Hanna Nitrate Checker Instructions
- Thread starter zenx2
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southerntnreefer
Valuable Member
I wonder if you could just buy say a 5 gallon container of saltwater from LFS, or one of those prepared saltwater brands to keep around just for the dilution version?
what i really want to knwo is how long it takes before the tester shuts off on its own. sometimes i'll be testing phosphate on the hanna checker, but i have to step away for 30 sec. by the time i come back and get the reagent poured into the vial and start shaking it, the hanna checker turns off. drives me NUTS.
92Miata
Valuable Member
It's going to be like the calcium checker - where it's very accurate, but the vast majority of people aren't consistent and careful enough in their lab work to not introduce a ton of error.
There are way too many steps where you're moving water from one vessel to another.
Even in the video they say to fill the cuvette up to 10 ml and they only have like 8ml of fluid left.
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I was doing some tests over the weekend. Instead of getting samples straight from the tank for each test, I got a clean beaker and took out more water than I would need for all the tests.
As I was going through steps to do the low range phosphate test, I noticed that there were strands of fiber floating around in the cuvette along with the sample water. My guess is that strands of fiber would have an impact in the accuracy of the test. I'm not sure at what point in my process I introduced contaminants into the sample water (or the vessels) but clearly I am doing something wrong. And this is with one of the "simpler" hanna checkers.
Watching the video on the nitrate test steps - I imagine about 15 extra places where I can make mistakes. And I consider myself generally a fastidious person.
And again I ask, to what purpose? What would one do differently if they could get accurate readings that differentiate between 2ppm vs 4ppm nitrate?
JMR5
Community Member
Don't forget the $5 to get more filters.
Got mine today - and yeah....something's off. It gave me "Inv" readings both times - but there's no mention of using another cuvette, so no idea what's going on. I find it pretty frustrating so far, TBH.
Just got the SR Aquaristik Speed Test that I use for Red Sea Mg and Ca. Makes the tests easier to perform and may improve consistency.
Speed Test Mixer
The speed test mixer allows for faster, more accurate and quicker testing of fresh & saltwater aquariums. Can be used with most standard test kits.
sraquaristik.com
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Deezill
Valuable Member
I am going to stick with my Salifert Nitrate checker Hanna should be ashamed of themselves for this one. I was in chemistry class online of course and I decided to check my nitrates with my New Hanna checker I got a week ago.
So I opened the box for the first time since I got it and I saw all those parts. the only thing I could do was close the lid snap it and grabbed my good old salifert checker. I am not using this.
So I opened the box for the first time since I got it and I saw all those parts. the only thing I could do was close the lid snap it and grabbed my good old salifert checker. I am not using this.
I will say it's not as bad as it looks, but my nitrates are about 12-15ppm and I did not have any fresh saltwater to dilute. I thought a solution to dilute came with it but nope. It's good to have the accuracy should my nitrates drop under 5, but this thing will almost definitely collect dust somewhere.
JCOLE
Grower of the Small Polyps
I finally had a chance to test it. The first go around did not impress me. My nitrates tested at 4.8. The solution was very dark and the solution was not clear at all with a nasty looking substance in the solution.
I decided to try it again with the dilution step. This mixed up much better and I received a reading of .78 which after conversion is 7.8. I ran a second test of dilution and recieved the same reading.
So in conclusion it seems that dilution is the way to go for me from now on. At first it seemed like a lot of steps and time but for accurate results it isnt too bad. I dont test NO3 everyday so once a week isn't an issue.
I decided to try it again with the dilution step. This mixed up much better and I received a reading of .78 which after conversion is 7.8. I ran a second test of dilution and recieved the same reading.
So in conclusion it seems that dilution is the way to go for me from now on. At first it seemed like a lot of steps and time but for accurate results it isnt too bad. I dont test NO3 everyday so once a week isn't an issue.
JCOLE
Grower of the Small Polyps
Fresh saltwater
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