How to use Salifert Alkalinity test kit? These videos suggest different methods.

[SharkRacer]

I’ve been struggling a bit to up my game in terms of water testing and could use some help.

The 2 videos below suggest different means of knowing how much to fill the syringe in the Salifert Alkalinity test kit.

One video instructions matches the instructions that came with the kit, and suggests to simply pull the plunger until the black syringe ring is at 1.0.

The other video says to do that BUT to make sure you get the air bubble right at the 0.85 mark.

these two methods gave me readings of ~8.6 and ~13.3 respectively (this second reading shown in the pic). That’s a significant difference!

What do I do here to get an accurate test?

 

[QCPD16]

I do it by the instructions on the kit and it matches my Trident very closely. Hope this helps.

 

[BaliReefBox]

what I do is put the end into the fluid and pull and push a few times then draw in the fluid . this way you get a consistent result

 

[mdb_talon]

Use the kit instructions. Make sure tip is on firmly so no excess air is getting sucked in and pull back to the 1ml mark. With my syringe this ends up being an air bubble that is approximately at .85, but that can vary based off tip size. The right answer though is using the kit instructions. I only look at the air bubble to give me piece of mind i did not accidently suck any air cause i know where it normally goes to.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Use the instructions in the kit and follow/look at the little pictures they help.

 

[elysics]

Did you link the wrong second video? They didn't say to make sure you get a bubble, much less to take your reading at the end of the bubble instead of where the plunger ends up at.

Air in the syringe doesn't matter as long as all the air that was in the syringe at the beginning is still in there at the end, just ignore it. And that's what they said too

Now if you start with an airbubble in the tip or at the bottom of the syringe and the bubble leaves the syringe during titration that's a problem and going to give you wrong results.

 

[Garf]

I’ve been struggling a bit to up my game in terms of water testing and could use some help.

The 2 videos below suggest different means of knowing how much to fill the syringe in the Salifert Alkalinity test kit.

One video instructions matches the instructions that came with the kit, and suggests to simply pull the plunger until the black syringe ring is at 1.0.

The other video says to do that BUT to make sure you get the air bubble right at the 0.85 mark.

these two methods gave me readings of ~8.6 and ~13.3 respectively (this second reading shown in the pic). That’s a significant difference!

What do I do here to get an accurate test?

Ignore the air bubble, just make sure the tip is rammed home (I’ve not had a leaky one). It’s the plunger displacement you want to take as the reading, or rather the reading of what is left in the syringe at the base of the plunger, as this is what the chart requires.

 

[homer1475]

Not sure why this topic comes up every once in a while, but it does.

The air bubble is from the pink tip placed on the syringe. Remove the pink tip, and you would get a full syringe, but your bubbles will be much bigger and throw the reading off.

You fill the syringe to the 1.0ML mark with the plunger(regardless of where the actual liquid volume goes to), then add the regent until the color changes, then take the reading from where the plunger ends up(again regardless of where the actual liquid is).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

All measuring strings should always be used in the way I show in this reef chemistry question if the day. In particular, pay no attention to air in the syringe:

Reef Chemistry Question of the Day #161 Using a Syringe

Reef Chemistry Question of the Day #160 I have just drawn tank water into a syringe with a tip (shown below, including a blowup of the barrel). The blue coloration shows where the fluid is. When I started to draw fluid in, the tip and syringe were empty and the plunger was all the way in...

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