Hanna Calcium Checkers

[Myka]

I have been using clients' Hanna Calcium Checkers on their tanks (I do aquarium maintenance) and I've been assuming it's correct, although I've had a few abnormally high readings. I use Elos on my own tank at home. I recently bought a Hanna Calcium Checker for my own use. I am always in the habit of cross checking new test kits with old test kits.

So I tested my water:

Elos 365 ppm
Salifert 360 ppm at LFS
Hanna 435 ppm (tested a few times)

I've heard lots of people saying that the Calcium Checker reads high. It seems it is certainly higher than Elos and Salifert.

To add to the confusion, this is on a tank that I'm not dosing at all. I'm using H2Ocean salt. I got the following results for alkalinity:

Elos 8 dKH
Salifert 9 dKH at LFS
Hanna 8.5 dKH (153 ppm)

I know that it is "normal" for Salifert to read 1 dKH higher than Elos. Hanna is right in the middle. All three of these numbers are perfectly fine by me, so I'm not too concerned here.

Now, the confusion comes here...since the tank is not being dosed (just bi-weekly waterchanges), and I'm using H2Ocean salt, you would expect alkalinity to get low before calcium, but the alkalinity in the tank is barely lower than the alkalinity of the freshly mixed saltwater. One would then expect that the calcium should be close to the freshly mixed saltwater too. So, is the Hanna Calcium Checker actually accurate in the 435 ppm range??

Are you all getting accurate results with the Calcium Checker? How is it matching up to freshly mixed saltwater and other test kits? I'm using my own RO/DI water at 0 ppm TDS for the calcium checking, what are you all using? Using such a TINY amount of sample water has me wondering on the ability to accurately measure. I have been trying REALLY hard though.

Please share you experiences! :)

Edit: I just thought of something...I'm going to go measure the freshly mixed saltwater with the Hanna Checker.

[Myka]

??

[Magickiwi]

??

It's your thread. What's your question? lol

[StirCrazy]

I threw all my hanna stuff out as they are pretty much junk. I used salifert myself, as that was about the best back then.

are you checking Mg on the tanks also? low Mg will alow low Ca with high Alk numbers.

Steve

[Myka]

It's your thread. What's your question? lol

My questions are in the first post. :)

[Magickiwi]

My questions are in the first post. :)

Oh I see. You were just reiterating your questions because no one had answered. I'm kind of slow aren't I?

I use a calcium checker, alk checker, and every so often I want to torture myself I use the phosphate or phosphorus checkers.

Honestly I'm not sure of the robustness of their testing methods for any of their checkers... I see enough difference between their tests and chemical tests, when multiple chemical tests appear to agree.

What was the results of your testing the new water?

[Scythanith]

Has anyone tested using various test (elos, salifert, hanna) and then sent the same sample off to a proper lab? That's the only way I'd agree with someone saying which one is "right".

[StirCrazy]

Has anyone tested using various test (elos, salifert, hanna) and then sent the same sample off to a proper lab? That's the only way I'd agree with someone saying which one is "right".

ya, 10 years ago RHF did a comparason, sailfert and elos were the better ones, sailfert for some and elos for others, hanna was consistantly off.

Steve

[Myka]

ya, 10 years ago RHF did a comparason, sailfert and elos were the better ones, sailfert for some and elos for others, hanna was consistantly off.

Steve

10 years ago Salifert was the only one that looks the same as it does now. I didn't hear about Elos until 2006 ish when it became the new "best" test kit. Hanna has been using the colorimeters for ages, but the Checkers are still relatively new. I don't think the Checkers have been looked at that closely.

[StirCrazy]

10 years ago Salifert was the only one that looks the same as it does now. I didn't hear about Elos until 2006 ish when it became the new "best" test kit. Hanna has been using the colorimeters for ages, but the Checkers are still relatively new. I don't think the Checkers have been looked at that closely.

ok, back the bus up :mrgreen:, are we talking the drop test kits? no one said electronic testers..... sorry I assumed we were still talking the standard add the drops and watch the color change test kits. thats what was compared by RHF.

Steve

[Myka]

ok, back the bus up :mrgreen:, are we talking the drop test kits? no one said electronic testers..... sorry I assumed we were still talking the standard add the drops and watch the color change test kits. thats what was compared by RHF.

Steve

We are talking about the digital Hanna Checkers compared to the Elos and Salifert drop test kits. I actually wasn't aware that Hanna put out a drop test kit.

[reef-keeper]

Just a quick question. Is there a way to check the calibration of the digital checker ?

[mark]

Just a quick question. Is there a way to check the calibration of the digital checker ?

there are standard solutions available