Hanna CA checker

I have always liked it. I have two different brand test kits for ca, mag and alk. Periodically test them against each other and ICP twice a year. My results have always been consistent agaisnt my other results. I think the important thing is to keep consistent procedures every time you test. 1ml can through off your results.

Ultimately I hate trying to read colors so I opt to use Hanna with the digital read out. My second test kit is Salifert which is pretty easy to use also.
 
I use it and love it. A lot of people complain about inconsistent readings but that's usually user error. I've tested the readings against red Sea pro and salifert and they're pretty spot on.

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I use the Hanna Alk, Ca, and phosphate checkers. I prefer numbers rather than determining when the color changes. As long as my numbers are consistent, I don't worry about how they compare with other checkers.
I agree. I purchased and have the same checkers and backup with salifert just in case something looks off. I also have redsea CA,MG & KH which i used prior to purchasing the Hanna checkers... Ez pz and ease of mind and time in this hobby.
 
I've had one for about 8 months and love it. I was getting false readings at first and realized I had to use Distilled Water with this kit. Tech support at Hanna pointed me told me about that. I was getting bad readings with RO/DI from my LFS. Since then I put my own RO/DI system in the house but still need to see if I can use that with this kit. The distilled water from the grocery store has worked well and I am still on the first gallon - I probably test my CA 2x/week on average.
 
I've had one for about 8 months and love it. I was getting false readings at first and realized I had to use Distilled Water with this kit. Tech support at Hanna pointed me told me about that. I was getting bad readings with RO/DI from my LFS. Since then I put my own RO/DI system in the house but still need to see if I can use that with this kit. The distilled water from the grocery store has worked well and I am still on the first gallon - I probably test my CA 2x/week on average.
What do you use the distilled water for?
 
step 2 of the process.
Step 1 is to put 1 mL of the Hanna reagent in the cuvette
Step 2 is to bring then fill the cuvette up to the 10mL mark with distilled water (after first putting in 1 mL of the reagent).

I was using RODI water for that step and my results were much higher than what I was getting with other test kits. Hanna told me to use distilled water and its been spot-on since then, and consistent.
 
FreakinRican - you got me thinking about this so I just went to the Hanna site and saw this on their website:

Important Note: The Calcium Checker requires freshwater lacking calcium for proper analysis. The use of distilled water (purified with steam distillation) from your local pharmacy or ultra-pure deionized water is required. It’s important to note that water from many hobby-grade reverse osmosis deionization resins may not be suitable for this test. Depending on the filter effectiveness, frequency of resin replacement, or water storage method used, calcium may still be present in home RODI water which could result in false high results when used during C1 stage in the Calcium Checker.
 
FreakinRican - you got me thinking about this so I just went to the Hanna site and saw this on their website:

Important Note: The Calcium Checker requires freshwater lacking calcium for proper analysis. The use of distilled water (purified with steam distillation) from your local pharmacy or ultra-pure deionized water is required. It’s important to note that water from many hobby-grade reverse osmosis deionization resins may not be suitable for this test. Depending on the filter effectiveness, frequency of resin replacement, or water storage method used, calcium may still be present in home RODI water which could result in false high results when used during C1 stage in the Calcium Checker.
Awesome thanks for the input. This is my first go around with these checkers and any little bit of information is greatly appreciated. I'm a returning hobbyist and just amazed at how many newer products and ease of mind is out there and making sure i have a good unit or if it's a bust! LOL
 
I've had one for about 8 months and love it. I was getting false readings at first and realized I had to use Distilled Water with this kit. Tech support at Hanna pointed me told me about that. I was getting bad readings with RO/DI from my LFS. Since then I put my own RO/DI system in the house but still need to see if I can use that with this kit. The distilled water from the grocery store has worked well and I am still on the first gallon - I probably test my CA 2x/week on average.

+1 on distilled water, I didn't see that on the website but I have been using it for my tests. If you don't always have RODI water made you can use the distilled to clean your test kits in between uses also.
 
+1 on distilled water, I didn't see that on the website but I have been using it for my tests. If you don't always have RODI water made you can use the distilled to clean your test kits in between uses also.
I always clean all my testing stuff with reg tap water then with ro and leave the ro in the tube until the next test. Do you think that's good to do or not?
 
Great thread. I have Hanna and Red Sea pro. I love them both. I just picked up denatured alcohol to clean the quvetts is that a bad idea?
 
I usually rinse tubes/cuvettes with RODI when done testing, but more importantly I rinse before testing with the diluent that is required for the test kit. Some kits (like pH) I will rinse with tank water first before filling with tank water to the fill line. For the Hanna Ca kit, I rinse with distilled water first. Never tried alcohol so can't comment on that.
 
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