Hanna po4 tester

rcpalmer1 · Jan 17, 2019

I have a 60ml syringe. I only use it to draw water to test. I then use it to accurately fill the tubes. In the beginning I got some mixed results. Now I can test multiple time and get the exact results. The test is more forgiving than I would have thought. I have spilt some but went ahead and finished the test. Then do another test and get the same result. The more you do it the easier it gets.

User · Jan 18, 2019

Sorry, reading comprehension issues due to a teething baby.

User · Jan 18, 2019

marvelousone said:
this is the one that came with the tester.

Sorry, I had reading comprehension issues due to my being exhausted with a teething baby.

That makes more sense than your originals and refills being the same batch, lol.

Let’s see how a second test with the new batch goes and I’ll maybe do a test with my reagent (sane lot as your new stuff)

marvelousone · Jan 18, 2019

I tested today with new reagent. It tested 7. its not 200 like the first one but not zero like the original package tested. I will try one more.

DHill6 · Jan 18, 2019

I didn’t have good luck with the handheld model, kept reading inv. When it was first available. I ended up buying the larger blue model, worked perfectly until it died and kept reading the cap had a problem. I recently purchased another blue model, and new calibration to test it with. I always have the calibration solutions for these meters.

DHill6 · Jan 18, 2019

I didn’t have good luck with the handheld model, kept reading inv. When it was first available. I ended up buying the larger blue model, worked perfectly until it died and kept reading the cap had a problem. I recently purchased another blue model, and new calibration to test it with. I always have the calibration solutions for these meters.

ckalupa · Jan 19, 2019

@marvelousone :

Was your first test “200” or was the meter actually flashing “200”. If it was flashing that means test out of range (or you are higher than 200)

User · Jan 19, 2019

With conversion to bio available phosphate 7ppb on the meter is 0.021 ppm ([PPB x 3.066]/1000) For an established tank without active phosphate control is actually good.

The current consensus is that you should try to keep it under 0.03ppm phosphate/10ppb phosphorus. Natural seawater averages 0.005ppm phosphate / 1.6ppb phosphorus.

As a comparison, my brand new cycled tank was at 0.107ppm (35 ppb on the meter) abs I hadn’t even fed anything yet. That was from my pukani and the natural levels in the mix (NSW instant ocean comes out at 2ppb/0.006ppm. I ran GFO fir a week and got it down to zero. Only downside to that is that I had zero green algae bloom after my cycle so I feel like I’m playing catch up to grow something that’ll feed pods and let my chaeto grow (I’m 0/2 with chaeto- water is too clean).

Saying all that- I think your levels are fine.

marvelousone · Jan 19, 2019

ckalupa said:
@marvelousone :

Was your first test “200” or was the meter actually flashing “200”. If it was flashing that means test out of range (or you are higher than 200)

It was not flashing. What was funny was when I poured the reagent in the vial. The water turned blue.

marvelousone · Jan 19, 2019

neilp2006 said:
With conversion to bio available phosphate 7ppb on the meter is 0.021 ppm ([PPB x 3.066]/1000) For an established tank without active phosphate control is actually good.

The current consensus is that you should try to keep it under 0.03ppm phosphate/10ppb phosphorus. Natural seawater averages 0.005ppm phosphate / 1.6ppb phosphorus.

As a comparison, my brand new cycled tank was at 0.107ppm (35 ppb on the meter) abs I hadn’t even fed anything yet. That was from my pukani and the natural levels in the mix (NSW instant ocean comes out at 2ppb/0.006ppm. I ran GFO fir a week and got it down to zero. Only downside to that is that I had zero green algae bloom after my cycle so I feel like I’m playing catch up to grow something that’ll feed pods and let my chaeto grow (I’m 0/2 with chaeto- water is too clean).

Saying all that- I think your levels are fine.

You are fine. Mine at 7ppb(.021) is fine too but I am starting zeovit. So I need to be close to accurate as possible.

rcpalmer1 · Jan 21, 2019

It is a 5 minute test. If I get an abnormal result I retest right then. There are so many thing that might of happened without realizing it.

IslandLifeReef · Jan 21, 2019

marvelousone said:
You are fine. Mine at 7ppb(.021) is fine too but I am starting zeovit. So I need to be close to accurate as possible.

If your old reagent gave you a reading of 0 ppb and the new reagent gave you a reading of 7 ppb, that is within the error range of the test according to Hanna. +/- 5 ppb and 5% of the actual reading.

There must have been something wrong with the test that gave you the 200 ppb reading since you have done tests after that were within the error range.

marvelousone · Jan 21, 2019

IslandLifeReef said:
If your old reagent gave you a reading of 0 ppb and the new reagent gave you a reading of 7 ppb, that is within the error range of the test according to Hanna. +/- 5 ppb and 5% of the actual reading.

There must have been something wrong with the test that gave you the 200 ppb reading since you have done tests after that were within the error range.

I tested again and I got 74 first test than tested right after that and got 4. 2 different vials.

IslandLifeReef · Jan 21, 2019

marvelousone said:
I tested again and I got 74 first test than tested right after that and got 4. 2 different vials.

Do you have the standards fluid (calibration fluid) for the PO4 test? That fluid will tell you if there is something wrong with your checker if you run several test and get a wide variance of readings. Otherwise, I would look at how you are doing the test or cleaning the cuvettes with vinegar in case they are stained. I would be very surprised if the reagent was so flawed that every packet from the same lot gave you such a wide range of results. If you were getting readings from that lot that were consistently between 150 and 200, then yeah, I would suspect bad reagent. However, your results have been between 4 and 200 which tells me something else is going on.

rcpalmer1 · Jan 22, 2019

IslandLifeReef said:
Do you have the standards fluid (calibration fluid) for the PO4 test? That fluid will tell you if there is something wrong with your checker if you run several test and get a wide variance of readings. Otherwise, I would look at how you are doing the test or cleaning the cuvettes with vinegar in case they are stained. I would be very surprised if the reagent was so flawed that every packet from the same lot gave you such a wide range of results. If you were getting readings from that lot that were consistently between 150 and 200, then yeah, I would suspect bad reagent. However, your results have been between 4 and 200 which tells me something else is going on.

I agree.
Small variances in testing procedures can make big differences. I go through a box of reagent a month for over a year. Here are a couple of things I do to get repeatable results.
1. Use same cuvette for C1 and C2.
2. Make sure small air bubbles are not stuck to sides of cuvette.
3. Have packet opened before starting test so that once C1 is done I can pour in reagent. Insure all reagent makes it in the cuvette.
4. Time how long you shake and try to shake it the same each time.
5. Use the long push to get the 3 minute count down.

Funny that I have been following this . I have been out of town for 5 days. So my tank has not been tested in almost a week. I have recently made two big changes. I have been dosing 72ml a day. The first few days after the changes my alk had fluctuated up and down. Then it had seemed to settle out before I left. First test since I returned PO4 was 12ppb. Not bad for being untouched for a week. I also use the Hanna alk tester. My alk had dropped 1.5dkh. The bad thing was that I had to open a new bottle of reagent for this test. New reagent, unexpected test result? So I did another test and got the same results. I then waited 24 tested again and got the same result. I then added 50ml additional. I will continue until I get my alk back to where I want it. Then I will see how much it drops a day. Only then will I adjust my dosing pumps.

IslandLifeReef · Jan 22, 2019

rcpalmer1 said:
I agree.
Small variances in testing procedures can make big differences. I go through a box of reagent a month for over a year. Here are a couple of things I do to get repeatable results.
1. Use same cuvette for C1 and C2.
2. Make sure small air bubbles are not stuck to sides of cuvette.
3. Have packet opened before starting test so that once C1 is done I can pour in reagent. Insure all reagent makes it in the cuvette.
4. Time how long you shake and try to shake it the same each time.
5. Use the long push to get the 3 minute count down.

Funny that I have been following this . I have been out of town for 5 days. So my tank has not been tested in almost a week. I have recently made two big changes. I have been dosing 72ml a day. The first few days after the changes my alk had fluctuated up and down. Then it had seemed to settle out before I left. First test since I returned PO4 was 12ppb. Not bad for being untouched for a week. I also use the Hanna alk tester. My alk had dropped 1.5dkh. The bad thing was that I had to open a new bottle of reagent for this test. New reagent, unexpected test result? So I did another test and got the same results. I then waited 24 tested again and got the same result. I then added 50ml additional. I will continue until I get my alk back to where I want it. Then I will see how much it drops a day. Only then will I adjust my dosing pumps.

I like how you treated your unexpected result test. I see so many people who say they did a test and the result was way off from what they expected, so they do another test. The second test gives them the result they wanted or close to that result, so they assume that the first test was bad and that the second test was accurate. Why? I should be able to do three or more tests in a row and the results should all be within the margin of error for that test. If I get a funny reading, I am doing at least 2 more tests in a row. If those match, then 24 hours later I am performing a third test. If that result matched the last 2 tests, only then do I totally discount the outlier test as an error.

marvelousone · Jan 22, 2019

IslandLifeReef said:
Do you have the standards fluid (calibration fluid) for the PO4 test? That fluid will tell you if there is something wrong with your checker if you run several test and get a wide variance of readings. Otherwise, I would look at how you are doing the test or cleaning the cuvettes with vinegar in case they are stained. I would be very surprised if the reagent was so flawed that every packet from the same lot gave you such a wide range of results. If you were getting readings from that lot that were consistently between 150 and 200, then yeah, I would suspect bad reagent. However, your results have been between 4 and 200 which tells me something else is going on.

I don't have calibration fluid. I will get some. There has been only 6 test done in the Cuvette. I used one that has never been used and got 74 and 4

marvelousone · Jan 22, 2019

rcpalmer1 said:
I agree.
Small variances in testing procedures can make big differences. I go through a box of reagent a month for over a year. Here are a couple of things I do to get repeatable results.
1. Use same cuvette for C1 and C2.
2. Make sure small air bubbles are not stuck to sides of cuvette.
3. Have packet opened before starting test so that once C1 is done I can pour in reagent. Insure all reagent makes it in the cuvette.
4. Time how long you shake and try to shake it the same each time.
5. Use the long push to get the 3 minute count down.

Funny that I have been following this . I have been out of town for 5 days. So my tank has not been tested in almost a week. I have recently made two big changes. I have been dosing 72ml a day. The first few days after the changes my alk had fluctuated up and down. Then it had seemed to settle out before I left. First test since I returned PO4 was 12ppb. Not bad for being untouched for a week. I also use the Hanna alk tester. My alk had dropped 1.5dkh. The bad thing was that I had to open a new bottle of reagent for this test. New reagent, unexpected test result? So I did another test and got the same results. I then waited 24 tested again and got the same result. I then added 50ml additional. I will continue until I get my alk back to where I want it. Then I will see how much it drops a day. Only then will I adjust my dosing pumps.

I test just like that.