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Trusting Hanna's Cacium Checker Readings

howze01

howze01

NJRC Member
They all seem to be within acceptable limits so I wouldn't go too crazy. I'm no SPS master but if the result is repeatable and you can maintain that level, I would think that you would be just fine. Did you test with the Hannah multiple times and get more or less the same result?
 
ricwilli

ricwilli

howze01 said:
They all seem to be within acceptable limits so I wouldn't go too crazy. I'm no SPS master but if the result is repeatable and you can maintain that level, I would think that you would be just fine. Did you test with the Hannah multiple times and get more or less the same result?
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I was going too, but had to step out. I will try multiple times with the Hanna kit.

Brando457 said:
Any luck emailing them and seeing why the huge difference?
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They claim that theirs is accurate cause is more precise.

AqOb said:
heres a question...which one of those test do you think is more accurate and why?
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In all honestly, I would trust Salifert cause they have been around for a while. This doesn't mean that they are more accurate though. Hanna is a new kid on the block with this test kit. So their readings are a big shocker since I'm use too using Salifert.
 
M

mnat

Officer Emeritus
Staff member
Moderator
The Hanna calc you have to be careful with that final step of "shaking" it up as any airbubbles in there will give you a false reading. Also, any fingerprints on the vial can give you a false reading. The other thing to look at is margin of error. All the test kits have a margin of error and I am sure if you look at them you will see they probably overlap within the margins.
 
TanksNStuff

TanksNStuff

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Have to agree with Mike here. I don't have the Hanna Calc meter (yet... still waiting to see if it's accurate so this thread interested me.) I do have the phosphate and alk meters they make though.

I get wacky readings if there are air bubbles in there after mixing with the reagents. I don't have any issues with finger prints because I heard they can cause problems... so I always wipe the vial down with a clean cloth before putting it in the meter.

To minimize/remove the bubbles, I try to swirl the vial in a circle instead of shaking it. If there are still any bubbles, I tilt the vial sideways and slowly tilt back upright to remove the bubbles.

Hope that helps, and I'll be interested to hear if this thing is consistent and/or accurate. Salifert is accurate but is kind of a hassle.
 
TanksNStuff

TanksNStuff

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
David, the Hanna meter is supposed to be accurate within +/- 6%, I can't find any info on the accuracy of salifert or elos kits... but if those have a +/- of 4% or more, you could easily have a 10% total difference (if Hanna was showing higher and the others were showing lower than actual.)

I think all test kits also have some degree of "human error" involved. The amount of salt water to be tested can be off by a few drops and the chemicals used to test with can also be in slightly varying quantities... which might change the end result by 10-20 ppm.

Still, Richies 3 tests were all different and the Hanna meter seems to be off way more than the other two.
 
malulu

malulu

NJRC Member
so, it mean, if using TWO Hanna to do test (or use the same Hanna to do test twice), it may have a potential different of 6% + 6% ==> 12% ?
no comments good nor bad, just pointing out the situation.
:)
 
ricwilli

ricwilli

OK, I just finished doing 4 test with the Hanna Ca test kit.

- 491
- 492
- 522
- 515

The kit comes with two test vials. When I first did the test, I did not rinse any of the vials. I just did the test and got 491 and 492. After rinsing the vials with tap water and RO/DI water, I got 522 and 515. I think the rinse screwed everything up. I'm going to try again when the vials dry up. Either today or tomorrow. I got 492 today with the vial that was used yesterday that gave me 491. Go figure.
 
ricwilli

ricwilli

Ran some test again and below is the outcome.

- 478 - vial was dried over night
- 476 - vial was dried over night
- 497 - Rinsed the vial with RO/DI right after the first test
- 447 - Rinsed the vial with RO/DI right after the second test, PLUS dried the inside of the vial with a blow dryer (yes I am crazy)

I'm pretty much done with this test kit. I'm glad I ordered a Salifert Ca test kit from the group buy.
 
The_Codfather

The_Codfather

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Rich, Thanks for doing the footwork on this.. I use API and was thinking about going all Hanna but seems by what you and Mike have brought up there seems to be to many things that can through it off.. Not to go off topic but I have a similar kinda thing with thermometers .. I have about 12 Coralife Digital Thermometers and none read the same temp.. some are 5 degrees off so I use a Floating Glass Thermometer from my beer brewing days and a Lifegard Aquatics Big Digital Temp Alert just for the Alert feature but even that is 4 degrees off from the Glass Thermometer so i just have the alarms set at the average difference.. I'm hoping when i have my apex set up with temp probe that will be it:nervous In fact I will make a thread about what Thermometers people use

 
G

Gonzapa

ricwilli said:
Ran some test again and below is the outcome.

- 478 - vial was dried over night
- 476 - vial was dried over night
- 497 - Rinsed the vial with RO/DI right after the first test
- 447 - Rinsed the vial with RO/DI right after the second test, PLUS dried the inside of the vial with a blow dryer (yes I am crazy)

I'm pretty much done with this test kit. I'm glad I ordered a Salifert Ca test kit from the group buy.
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If you are rinsing with RO water once it dries you could be leaving some residue behind.
I bet you that if you rinsed the vial with RO and right before the test you rinse it in tank water. you would get closer results
 
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