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.

 

[Tangdora]

The packets are actually the one thing I like lol. My only issues with Hanna checker is that the reagent bottles do not seal well. I store all mine in a multi compartment utility tool box with each kit separated. It’s not uncommon for the bottles to to be on there sides . On the next test I alway find at least 1 with dried up crust around the lid edges . Wish every test was a packet.

 

[DmitryB]

The packets are actually the one thing I like lol. My only issues with Hanna checker is that the reagent bottles do not seal well. I store all mine in a multi compartment utility tool box with each kit separated. It’s not uncommon for the bottles to to be on there sides . On the next test I alway find at least 1 with dried up crust around the lid edges . Wish every test was a packet.

YESSSS! A significant amount of that stuff leaks. Do they do this intentionally?? I've really wouldn't be surprised. It's not like they don't know this happens.

 

[JonasRoman]

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.

Concerning nitrate-test thats not correct. For Po4 , yes it is, there we deliberately dose an ovderdose of the reagent, and then the reagent will only react with those PO4 molecules that exists. The excess reagent dye will not give any colour so an overdose will not give more colour.
BUT for nitrate-tests the powder dose is very crucial: Here we want a reduction with zinc powder (or cadmium). That reduction is extremely dependent on the exact dose of the zinc amount, as we almost never reduce 100% of the nitrate to nitrite. Especially not if we deliberately stop the timer at a certain time, and then take the reading. We will have for certain som NO3 left to reduce, meaning the zinc or cadium dose is direcly connected to the final colour development. I have tested all this and found its almost linear. Thats why its so important for nitrate test to dose exactly correct amount of the powder AND chake vigorously, AND wait exact the same time every time.
The first reagent though, the sulfur acid, is not so dose sensitive(that is for making the nitrit reagent to work correct) , but the powder is for sure, for nitrate.

I think thats one of the reason nitrate is difficult to get accurate for a home test kit. We never do identical from time to time.

Jonas