Defective Salifert alk test kit

[Pvtgloss]

Has anybody else received a defective test kit? I received this test kit in my December order. It's taking 1.4 ml roughly to get a color change. That would put my dkh at like 20. I opened up my brand new Hanna reagents and got 8.8 which is on par with my Trident at 8.9.

 

[Pvtgloss]

Batch # PA 0224

 

[Garf]

Has anybody else received a defective test kit? I received this test kit in my December order. It's taking 1.4 ml roughly to get a color change. That would put my dkh at like 20. I opened up my brand new Hanna reagents and got 8.8 which is on par with my Trident at 8.9.

Not had a bad one yet. You are using a 4ml sample, I assume?

 

[Pvtgloss]

Not had a bad one yet. You are using a 4ml sample, I assume?

Yeah. I ran six different tests. I switched up my cuvets and syringes just in case they were throwing it off. This kind of sucks. The Hanna is too expensive to test all the tanks and my new saltwater mixes. I rely on salifert alot.

 

[Reef.]

Double check you are doing all the steps correctly don’t assume you are…4ml, 4 drops, fill the syringe to the 1ml not right to the top, take reading from what is left in the syringe not the amount you used.

 

[Pvtgloss]

Double check you are doing all the steps correctly don’t assume you are…4ml, 4 drops, fill the syringe to the 1ml mark don’t not right to the top, take reading from what is left in the syringe not the amount you used.

I did. Six times. I checked the air bubble every time.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Just beating a dead horse here, but to get to 1.4 mL, you had to refill the syringe and add part of the second one, right?

 

[Pvtgloss]

Just beating a dead horse here, but to get to 1.4 mL, you had to refill the syringe and add part of the second one, right?

Yes sir

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sounds like there is an issue with the kit.

 

[DanyL]

Did you check to verify the instructions haven’t changed?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You can make a standard to check it:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-alkalinity-standard.714738/

 

[BeanAnimal]

I did. Six times. I checked the air bubble every time.

Check the bubble? I am not sure what that means.

You empty the syringe, place the tip in the reagent and draw upward until the ring on the plunger closest to the liquid is at the 1ml mark. There is no need to reference or observe the “bubble” or the top of the liquid. Depending on the type of syringe and tip attached the “bubble” and liquid line could be any size.

Reading the syringe is the same. You read the plunger ring closest to the liquid, not the “bubble” or top of the liquid.

 

[Reef.]

Check the bubble? I am not sure what that means.

You empty the syringe, place the tip in the reagent and draw upward until the ring on the plunger closest to the liquid is at the 1ml mark. There is no need to reference or observe the “bubble” or the top of the liquid. Depending on the type of syringe and tip attached the “bubble” and liquid line could be any size.

Reading the syringe is the same. You read the plunger ring closest to the liquid, not the “bubble” or top of the liquid.

But there is air at the top of the syringe, think that he what he is referring too

 

[Pvtgloss]

Check the bubble? I am not sure what that means.

You empty the syringe, place the tip in the reagent and draw upward until the ring on the plunger closest to the liquid is at the 1ml mark. There is no need to reference or observe the “bubble” or the top of the liquid. Depending on the type of syringe and tip attached the “bubble” and liquid line could be any size.

Reading the syringe is the same. You read the plunger ring closest to the liquid, not the “bubble” or top of the liquid.

The air bubble at the top of the syringe. My first thought was maybe I didn't put the tip on tight and I was drawing the solution from between the tip and syringe, feeling both the tip and the syringe to the 1 ml mark. If there's not an air bubble at the top of the syringe then the syringe would hold more than 1 ml. It would be 1 ml plus the tip. The air gap at the top compensates for the tip. By me checking to make sure that there's an air bubble I can assure that I do not have more than 1 ml of solution in the syringe.

 

[Reef.]

have to give props to Salifert, if this was a Hanna reagent thread, the replies would be “yeah you have a duff bottle”, with Salifert the duff reagent is last on the list of possible answers!

 

[Pvtgloss]

have to give props to Salifert, if this was a Hanna reagent thread, the replies would be “yeah you have a duff bottle”, with Salifert the duff reagent is last on the list of possible answers!

I agree. I'm very surprised. I'm going to make a standard per RHF.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sounds like you ignored the air gap at the top of the syringe, and just measured movement of the plunger tip, which is correct.

 

[Pvtgloss]

So I got my new Salifert replacement test kit in today.
Brand new test kit my dkh is 9.3
The last brand new test kit that I received December 30th Is consistently showing 21+ dkh. I didn't do the exact math but it took 1.35 ml for a color change. I had to refill the syringe.

The crazy part is by Hannah with brand new reagent is 8.7 dkh
And the old Salifert test kit that only has two or three tests left is 7.7 dkh

So now I'm all over the board. I'm going to throw out the defective test kit because there's no way my tank is 21 plus dkh.
I don't trust the Hanna alkalinity checker.
Last week I mixed up some Pro Reef and when I checked the alkalinity a few days later it checked pretty low. Lower than usual so I'm going to assume that the Hanna is not correct.
I'm going to go with the new test kit results. Which I'm not too thrilled about, although I've always had perfect success with Salifert, the one they sent me in December 30th is definitely defective.
All the other test kits are going in the trash. Consistency is my goal.