Managing your nitrates using a color chart is a j o k e

[mdb_talon]

Yes it does. A titration test could still be off by as much as +/-0.5 dKH for alkalinity, even if you do everything perfectly. The Hanna will give you 2 decimals, so we’re talking about +/-0.01 dKH.

Yet reality does not work that way. Right now i can do 2 tests with my hanna alk checker using 2 different regeant batches(neither expired). One will be about 30ppm off from the other. All results are consistent when using same regeant batch. At a time I had a third regeant batch that was consistently 10 higher than the lowest and 20 lower than the highest. That batch is now gone.

I used to swear by hanna checkers, but after this experience i got new phosphate regeant to compare and again significantly different results between the batches(though not as much as the alk test).

Now I occassionally use them, but rely mostly on my salifert tests for real values. I use the hanna alk checker only to measure daily change(because again within the regeant batch it is extremely consistent)

 

[elysics]

Yes it does. A titration test could still be off by as much as +/-0.5 dKH for alkalinity, even if you do everything perfectly. The Hanna will give you 2 decimals, so we’re talking about +/-0.01 dKH.

It will give you that many decimals, doesn't mean it is that accurate. Their website says +/- 0.3 +/- 5% of the result

even if it gave you 10 decimals, the first one may still be wrong.

 

[zdstrong]

Yes it does. A titration test could still be off by as much as +/-0.5 dKH for alkalinity, even if you do everything perfectly. The Hanna will give you 2 decimals, so we’re talking about +/-0.01 dKH.

Hanna alk checker doesn’t read to .01, just one decimal place.

i could be mistaken on this however I have never seen the Hanna Checker as more accurate with po4 or dkh etc. The hannas are just an automated method that takes human error out of it. Hobbyists testa all suck across the board.

 

[howaboutme]

I haven't read other responses but you're assuming Hanna is always accurate. Not a good assumption. Always double check off #'s with others. Most importantly, read instructions.

Edit..To add. A lot of mis-reads are human error.

 

[kittenbritches]

My opinion will be unpopular, but I prefer API's nitrate test over Salifert and Red Sea (haven't tried Nyos, or Hanna (yet) so I can't have an opinion).

I bought the saltwater test kits from both API and Red Sea, as well as some individual tests from Salifert, and my results were the same for all +/- a negligible amount based on their measurement scales. The Red Sea tests take way longer, so I'm not going to torture myself to get the same result in a more difficult to read test. Trying to determine which shade or hue of pink it is versus obvious differences in color — the choice is clear to me.

I use my Salifert phosphate test with confidence because my levels are always so low there's no guess work. There is no way I would rely on them for nitrates, which is my tank's heavy nutrient of choice. Haha.

I use Red Sea for dKH and magnesium, because I'm counting drops or measuring how much test fluid was used. I am not a fan of second guessing myself. Is the lighting different? Did a ghost just cast a shadow? Am I looking at it with my "good" eye? No thanks.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Did you know API stands for "A Pretty Inaccurate" test? Lol

Truth, lol. I didn't know how off the tests are until the last few years, they are turrible.

 

[zdstrong]

I did a deep dive research on this prior to buying Hanna

Accuracy around +/- 2, 3, 4, 5% if:
* glass vial is unstained by washing it immediately after every use
* the vial is heavily wiped/polished with a microfiber cloth to remove any oils from fingerprints.

Meaning glass vial.is to be crystal clear and probably replaced every year due to staining of the reagents.

That is my issue with Hanna.. the vials. They scratch so easily and replacement vials are 20 bucks for 2 on brs .
I found on the Hanna website they sell a 25 pack marketed for their maple syrup tester??? They are the exact same just no caps, so save your caps and you’re set for long time.

HI731359 Round Glass Replacement Cuvettes for HI759 (25 pcs)

HI731359 is a replacement set of 25 round glass cuvettes with plastic inserts for the HI759 Maple Syrup Digital Grader.

www.hannainst.com

 

[MONTANTK]

It all depends on the product being used. API is not great and I’ve heard salifert is not great either. Red Sea uses a color chart and I like it a lot better for phosphate than my Hanna Checker. I use nitrate for Red Sea but never tried the Hanna checker. It’s just a matter of finding the correct product. As with any color chart, some of it will be subjective

 

[RGoltz]

Should’ve got a Nyos nitrate test kit. The problem with the Salifert kit is the range of 25-50 and 50-100. That and some of the tests you have to read from the side and others from the top - so it’s not consistent.

I don’t like the Nyos as the shelf life of the reagent is very poor. So Hanna with the single use packets FTW.

 

[ZoWhat]

I don’t like the Nyos as the shelf life of the reagent is very poor. So Hanna with the single use packets FTW.

Speaking of Hannas sealed single pack reagents.... the only negative I have about using Hanna fir no3 is the single use packets are as much as a $1 a test.

An obvious money grab where the cost of the single pack to Hanna is probably 1-2 cents per pack

If I test 2x a week.... thats $8/month.... $96/yr

But it beats losing hundreds of dollars in zoanthids bc I don't know my no3 within +/- 5%


.

 

[blaxsun]

I use an Apex/Trident to get most of my readings:

* Temperature, salinity, pH, ORP and PAR in realtime
* KH every 6 hours; Ca and Mg every 12 hours

This is cheaper than monthly lab testing but still more expensive than using an assortment of off-the-shelf tests (digital and titration). And while it won’t be as accurate as lab testing, the margin of error is a fair tradeoff for being able to get timely results (even if it’s an approximation).

I still use a combination of tests to keep everything reasonably “honest”.

 

[RGoltz]

Speaking of Hannas sealed single pack reagents.... the only negative I have about using Hanna fir no3 is the single use packets are as much as a $1 a test.

An obvious money grab where the cost of the single pack to Hanna is probably 1-2 cents per pack

If I test 2x a week.... thats $8/month.... $96/yr

But it beats losing hundreds of dollars in zoanthids bc I don't know my no3 within +/- 5%


.

Personally, I have seen the Nyos test be off by 20+ ppm when the reagent is in poor condition. As in..the test is reading flat or downward when levels are increasing!

So, I will never use that again. It has happened twice and shame on me.

Yes the Hanna is expensive but accurate, precise, and reliable. And I don’t test more than weekly even if I am having some “nutrient issue” like now, which is partly because of the Nyos kit and partly because I foolishly lowered phosphates without having a good eye on nitrates!

 

[Gtinnel]

I use an Apex/Trident to get most of my readings:

* Temperature, salinity, pH, ORP and PAR in realtime
* KH every 6 hours; Ca and Mg every 12 hours

This is cheaper than monthly lab testing but still more expensive than using an assortment of off-the-shelf tests (digital and titration). And while it won’t be as accurate as lab testing, the margin of error is a fair tradeoff for being able to get timely results (even if it’s an approximation).

I still use a combination of tests to keep everything reasonably “honest”.

I use an apex and trident too, but comparing the cost of trident reagents to other tests isn't completely fair IMO because no one is going to manually test their tank 4 times a day. I honestly thought that testing alk 4 times a day was stupid and then I started using the trident and now I love knowing my alk every 6 hours. I've considered making it test more often but I'm too cheap to replace the reagents more often.

My opinion will be unpopular, but I prefer API's

That is the first time I think I've ever heard anyone say that.

A lot of what test people prefer is related to the levels in their tank. For instance my nitrates stay under 5 at all times, so an API test is worthless to me because I can't distinguish any difference from 0-3

 

[kittenbritches]

I use an apex and trident too, but comparing the cost of trident reagents to other tests isn't completely fair IMO because no one is going to manually test their tank 4 times a day. I honestly thought that testing alk 4 times a day was stupid and then I started using the trident and now I love knowing my alk every 6 hours. I've considered making it test more often but I'm too cheap to replace the reagents more often.


That is the first time I think I've ever heard anyone say that.

A lot of what test people prefer is related to the levels in their tank. For instance my nitrates stay under 5 at all times, so an API test is worthless to me because I can't distinguish any difference from 0-3

My nitrates tend to be 10-20ppm, so I don't need that level of accuracy. I do, however, have a low-level nitrate Hanna tester coming soon (freebie) if I do ever get my nitrates below 10! Haha.

 

[Gtinnel]

My nitrates tend to be 10-20ppm, so I don't need that level of accuracy. I do, however, have a low-level nitrate Hanna tester coming soon (freebie) if I do ever get my nitrates below 10! Haha.

I need to know my nitrates within a few ppm, because for me it can be the difference between my nitrates actually being 0 and being at the normal level. I was really excited for the Hanna LR but then I watched a video of someone performing the test and quickly decided I would never go through all of that hassle to test my nitrates.

 

[kittenbritches]

I need to know my nitrates within a few ppm, because for me it can be the difference between my nitrates actually being 0 and being at the normal level. I was really excited for the Hanna LR but then I watched a video of someone performing the test and quickly decided I would never go through all of that hassle to test my nitrates.

From the little I've looked, the Hanna checker does seem to be a pretty big PITA.

 

[blaxsun]

From the little I've looked, the Hanna checker does seem to be a pretty big PITA.

Only the ULR version. The HR version is far easier to use.

 

[blaxsun]

I need to know my nitrates within a few ppm, because for me it can be the difference between my nitrates actually being 0 and being at the normal level. I was really excited for the Hanna LR but then I watched a video of someone performing the test and quickly decided I would never go through all of that hassle to test my nitrates.

What’s the “normal” level? I know opinions will vary greatly on the subject, but even a nitrate level of 15 in an established reef tank is perfectly acceptable. Sure, less is always desirable - but I feel too many reefers are chasing parameters while perhaps overlooking the fact that their little ecosystem is reasonably healthy.

 

[blaxsun]

I use an apex and trident too, but comparing the cost of trident reagents to other tests isn't completely fair IMO because no one is going to manually test their tank 4 times a day. I honestly thought that testing alk 4 times a day was stupid and then I started using the trident and now I love knowing my alk every 6 hours. I've considered making it test more often but I'm too cheap to replace the reagents more often.

I agree with you - the Trident is the more expensive option, short of sending weekly water samples to a lab. I wouldn’t test multiple times daily (or even daily) with off-the-shelf kits, either. Like you, I was initially reluctant about the whole Trident/multiple testing aspect - but have come to appreciate it.

 

[Gtinnel]

What’s the “normal” level? I know opinions will vary greatly on the subject, but even a nitrate level of 15 in an established reef tank is perfectly acceptable. Sure, less is always desirable - but I feel too many reefers are chasing parameters while perhaps overlooking the fact that their little ecosystem is reasonably healthy.

I just used the term "normal" in referring to the amount of nitrate that MY tank typically runs at. I in no way was using the term "normal" to imply that there is a specific nitrate value that others should run their tanks at. I feel like you are nitpicking my choicing of wording by pointing this out, since I went back and re-read my post and it seems clear to me that I was referring to what my nitrate level generally is.