Hanna alk checker reading 10.3 on Red Sea blue bucket

MnFish1

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I appreciate everyone’s input I am highly grateful but I don’t know why everyone is so strung up on weighing the water at least it’s the exact amount every time and as previously stated it meets the line perfectly on the cuvette I’m sure it’s the the salt I bought unpackaged being coral pro rather than blue bucket(which it was supposed to be) I will do a follow up test with salifert but this is the same reagent that I was using when testing the dt with packaged red sea blue bucket I’ve had this issue since doing a large water change with the unpackaged salt.

@Reef. Suggested weighing the water for the ulr po4 checker and it works well for consistent results 10ml is 10ml wether from a syringe or precise scale. The reagent is always measured using the syringe with the tip.
Here is the reason. You're already adding at lease a 2.5% error. Its unnecessary. There is no reason to do it. The test is designed to be done 'to the line' - in a 10 ml cuvette. Second - it may not always be the exact amount every time. Maybe your scale has a problem. etc etc. Just follow the directions IMHO - if you don't want to follow the directions - thats also totally ok - but - then coming and saying 'why are my measurements off' - IMHO - the first place to start is the directions.
 

Reef.

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Here is the reason. You're already adding at lease a 2.5% error. Its unnecessary. There is no reason to do it. The test is designed to be done 'to the line' - in a 10 ml cuvette. Second - it may not always be the exact amount every time. Maybe your scale has a problem. etc etc. Just follow the directions IMHO - if you don't want to follow the directions - thats also totally ok - but - then coming and saying 'why are my measurements off' - IMHO - the first place to start is the directions.

To be fair, the instructions you suggest following to the rule, say both, fill to the line and use 10ml of tank water, the line in at least my case is not 10ml. So you need to pick which rule to follow as you can’t follow both.

As was pointed out to me, 10ml of salt water is more than 10ml of plain water weight wise, can’t remember the exact weight, it also depends on your salinity, it’s somewhere around 10.25g.

Consistency is key, either choose the line, weight or as I do now, buy a 10ml syringe and use that, which ever method you chose, stick with it and you should get consistent results.
 
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DE FISH

DE FISH

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To be fair, the instructions you suggest following to the rule, say both, fill to the line and use 10ml of tank water, the line in at least my case is not 10ml. So you need to pick which rule to follow as you can’t follow both.

As was pointed out to me, 10ml of salt water is more than 10ml of plain water weight wise, can’t remember the exact weight, it also depends on your salinity, it’s somewhere around 10.25g.

Consistency is key, either choose the line, weight or as I do now, buy a 10ml syringe and use that, which ever method you chose, stick with it and you should get consistent results.
Thanks for chiming in bud I 100% agree with you and your methods are you no longer using scales ?
 
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DE FISH

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So how do you work out the exact amount of water to weigh based on salinity does anyone have the calculation for me please ?
 

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Y’all are taking the exact measurements of 10ml wayyyy too seriously, Hanna even talks about % of reagent not getting into the cuvettes and adding a % extra to buffer spillage in their literature. Seems like we’re counting grains like we’re going to the moon when 9.8 ml or 96% of reagent are considered margin of error.
 

HeyLookItsCaps

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To be fair, the instructions you suggest following to the rule, say both, fill to the line and use 10ml of tank water, the line in at least my case is not 10ml. So you need to pick which rule to follow as you can’t follow both.

As was pointed out to me, 10ml of salt water is more than 10ml of plain water weight wise, can’t remember the exact weight, it also depends on your salinity, it’s somewhere around 10.25g.

Consistency is key, either choose the line, weight or as I do now, buy a 10ml syringe and use that, which ever method you chose, stick with it and you should get consistent results.

10 ml of pure water = 10 grams
10ml of 1.024 = 10.24 grams
10ml of 1.026 = 10.26 grams

Move your decimals
 

MnFish1

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Y’all are taking the exact measurements of 10ml wayyyy too seriously, Hanna even talks about % of reagent not getting into the cuvettes and adding a % extra to buffer spillage in their literature. Seems like we’re counting grains like we’re going to the moon when 9.8 ml or 96% of reagent are considered margin of error.
Frankly - I hesitated to answer this - because as much as some people hate API tests - I dislike Hanna checkers. There are (as the OP stated) - at least a couple threads talking about errors (from the past) - and subtracting 18% - because of the way the initial calibration was done (not sure whether this was supposed to be fixed or not - but I would think that would be a constant error - as compared to intermittent. And I have also read that about the 'extra' reagent, the need for no bubbles on the glass, a completely clean cuvette, and staining - if the solution is left in the vial too long. The margin of error of the test itself of 5% means a given alkalinity reading of '10' could really be 9.5 or 10.5 This is about the same 'accuracy' as an API alkalinity test kit.
 

HeyLookItsCaps

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Frankly - I hesitated to answer this - because as much as some people hate API tests - I dislike Hanna checkers. There are (as the OP stated) - at least a couple threads talking about errors (from the past) - and subtracting 18% - because of the way the initial calibration was done (not sure whether this was supposed to be fixed or not - but I would think that would be a constant error - as compared to intermittent. And I have also read that about the 'extra' reagent, the need for no bubbles on the glass, a completely clean cuvette, and staining - if the solution is left in the vial too long. The margin of error of the test itself of 5% means a given alkalinity reading of '10' could really be 9.5 or 10.5 This is about the same 'accuracy' as an API alkalinity test kit.

Agreed 100%. I’m not in the Hanna is Bible camp, but I exclusively use them because for some reason my eyes cannot detect the difference between .5 pink 5 pink or 50 pink.

I utilize them as an easy exploratory and frequent check device if something seems wrong or out of line, and know it’s close enough to get an idea without guessing color.

If I have serious concerns something is off or I want a true accurate “Bible” breakdown, it’s not really available at hobbiest level, and I say that even for the trident. No one’s stand/sterilization procedure/care is going to beat a lab. so it goes to an ICP testing facility. Also too after I get results I can compare to my hobby grade testing equipment to the ICP and surmise the variation if any is present
 

MnFish1

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Agreed 100%. I’m not in the Hanna is Bible camp, but I exclusively use them because for some reason my eyes cannot detect the difference between .5 pink 5 pink or 50 pink.

I utilize them as an easy exploratory and frequent check device if something seems wrong or out of line, and know it’s close enough to get an idea without guessing color.

If I have serious concerns something is off or I want a true accurate “Bible” breakdown, it’s not really available at hobbiest level, and I say that even for the trident. No one’s stand/sterilization procedure/care is going to beat a lab. so it goes to an ICP testing facility. Also too after I get results I can compare to my hobby grade testing equipment to the ICP and surmise the variation if any is present
I cannot see the colors of the other tests either :). All good:)
 

Reef.

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Thanks for chiming in bud I 100% agree with you and your methods are you no longer using scales ?

No I use a 10ml syringe, I’m happy if my po4 is anywhere between .03 and .1 so didn’t feel the extra effort in weighting the water was worth the time, I did check the syringe a few times for accuracy and consistency, the results were as good as the scales.
 

jcolliii

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I would trust volume in a medical grade syring 1000x more than a non-medical grade cuvette. The accuracy on one is potentially life or death important, the other - not so much.

That said, I am anti-hannah as well. Too many variables to account for. Some biggies are bubbles on the sides of the cuvette, dried on precipitate inside the cuvette, and fingerprints. Get good titration tests like Elos or Salifert. Much faster to perform and results are repeatable.

EDIT: Also, in ALK titration kits, you are not looking for a particular shade of color to compare with a chart... it's a change from a starting color to an ending color. The volume of titrant added to get to that end color gives you the ALK value.
 

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