Hannah Test Meters worth the money?

[LoCoReefer]

Hey guys and gals,

 

Wondering if alkalinity, phosphate, and calcium hannah test meters are worth the money? Since my tank is only two months old I have been testing everything except phosphate and alkalinity. Now that my tank is maturing i'm looking into purchasing something to test those two parameters. Looking for some good advice on whether I should pull the trigger on the digital hannah meters or go with the old fashioned test kits.

[AlanM]

I'd say yes for Alk if you are doing hard corals, otherwise stick with test kits.

[Origami]

Worth the money? It's really your choice. If you're asking if they're the most economical way to test, then the answer is no. Even if you consider the alkalinity test, for example, you're looking at 28 cents per test (given $7 for a vial of reagent that's good for 25 tests). For less than $17, you can get a Salifert kit that's good for 100-200 tests, or less than $0.17. For people that have trouble discerning colors, though, a numerical reading rather than a titration-based test kit that relies on observing a color change may provide something better for the user. Provided there's some consistency between readings and the test procedure, the numbers offer the promise of a more objective reading than one based upon discerning when a color change has completed.

 

In some cases, you'll find that the shelf life of a Hanna reagent may be significantly longer than a boxed test kit. This may be the case with their phosphorus test, for example. In those cases, you may have to compare the cost of a box of hermetically sealed Hanna reagents with several boxes of a conventional test kit. This may be especially true in cases where you test for a particular parameter infrequently and test kit expiration becomes significant in assessing the cost/test metric. For a more frequently tested parameter, test kit expiration is less likely to be a concern. 

 

The cheapest test kit for alkalinity would probably not be a conventional test kit, but would be a DIY acid-base titration using a pH meter to detect the point where the bicarbonate buffer was consumed by a known acid reference. Randy Holmes Farley (and others) posted something on this many years ago, but republished it again about a year ago. 

[LoCoReefer]

Answered my question perfectly! Just what I needed to know in terms of the most bang for the buck.  I'm going to go with the Salifert kit.

 

Thanks! 

[Origami]

Answered my question perfectly! Just what I needed to know in terms of the most bang for the buck.  I'm going to go with the Salifert kit.

 

Thanks! 

Of course, if you really want to save money, look to your electric bill. Get the most power efficient return pump you can. Since these run 24 hours per day seven days a week, for every Watt you save, you'll be saving a little more than a buck a year. The same goes for your skimmer pump. For lights, you have to factor in that you don't run them all the time. So, if you run them 8 hours per day, you'll save about $0.35 a year per Watt saved.

 

So, while you might save 15 bucks a year on a test kit, you can easily save many times that by doing an inventory of the devices that are running on your tank.

 

Test kits are a minor expense in the overall scheme of things in this hobby. Do what best fits your needs and makes you comfortable.

[LoCoReefer]

I guess that is naive for me to think that the cost saved between those two different types of test kits is even relevant.  I might be past the point of saving money on electricity... even for a nano tank hehe. My lights are controlled via CA Reef Keeper lite system, but realistically a light is always on at some point since i'm doing a reverse light cycle for my refugium. My return is the stock coralife pump because anything stronger is just to much flow for the tank. I run my ecotech mp10qd in lagoon mode during the day and night mode reducing the pump power by 50% for 10hrs.  By the end of the week I will be swapping out the stock metal halides for the AI Prime leds, adding 3 phosban reactors, and an Aquamaxx HOB skimmer... 

 

I've only had my tank running for two months and I think its safe to say that I might be addicted...lol 

[Origami]

I've only had my tank running for two months and I think its safe to say that I might be addicted...lol 

We understand. Welcome to the WAMAS support group. 

[s2nhle]

As Tom has said, Welcome to the WAMAS.