What makes Trident calibration solution unstable 8 hours after opening?

[Ziggy17]

Just curious as it says not accurate 8 hours after opening. Marketing scam to throw it out after a single use when you can get 2 maybe 3 uses per bottle?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

while it might be the case that they packaged it with high CO2 to prevent precipitation, I think that somewhat unlikely. You could always compare a new one to an old one and see.

 

[Ziggy17]

while it might be the case that they packaged it with high CO2 to prevent precipitation, I think that somewhat unlikely. You could always compare a new one to an old one and see.

That’s exactly what I did last night actually. I calibrated it with the 10 day old opened solution.
Alk 8.1 calcium 425 mag 1255 as per solution label. Confirmed these number after calibration.
Ran a combined test sequence after the calibration was done.
Alk 9.0 calcium 429 mag 1474
I measured alk with my Hanna, calcium with Salifert, I don’t have a mag test kit but I was pretty sure I’m in the mid 1400s
Alk 9.0 calcium 420, mag no kit to verify.

So confirmed, the solution remained extremely accurate to calibrate the trident after 10 days. By the amount used for a calibration, I think you can get 3 uses per bottle. Minimum 2 for sure.

 

[Troylee]

I don’t think it’s anything special.. maybe lab tested salt water at best.. I actually knocked a bottle over in my sump and nothing happened to my tank lol.. to get better results and more accuracy don’t even bother using that stuff! Test your tank water with Hannah checkers then use those numbers to calibrate your trident with your tank water all while never disturbing the siphon hose as the trident is finicky..

 

[Ziggy17]

I don’t think it’s anything special.. maybe lab tested salt water at best.. I actually knocked a bottle over in my sump and nothing happened to my tank lol.. to get better results and more accuracy don’t even bother using that stuff! Test your tank water with Hannah checkers then use those numbers to calibrate your trident with your tank water all while never disturbing the siphon hose as the trident is finicky..

I like having a bottle on hand so the wife can easily calibrate the trident when I’m gone for a few weeks at a time and I’m noticing values out of whack.
The trident for me is when I’m not home, I can test. When I’m at home, I use my Hannas and Salifert.

 

[spicymikey]

I don’t think it’s anything special.. maybe lab tested salt water at best.. I actually knocked a bottle over in my sump and nothing happened to my tank lol.. to get better results and more accuracy don’t even bother using that stuff! Test your tank water with Hannah checkers then use those numbers to calibrate your trident with your tank water all while never disturbing the siphon hose as the trident is finicky..

Agree. Thats what I do as well. At very least test the Alk in the calibration solution with a Hanna tester first and use the confirmed Hanna value with the calibration process. I find the stated Alk number unreliable. I guess it can depend on the age of the bottle. Alk can definitely drift more than Calc and Mag.

 

[spicymikey]

That’s exactly what I did last night actually. I calibrated it with the 10 day old opened solution.
Alk 8.1 calcium 425 mag 1255 as per solution label. Confirmed these number after calibration.
Ran a combined test sequence after the calibration was done.
Alk 9.0 calcium 429 mag 1474
I measured alk with my Hanna, calcium with Salifert, I don’t have a mag test kit but I was pretty sure I’m in the mid 1400s
Alk 9.0 calcium 420, mag no kit to verify.

So confirmed, the solution remained extremely accurate to calibrate the trident after 10 days. By the amount used for a calibration, I think you can get 3 uses per bottle. Minimum 2 for sure.

If you are trying to recalibrate more often then test the tank water yourself and just use your own tested values to recalibrate the Trident. Thats what I do but I use Hanna testers

 

[Ziggy17]

this thread was to ask Randy or other chemists if there was anything notably unstable about the solution, which there isn’t. So I’m satisfied.

 

[Ziggy17]

If you are trying to recalibrate more often then test the tank water yourself and just use your own tested values to recalibrate the Trident. Thats what I do but I use Hanna testers

Read post #5

 

[spicymikey]

this thread was to ask Randy or other chemists if there was anything notably unstable about the solution, which there isn’t. So I’m satisfied.

Glad your satisfied, but threads often drift and expand. Sometimes info in that extra dialog is valuable to others. Don't get annoyed. Let it drift. Its not "your" thread anymore.

 

[spicymikey]

Read post #5

Read post #10