Analyzing Hanna Ammonia checker Hi784, chemistry and performance

[Dan_P]

One thing nobody tells you is constipation, sleep deprivation is a side deal. Took me 10 months to acclimate (reef reference). I conclude I’m full of ****

HaHa! I hope you did not spend 10 months in a bare room with PVC pipe to hide in.

 

[brandon429]

I've been clicking on seneye threads for two days to try and find the sentence about the dead tang lol I'll need another month of searches it'll come up eventually

Any readers with some cocktail shrimp and a fully cycled reef display could make a quick side test for us though (i don't think will reach toxicity but could be removed easily if approaches)

 

[Dan_P]

I've been clicking on seneye threads for two days to try and find the sentence about the dead tang lol I'll need another month of searches it'll come up eventually

Any readers with some cocktail shrimp and a fully cycled reef display could make a quick side test for us though (i don't think will reach toxicity but could be removed easily if approaches)

All in the name of science!

 

[brandon429]

3 or 4 cocktail shrimp in a larger display on seneye would replicate the experiment fairly and I bet that tank keeps the nh3 in line the whole time, but not with any other tester. Api will go black green for 14 straight months on that test

the tank that tested the degrading tang was not a nano it had a little dilution in its favor.

degrading shrimp in a cycle might spike but I bet it doesn’t in a fast moving display stacked with the normal degree of rocks we expect from reefs

 

[Dan_P]

3 or 4 cocktail shrimp in a larger display on seneye would replicate the experiment fairly and I bet that tank keeps the nh3 in line the whole time, but not with any other tester. Api will go black green for 14 straight months on that test

the tank that tested the degrading tang was not a nano it had a little dilution in its favor.

degrading shrimp in a cycle might spike but I bet it doesn’t in a fast moving display stacked with the normal degree of rocks we expect from reefs

You seem to be up early today.

 

[MnFish1]

3 or 4 cocktail shrimp in a larger display on seneye would replicate the experiment fairly and I bet that tank keeps the nh3 in line the whole time, but not with any other tester. Api will go black green for 14 straight months on that test

the tank that tested the degrading tang was not a nano it had a little dilution in its favor.

degrading shrimp in a cycle might spike but I bet it doesn’t in a fast moving display stacked with the normal degree of rocks we expect from reefs

This would suggest that the chemical relationship between NH3 and NH4 for some reason would not 'hold up'. If the 'other test' showed an ammonia of 14, the Seneye would have to register NH3 - as would a Seachem alert.

 

[taricha]

Azedenkae mistakenly used Microbacter 7 instead of Microbacter XLM

Ah, it seems that like most other Bigfoot sightings - mine involves fuzzy recollection and key misremembered details.

 

[taricha]

Edit - this thread may have gone off track, lol

Yes, we will have to apologize to @taricha for messing up an otherwise pristine post.

Heh. It's hard to avoid.

I'll probably start a thread just on the topic of ammonia detections in reef tanks: real problems, and testing confusion.

Plausible scenarios where ammonia can actually be found in a mature system (it's a short but not empty list) and plausible ways test kits can give a false significant detection (there are ways, but the list is not as long as some think).

 

[Muffin87]

@taricha, I have two different reagent sets from April 2022 when the hanna marine ammonia checker first came out in Europe.
The expiration date for both reagent sets is April 2027.
One reagent set has been opened since April 2022, the other set was left unopened until today.

Reagent A from the both reagent sets makes the sample so dark that the checker gives a "low light error".
When I used the first reagent set last year it worked fine.

Any idea what the issue might be?
I stored them in two different cabinets in my apartment where the temperature ranges from 20°C in the winter to 33°C when I'm away in the summer with no Air conditioning.

Is it anther case of a reagent hat needs to be stored in the fridge?

Thanks a lot!

 

[taricha]

Apparently hanna goofed on liquid reagent A.
You, me, and somebody else posting recently found the same thing. It comes out dark brown now.

The other person contacted hanna and got a replacement set of reagents.

 

[Muffin87]

Apparently hanna goofed on liquid reagent A.
You, me, and somebody else posting recently found the same thing. It comes out dark brown now.

Have you bought any more reagents since?
I have and it's already gone brown ***!
What's going on with Hanna and these reagents!

 

[MnFish1]

Have you bought any more reagents since?
I have and it's already gone brown ***!
What's going on with Hanna and these reagents!

Are you sure you're not using API? BTW - I'm kidding - every test kit has its issues - People complain about API - I would return yours to the place you bought it - and get a new one.

 

[taricha]

Have you bought any more reagents since?
I have and it's already gone brown ***!
What's going on with Hanna and these reagents!

Yikes. I'll check mine tomorrow...

 

[MnFish1]

Are you sure you're not using API? BTW - I'm kidding - every test kit has its issues - People complain about API - I would return yours to the place you bought it - and get a new one.

PS - Unless your ammonia is actually correct on the test kit

 

[taricha]

Have you bought any more reagents since?
I have and it's already gone brown ***!
What's going on with Hanna and these reagents!

I'm pretty sure you still have the old version (top) instead of the new version (bottom).

The new version reagent A can't turn brown because it doesn't have the strong colored compounds in it like the old one did. They moved the nitroprusside and salycilate to the sealed powder reagent C packets, instead of in the dropper bottles.

(Aside, there's a reason that Hanna and Hach like to use those packets people complain about. The packets means that each subsequent test can deliver reagents that haven't been exposed to air and moisture until you open it. This isn't true with droppers and open bottles. Most, though not all of the Hanna quality issues in the recent few years have been with bottles. I think they should stick with packets more.)

Anyway, the new version of the test works fine.
Here's my tank water and water from a bag that several fish were in for a few hours from the LFS.

yellow reading 0.05 ( treat as = zero), green 0.49ppm.

 

[MnFish1]

I'm pretty sure you still have the old version (top) instead of the new version (bottom).

The new version reagent A can't turn brown because it doesn't have the strong colored compounds in it like the old one did. They moved the nitroprusside and salycilate to the sealed powder reagent C packets, instead of in the dropper bottles.

(Aside, there's a reason that Hanna and Hach like to use those packets people complain about. The packets means that each subsequent test can deliver reagents that haven't been exposed to air and moisture until you open it. This isn't true with droppers and open bottles. Most, though not all of the Hanna quality issues in the recent few years have been with bottles. I think they should stick with packets more.)

Anyway, the new version of the test works fine.
Here's my tank water and water from a bag that several fish were in for a few hours from the LFS.

yellow reading 0.05 ( treat as = zero), green 0.49ppm.

Curious - there are 3 vials but 2 were explained. Totally agree that the packets are more accurate

 

[Malcontent]

Strange, Hach only has two packets.

 

[taricha]

Clear is unreacted blank - no yellow.

Strange, Hach only has two packets.

Which Hach version you thinking of?
You only need two if it's freshwater.
One version, Hach hides some reagents in the cap.

 

[Muffin87]

you still have the old version (top) instead of the new version (bottom).

Indeed I do!
dang it!
Is the testing procedure the same with the new reagents? Same waiting time?

 

[taricha]

Indeed I do!
dang it!
Is the testing procedure the same with the new reagents? Same waiting time?

Pretty much the same. attached is the new method....
This time, you add 1.00mL of high pH A and packet B to the empty cuvette before you add your sample water to the cuvette to bring it up to 10mL line (so 9mL sample.)
the wait time is still 15 min.