Hanna Nitrate LR- problems

[Bfragale]

So I just got the Hanna Nitrate tester.
I’ve followed directions to a “t”.

With my Salifert test- I show what I think is about 25 ppm (or less) according to the color chart- but for sure less then 50ppm. I did it twice to confirm and these results are consistent with most my previous tests.over last 6mo.

I did the 1/10 dilutionfor the Hanna and I’m still getting the “out of range” error. I’ve done it twice now just to be sure.

so either I have been doing Salifert wrong or test is wrong- but I don’t think so.

or I’m doing Hanna checker test wrong or results are wrong. my assumption is one of these.

Or: my nitrates are over 50ppm! (Can’t believe they are that high?) if so, then would that mean they have been that high for last 6mo?

I’m not sure what to do to confirm- should I just pick up a newSalifert nitrate test and compare?

I tested my new salt water for dilution and it tests 0 nitrates with Salifert.


any ideas?

 

[Uncle99]

I used mine twice.
Didn’t trust it at all
Back to Salifert.

 

[Bfragale]

I used mine twice.
Didn’t trust it at all
Back to Salifert.

I like the Salifert test- but it’s always hard to get an exact. Was hoping the Hanna would give a better idea of where they actually are. In regards to the Salifert test I’m always between 10 and 25 in regards to color. That’s a big range, wanted something a little more accurate but this Hanna is frustrating.

 

[reefer5076]

I just got the same checker and I made the stupid Mistake of doing the dilution process wrong by using the reagent to dilute the initial 1mL sample up to the 10 ml line... it’s 1mL of tank water, 9ml of freshly mixed saltwater to make the 10mL diluted sample, of which you suck out 7mL , throw out the other 3 ml and squirt the 7 back into the mixing container and add 4ml of reagent plus powder packB which needs to be strained thru the filter before zeroing the meter. I didn’t like the way it was worded on the directions but after spending several hours tinkering with the thing myself I gave you all that by memory. After I did the test correctly it’s been working great for me, other than being a pain in the butt to do the test. I may be the only person that was stupid enough to do that, but I hope that helps.

 

[ReefHunter006]

I’ve been really happy with mine. No issues with the dilution. Sorry to hear your having troubles. Happy to compare procedures if ya want.

I really enjoy it because it allows me to time my water changes and frequency with more certainty.

 

[Greg P]

I just got the same checker and I made the stupid Mistake of doing the dilution process wrong by using the reagent to dilute the initial 1mL sample up to the 10 ml line... it’s 1mL of tank water, 9ml of freshly mixed saltwater to make the 10mL diluted sample, of which you suck out 7mL , throw out the other 3 ml and squirt the 7 back into the mixing container and add 4ml of reagent plus powder packB which needs to be strained thru the filter before zeroing the meter. I didn’t like the way it was worded on the directions but after spending several hours tinkering with the thing myself I gave you all that by memory. After I did the test correctly it’s been working great for me, other than being a pain in the butt to do the test. I may be the only person that was stupid enough to do that, but I hope that helps.

OMG, that's waaayyyy too much work. I've watched the video and my eyes glazed over about half-way through.
I'll stick with my Salifert NO3 kit
1ml tank water, 4 drops, 1 scoop; swirl 30 seconds; set 3 minute timer
Read from top or if not clear, read from side and divide by 10

 

[Reef.]

I like the Salifert test- but it’s always hard to get an exact. Was hoping the Hanna would give a better idea of where they actually are. In regards to the Salifert test I’m always between 10 and 25 in regards to color. That’s a big range, wanted something a little more accurate but this Hanna is frustrating.

10-25 is a big range but does it matter with nitrate? Either aim for below 10, between the two or 25.

Unless you count your nitrate in decimal places the salifert is a good test kit.

 

[homer1475]

I got the Hanna from my R2R SS. Used it exactly 4 times and all 4 times I came up with a dramatically different result. Back into my fish cabinet it goes. I'll continue to use Red Sea Pro.


EDIT:
It should not take 20 minutes to run one test. I don't care how accurate it's supposed to be.

 

[adromero]

Got the same checker this week. I tried to follow the written directions and kept getting L.LO reading. Watched a video and now I consistently get a reading that was similar to my API test. My API reads near zero and Hanna continuously reads 1.70 to 1.75. I believe I ran the test correctly three times.

I was wondering if my nitrates may be too low. My phosphates usually run .10-.16, A long time user of the Hanna phosphate tester.

 

[ShepherdReefer]

We purchased one and have not used it yet. Following the thread to see what others experience.