What's the best Magnesium Tester out there?

[Bear Claw]

So I was about to get the Hanna Magnesium Tester, but some reviews said it was inaccurate. Is this true? I was confused when I saw that because I've had great success with my other Hanna testers. So, What is the best Magnesium tester out there?

 

[blaxsun]

There was a problem with the first batches of reagents that has now been fixed. I just got the Hanna one, so you're in good company.

 

[Bear Claw]

There was a problem with the first batches of reagents that has now been fixed. I just got the Hanna one, so you're in good company.

Ahh that makes sense. Where should I buy it from to get the new batch?

 

[blaxsun]

Ahh that makes sense. Where should I buy it from to get the new batch?

Anywhere, really. Just check the manufacture/expiration date if you're picking it up at your LFS. Anything that's been out for the last 3-4 months or so is good-to-go.

 

[nereefpat]

I like the Salifert kit. It used to be the only one, I think. There are others now.

Some of the Hanna checkers are really useful and nice, like the Copper and phosphorus ones. Some are bad and not useful, like the calcium and low range nitrate ones.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

The hanna alk test is useless. As soon as the reagent bottle is opened the test will start become inacurate. After spending so much money on the alk and calcium tester from hanna i will not be buying any of their other products. I don't have anything to say about their magnesium checker if its accurate or not but the failed launch doesn't give me any good feelings about it. I like aquaforest for mag but many others will be just as good.

 

[blaxsun]

Some of the Hanna checkers are really useful and nice, like the Copper and phosphorus ones. Some are bad and not useful, like the calcium and low range nitrate ones.

The Hanna calcium checker has worked great for me, but I can't argue with the LR nitrate checker.

 

[saltyfins]

The hanna alk test is useless. As soon as the reagent bottle is opened the test will start become inacurate. After spending so much money on the alk and calcium tester from hanna i will not be buying any of their other products. I don't have anything to say about their magnesium checker if its accurate or not but the failed launch doesn't give me any good feelings about it. I like aquaforest for mag but many others will be just as good.

mine has been rock steady, and I leave it in the kit after each use. Maybe I've just been lucky the past few years, but it always matches my ICP tests

 

[HomebroodExotics]

mine has been rock steady, and I leave it in the kit after each use. Maybe I've just been lucky the past few years, but it always matches my ICP tests

Alk test? You ever get snot in the reagent bottle? I’ve always get the snot and then the test is off.

 

[rtparty]

Salifert. Mine is almost spot on with ICP testing.

 

[Thor2j]

The hanna alk test is useless. As soon as the reagent bottle is opened the test will start become inacurate. After spending so much money on the alk and calcium tester from hanna i will not be buying any of their other products. I don't have anything to say about their magnesium checker if its accurate or not but the failed launch doesn't give me any good feelings about it. I like aquaforest for mag but many others will be just as good.

Put reagent in fridge. Rock solid,zero issues.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

Put reagent in fridge. Rock solid,zero issues.

Having to put it in the fridge is an issue for me.

 

[taricha]

I'll always lean toward titrations for major ions like Mg. For Mg, Salifert is very good Red sea is okay, but consistently higher than it ought to be based on standards, ICP, and comparisons with other test kits.

 

[August]

Can't speak to the accuracy relative to the other kits mentioned. However, make sure to verify the expiration date for the reagents they send you. My alkalinity test kit was expired two months after I got it ordered. The refill kit also expired soon after I purchased it. I did not notice this until literally last night when I was doing an "inventory" list of fish supplies so I don't accidentally over order things in the future... the HR Nitrate kit was fine and I lave the digital reading of the result instead of my best guess...

I switched over to the Trident for my periodic testing because an accurate test that you don't do regularly defeats the purpose, and I am bad about always doing tests without automation helping me

I am going to turn in my first ICP test today and will compare the results with readings from everything that I do the same day I take the sample.

 

[Bear Claw]

The Hanna calcium checker has worked great for me, but I can't argue with the LR nitrate checker.

What about the HR one? I just got that one as a gift but havent used it yet

 

[nereefpat]

What about the HR one? I just got that one as a gift but havent used it yet

That one gets good reviews

 

[blaxsun]

What about the HR one? I just got that one as a gift but havent used it yet

All the Hanna checkers work great. Just keep in-mind the following:

• How well the vial has been cleaned out matters (I occasionally soak mine in hot water and vinegar for an hour, then scrub out with a soft nylon brush and q-tips).
• Whether you've removed any/all fingerprints and/or residue from the outside of the vial prior to and during testing (microfiber cloths are a must).
• What position the vial gets placed in the checker (ie: white "Hanna 10ml" labelling forward) and ensure followup placement remains the same.
• Make sure you read the instructions carefully (some you just click on the C2 stage - others you have to hold down and wait for the timer).
• It never hurts to run multiple tests and compare results (you can queue up water, reagents and sample packets in-advance).

 

[LeannaBanana]

I use Hanna for everything but Ca and Mg, which I love the salifert tests for, personally. In my experience, Hanna has been great for Alk and HR Nitrate, in response to others in the thread. Each reefer's experience may vary, though!

 

[HomebroodExotics]

All the Hanna checkers work great. Just keep in-mind the following:

• How well the vial has been cleaned out matters (I occasionally soak mine in hot water and vinegar for an hour, then scrub out with a soft nylon brush and q-tips).
• Whether you've removed any/all fingerprints and/or residue from the outside of the vial prior to and during testing (microfiber cloths are a must).
• What position the vial gets placed in the checker (ie: white "Hanna 10ml" labelling forward) and ensure followup placement remains the same.
• Make sure you read the instructions carefully (some you just click on the C2 stage - others you have to hold down and wait for the timer).
• It never hurts to run multiple tests and compare results (you can queue up water, reagents and sample packets in-advance).

And don’t feed it after midnight!

 

[Simon_M]

I started with Salifert, moved on to Red Sea and now have Hanna for what I consider the "five majors", so have Alkalinity (dKH), Calcium and Magnesium with also Nitrate (HR) and Phosphate (ULR). I also have Red Sea for testing Trace Elements. The Red Sea Pro Tests were very good for Nitrate and Phosphate but I do generally prefer the Hanna "digital" results for the ones I have.

The Red Sea Titrate Tests were a bit disappointing for me and especially the Magnesium Test where I couldn't get anything other than the maximum, for these I preferred Salifert. With Hanna the results for dKH Magnesium and Calcium all seem to work well. I tested these with mixing up a salt mix (so not just from my particular DT) and received results in-line with the published ICP results for my salt. I don't find the titration tests repeatable (for me), hence the switch away from them.

The Hanna Calcium Test is often described as complicated but for me it was just one extra step using the special syringe. The Hanna Magnesium was (with two liquids) too high, but the revised liquid & powder version (following the recall) seems to be very accurate. Using a powder in the Hanna packet isn't difficult and I much prefer it to RS and Salifert which use a scoop - easy to get this slightly off.

The Hanna Nitrate HR kit is a balance (for me) between ease of use and repeatability compared to the Nitrate LR version - the instructions for me put me off the LR version - jut too many steps.

To make the transition to Hanna easier, I "invested" in some "extras": two dispensing bottles with nozzles for deionised water and the sample water, 5L of deionised water for diluting some of the tests and washing out the vials. Also a set of microfibre cloths.

My RO/DI water wasn't 0 TDS but the deionised water is zero. For the Calcium Test, the sample is diluted with water and RO/DI can be contaminated with Calcium so deionised is (for me) the way to go. I also watched the instruction videos on doing the tests.

My only (small) criticisms of the Hanna Test Kits are:

1. When you have lots of tests, all the black boxes (small or large) look the same without the cardboard sleeves - would have been nice if they were marked on each case.

2. Some include a separate card for just the test - and some just combine it with the instructions. They could standardise on providing both, IMHO. It's a bit mean not to provide a cloth with each kit considering that the kits are not cheap.

3. Some include a pipette for adding the sample water - and some don't, so the tests are (for me) incomplete. One of the syringe covers was a bit loose - I swapped it for one in another of the kits that used a bigger syringe.

Whilst I like the Hanna Tests very much (and my criticisms are pedantic, at best), I won't be rushing to also get them for testing minor Trace Elements, at least until I have exhausted some of my existing test kits.