Dear Hanna Instruments

[oldschoolreefer26]

I think your water testing kits would become more accurate, more user friendly and contribute less pain to the overall water testing process if the reagent packets actually fit in the mouth of the cuvette… something like pixie stix would be ideal.
Additionally, it might make the user feel more like a reefer and less like a crack head.

Sincerely, someone who just coated their dining room table in nitrate powder.

 

[docscorals]

I think your water testing kits would become more accurate, more user friendly and contribute less pain to the overall water testing process if the reagent packets actually fit in the mouth of the cuvette… something like pixie stix would be ideal.
Additionally, it might make the user feel more like a reefer and less like a crack head.

Sincerely, someone who just coated their dining room table in nitrate powder.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

A stick would be nice, but it needs to be foil wrapped in most cases.

Bear in mind that it is not necessary to exactly get every grain of reagent. The answer is not strongly dependent on the exact amount of test reagent. In most color change kits (e.g., nitrate and phosphate) there will be excess reagent unless your values are at or above the high end of the testing range.

 

[EnterName]

I would already be happy if the cuvettes wouldn't get scratched so easily
Oh, and rectangular vials would also make more sense for photometers...

 

[Peer.Boerner]

I think your water testing kits would become more accurate, more user friendly and contribute less pain to the overall water testing process if the reagent packets actually fit in the mouth of the cuvette… something like pixie stix would be ideal.
Additionally, it might make the user feel more like a reefer and less like a crack head.

Sincerely, someone who just coated their dining room table in nitrate powder.

Forgive me if you already do this, but if you follow the scissor line when you cut open the packet, pushing on the two opposing corners forms a narrow trough which allows you in most cases to get the reagent into the vial. This technique does not help with certain reagents that contain a lot of powder like the lr nitrate reagent, which also clumps a little. Though In all cases you still feel like a crack head.

 

[DmitryB]

I know Hanna are not the only ones who use packets like that, but holy crap, it's the worst.

 

[Dan_P]

I wonder if the EU customers have less of an issue with Hanna packets because of their higher use of sachets for medicine single doses.

The “pixie stick” or tube container might be a no-go for safety reasons. Looks too much like a candy powder dispenser (or a straw for snorting your chemicals…you crack heads know what I am talking about).

Small funnels might be an option. If you are really, really cheesed about it and don’t want to wash more lab equipment, dump the reagent from the packet onto a 2x2 inch square (or whatever size best fits with your manual dexterity needs) of wax paper folded once and opened flat. The powder flow on wax paper might be better and the visibility of how the powder is flowing will prevent avalanches from overtilting.

 

[KrisReef]

Dayanmmit

Reading dis tread maid me itch.

I hope I don’t land in rehab, but what’s in the nitrate test dust bundles?

 

[Reefer Matt]

I feel ya. 3d printed funnels are out there to help.

 

[EnterName]

Wait!? You guys where sniffing the powder? But why would they say to dissolve it first? And why would they include those syringes?

Did I buy those needles for nothing then?

​

 

[KrisReef]

I’m not gonna bash Hanna anymore because with careful practice there tests are repeatable and accurate enough for our hobby consumption.

I am a huge advocate for people to calibrate their equipment often, and taste testing the aquarium water when testing parameters is very helpful for the dedicated hobbyists.

I don’t recommend that Hanna users do taste testing on the reagents supplied with their products. They do not have any artificial sweeteners added to make them worth trying , ime.