OK so I tested my alkalinity after doing my Sunday water change and while my Red Sea and Salifert (2nd test) kits indicated a DKH of 8.0 my Hanna Checker indicated 9.6!
While the exact Alkalinity may be unknown, I would say that the RS & Salifert results are in the ballpark.
The Hanna number is high based on 1. I have not dosed any 2 part the last few days when my Alk was about 8 and 2. Historically high for my tank - it hasn't been over 9 in months.
This is disappointing. Based on the positive reviews I bought this Checker despite the fact that I had very poor results from their Phosphate Checker.
When I began using it, I noticed it ran "high" compared to my salifert and Red Sea results but they were consistently within a narrow range (.02 - .04) so it was useful.
I found this same wide discrepancy a few weeks ago and wrote it off as a fluke. But now...
This is my third "Digital" tester I own (also have a Milwaukee Salinity tester) and quite frankly, until they build a better mousetrap I'm going back to Hobby test kits or in the case of salinity; a Refractometer.
Here are some of the reasons, I tried the digital in the first place:
Convenience - It supposedly takes less time to do than the test kits.
Accuracy - We are led to believe that the digital way is more accurate, despite the fact that the statement itself may not be well...accurate.
In actual use, I have found the digital to be, at best, marginally, more convenient.
Comparing the Salifert & Hanna Alkalinity test, it's true that there is a reagent & titrant for the salifert and only a Titrant (?) for the Hanna. So the whole process takes a few more minutes, but in the case of the Red Sea test which only has a titrant, the time difference is negligible.
As far as the Phosphate Checker vs Hobby Grade kits, I see very little added convenience for the Checker, in fact it is probably less convenient.
As for the Milwaukee Salinity test, it is a bit more convenient to simply place your sample on a "window" and have your results at the push of a button compared to putting your sample on the Refractometer and see the result through the viewer, but that is where the advantage ends.
Concerning accuracy, there is simply no comparison. Any quality Hobby test kit will outperform these digital doohickeys.
Perhaps not immediately, but in 6 months and certainly no more than a year out, the digital products will need calibration. In the case of the Milwaukee Salinity tester there is a way to "zero" it out - which I've had to do a few times in the 5 or so months I've had it. Compare this with the Refractometer I've had for 5 plus years where any time I've attempted a periodic calibration it has shown it to be spot on or at most off .001.
BTW this was a knock off Refractometer from China, no less. It will continue to service me long after the Milwaukee is in the garbage.
As far as the Hanna testers; there's no way to calibrate them. I believe you have to buy a calibration solution and if the results indicate it is out of spec, you can send it to them for recalibration. No thanks.
In the final analysis, quality Hobby test kits are still the best way to go. Nothing wrong in getting two brands for verification purposes when the results don't seem quite right.
I guess I also like the idea of interpreting the results rather than passively accepting the numbers I get from a digital device.
At the very least hobbyists should keep a hobby test kit for verification when using a digital test.
The point is without the ability to calibrate these devices, they will start deviating in their results. It will be up to the hobbyist to anticipate this before things potentially get out of hand.
While the exact Alkalinity may be unknown, I would say that the RS & Salifert results are in the ballpark.
The Hanna number is high based on 1. I have not dosed any 2 part the last few days when my Alk was about 8 and 2. Historically high for my tank - it hasn't been over 9 in months.
This is disappointing. Based on the positive reviews I bought this Checker despite the fact that I had very poor results from their Phosphate Checker.
When I began using it, I noticed it ran "high" compared to my salifert and Red Sea results but they were consistently within a narrow range (.02 - .04) so it was useful.
I found this same wide discrepancy a few weeks ago and wrote it off as a fluke. But now...
This is my third "Digital" tester I own (also have a Milwaukee Salinity tester) and quite frankly, until they build a better mousetrap I'm going back to Hobby test kits or in the case of salinity; a Refractometer.
Here are some of the reasons, I tried the digital in the first place:
Convenience - It supposedly takes less time to do than the test kits.
Accuracy - We are led to believe that the digital way is more accurate, despite the fact that the statement itself may not be well...accurate.
In actual use, I have found the digital to be, at best, marginally, more convenient.
Comparing the Salifert & Hanna Alkalinity test, it's true that there is a reagent & titrant for the salifert and only a Titrant (?) for the Hanna. So the whole process takes a few more minutes, but in the case of the Red Sea test which only has a titrant, the time difference is negligible.
As far as the Phosphate Checker vs Hobby Grade kits, I see very little added convenience for the Checker, in fact it is probably less convenient.
As for the Milwaukee Salinity test, it is a bit more convenient to simply place your sample on a "window" and have your results at the push of a button compared to putting your sample on the Refractometer and see the result through the viewer, but that is where the advantage ends.
Concerning accuracy, there is simply no comparison. Any quality Hobby test kit will outperform these digital doohickeys.
Perhaps not immediately, but in 6 months and certainly no more than a year out, the digital products will need calibration. In the case of the Milwaukee Salinity tester there is a way to "zero" it out - which I've had to do a few times in the 5 or so months I've had it. Compare this with the Refractometer I've had for 5 plus years where any time I've attempted a periodic calibration it has shown it to be spot on or at most off .001.
BTW this was a knock off Refractometer from China, no less. It will continue to service me long after the Milwaukee is in the garbage.
As far as the Hanna testers; there's no way to calibrate them. I believe you have to buy a calibration solution and if the results indicate it is out of spec, you can send it to them for recalibration. No thanks.
In the final analysis, quality Hobby test kits are still the best way to go. Nothing wrong in getting two brands for verification purposes when the results don't seem quite right.
I guess I also like the idea of interpreting the results rather than passively accepting the numbers I get from a digital device.
At the very least hobbyists should keep a hobby test kit for verification when using a digital test.
The point is without the ability to calibrate these devices, they will start deviating in their results. It will be up to the hobbyist to anticipate this before things potentially get out of hand.
