarunteam]

On 12/21/2017 at 8:00 PM, Clown79 said:

There's 2 red sea test kits.

 

The pro turns red to blue. Did you possibly purchase the other kit?

 

I like salifert better than the red sea but the Hanna checker has really good reviews...hoping Santa brings me one?

Tell him to bring two  

[markalot]

I have the Hanna and the Salifert.  The Salifert has been reliable for me and cheaper ($17).  Each Salifert kit is good for a little over 100 tests. 

 

The Hanna is good, but it's also 50 bucks.  Reagents are $8 to $10, often out of stock, and good for only 25 to 30 tests.   I also find it confusing as to which reagent to buy for the KH checker vs the ppm checker.  Are they the same?

 

A digital readout is not equal to a more accurate readout.  Accuracy is depends on the cleanliness of the containers and the accuracy of adding the reagent.  If you have issues seeing color changes then this is the kit to get, but I think a lot of the good reviews are based on the coolness of the product, not the accuracy.  How exactly can people test the accuracy anyway. 

 

 

[Sjadet]

6 minutes ago, markalot said:

I have the Hanna and the Salifert.  The Salifert has been reliable for me and cheaper ($17).  Each Salifert kit is good for a little over 100 tests. 

 

The Hanna is good, but it's also 50 bucks.  Reagents are $8 to $10, often out of stock, and good for only 25 to 30 tests.   I also find it confusing as to which reagent to buy for the KH checker vs the ppm checker.  Are they the same?

 

A digital readout is not equal to a more accurate readout.  Accuracy is depends on the cleanliness of the containers and the accuracy of adding the reagent.  If you have issues seeing color changes then this is the kit to get, but I think a lot of the good reviews are based on the coolness of the product, not the accuracy.  How exactly can people test the accuracy anyway. 

 

 

The dkh and ppm are the same. It just uses different measurements.. which can be converted easily.

[Nart]

2 hours ago, markalot said:

I have the Hanna and the Salifert.  The Salifert has been reliable for me and cheaper ($17).  Each Salifert kit is good for a little over 100 tests. 

 

The Hanna is good, but it's also 50 bucks.  Reagents are $8 to $10, often out of stock, and good for only 25 to 30 tests.   I also find it confusing as to which reagent to buy for the KH checker vs the ppm checker.  Are they the same?

 

A digital readout is not equal to a more accurate readout.  Accuracy is depends on the cleanliness of the containers and the accuracy of adding the reagent.  If you have issues seeing color changes then this is the kit to get, but I think a lot of the good reviews are based on the coolness of the product, not the accuracy.  How exactly can people test the accuracy anyway. 

 

 

I second your comment on Hanna and Salifert.

I started out with Salifert and wanted something fancier so I picked up a Hanna... I find myself now just using Salifert 99% of the time because of how easy, quick, and inexpensive it is.

I've also cross-checked and both Salifert and Hanna matches.

[Clown79]

I love the no trying to figure out what colour the regent turns factor of Hanna. No more guessing "is this the shade of orange red or was it the shade before, or the shade after"

 

Simple, easy, and fast. I'm given the number and done. No second guessing.

 

Can't wait for a nitrate Hanna. Sick of trying to determine colours and my eyesight is perfect. 

[Nart]

@Clown79 I spoke with a Hanna rep at MACNA in NOLA and asked about a Nitrate egg-checker.

At the time, he said it was just too hard to develop one to accurately test for Nitrate.

 

Also, a comment about Salifert and the color change. When I tested Hanna and Salifert side by side. I noticed that, as soon as Salifert registers a color change on the Alk test, it is equal to Hanna's egg checker results. FWIW.

[Clown79]

1 hour ago, Nart said:

@Clown79 I spoke with a Hanna rep at MACNA in NOLA and asked about a Nitrate egg-checker.

At the time, he said it was just too hard to develop one to accurately test for Nitrate.

 

Also, a comment about Salifert and the color change. When I tested Hanna and Salifert side by side. I noticed that, as soon as Salifert registers a color change on the Alk test, it is equal to Hanna's egg checker results. FWIW.

Really? Everyone's been talking about one coming out. Must be a forum rumor.

Too bad.

 

We don't have shows here for reef keeping so we don't get the same info available. 

 

Yes, I noticed that once I got the Hanna, I now know that but for months I thought my alk was at 7.8 when it was actually at 7.3.

[markalot]

The thing I think people need to remember is that hobby grade kits are not that accurate, and we are NOT trying to nail down Alk to an exact number.  Think about why steady Alk is important and then think about how you are dosing.  If you run an SPS tank like I do (my large tank) then steady Alk is critical but the doser takes care of it.  All the Alk test does is make sure I'm not drifting too far out of range.  So you come up with a technique (when the color starts to change, when it's fully changed, etc) and stick with it.  

 

This is not to say the Hanna is bad, if you like it then by all means use it, but for starters the Salifert is the better bargain and more than good enough.  I'd also caution trusting any kits reading.  If one says 7.3 and one says 7.8 then the real value is probably somewhere in between.   The Hanna meter has a precision of ±0.3 dKH ±5% of reading.  It's probably more accurate than the Salifert, but like I said before, the actual number does not matter much as long as you are in the target range you want to be in and it stays fairly steady.  My target is 7.0, a little above NSW (6.7) but low enough that I don't risk burning acro tips if it should drift higher without me noticing it.  This usually happens above 8KH in a low nutrient tank.

 

Sorry, I seem argumentative here, just trying to make sure people don't make all the newbie mistakes I made and spend more money than needed. 

[Clown79]

3 hours ago, markalot said:

The thing I think people need to remember is that hobby grade kits are not that accurate, and we are NOT trying to nail down Alk to an exact number.  Think about why steady Alk is important and then think about how you are dosing.  If you run an SPS tank like I do (my large tank) then steady Alk is critical but the doser takes care of it.  All the Alk test does is make sure I'm not drifting too far out of range.  So you come up with a technique (when the color starts to change, when it's fully changed, etc) and stick with it.  

 

This is not to say the Hanna is bad, if you like it then by all means use it, but for starters the Salifert is the better bargain and more than good enough.  I'd also caution trusting any kits reading.  If one says 7.3 and one says 7.8 then the real value is probably somewhere in between.   The Hanna meter has a precision of ±0.3 dKH ±5% of reading.  It's probably more accurate than the Salifert, but like I said before, the actual number does not matter much as long as you are in the target range you want to be in and it stays fairly steady.  My target is 7.0, a little above NSW (6.7) but low enough that I don't risk burning acro tips if it should drift higher without me noticing it.  This usually happens above 8KH in a low nutrient tank.

 

Sorry, I seem argumentative here, just trying to make sure people don't make all the newbie mistakes I made and spend more money than needed. 

I don't think you're being argumentative at all. You bring up a valid point.

 

I agree that we really don't know the most accurate test out there and I myself don't stress much on it being 100% accurate.

 

 

For myself I just really like the ease of Hanna.

[Nart]

Agreed. Not argumentative at all.

Completely understood. As long as you are in a close enough ball-park, it's good enough for what we are trying to accomplish.

[Brian whitman]

I have both and like the Hanna better.