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09/20/2018, 08:55 PM | #1 |
Ancient Eskimo Legend
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Any alkalinity meters worth buying?
Just curious
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The wind blew, the chit flew, and then they came two by two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Current Tank Info: 375g Tanganyikan Tank & 470g mixed reef |
09/20/2018, 09:03 PM | #2 |
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The Hanna unit gets generally good reviews, but all the meters (and kits) go through reagent problems. I'd try one if I wanted a meter.
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Jonathan Bertoni |
09/20/2018, 09:07 PM | #3 |
Ancient Eskimo Legend
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Thanks. I’m testing with Lamotte for many years but looking for something I can trend with. Does the Hanna measure it continuously?
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The wind blew, the chit flew, and then they came two by two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Current Tank Info: 375g Tanganyikan Tank & 470g mixed reef |
09/20/2018, 11:03 PM | #4 |
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Oh, I see. I don't know of a continuous tester, like a pH or ORP monitor. The closest thing would be an auto-titrator, I think. I don't think there's an ISE or other alkalinity probe yet.
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Jonathan Bertoni |
09/21/2018, 09:26 AM | #5 |
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http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2681040
Don't know if this is what you are looking for but a nice read anyway.
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250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps. |
09/21/2018, 06:37 PM | #6 |
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That's an auto-titrator. It should work, if built well, but it's rather pricey.
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Jonathan Bertoni |
09/22/2018, 08:05 AM | #7 |
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It's the only units I know of that will run tests on a schedule.
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250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps. |
09/22/2018, 12:51 PM | #8 |
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Hanna is accurate and takes just under a minute, best value IMO.
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09/22/2018, 03:12 PM | #9 |
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There are commercial auto-titrators available, but they are even more expensive, I suspect.
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Jonathan Bertoni |
09/26/2018, 06:32 AM | #10 |
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If you have an apex you could add the new trident meter. It’s not continuous but you can set it up to measure Alk, cal and mag on whatever schedule you want. It’s about a $600 addition to the apex though so if you don’t already have one you are looking somewhere around $1300 for start up costs.
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“In wine there is wisdom; in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef. Biocube 29 lionfish tank. Mantis tank. |
09/26/2018, 06:34 AM | #11 |
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Only problem with the trident, were still looking at possibly next year before it actually gets released.
And with something so sensitive as parameters, I don't think I would want to jump in on a first generation piece of equipment.
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80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work" |
09/26/2018, 06:34 AM | #12 |
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Hanna is simple and accurate. It’s what I use and it does only take about a minute. Fill a cuvette with tank water, pop it in the meter and hit a button. After a few seconds you take the cuvette out and add 1ml of a liquid reagent and pop it back in and press the button again. A few seconds later you have your dkh.
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“In wine there is wisdom; in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef. Biocube 29 lionfish tank. Mantis tank. |
09/26/2018, 06:37 AM | #13 |
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Ah. I thought I saw a recent press release saying it was coming this year. Probably something else though as I haven’t really been paying much attention to the trident. I’m considering an apexel but haven’t decided yet.
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“In wine there is wisdom; in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef. Biocube 29 lionfish tank. Mantis tank. |
09/26/2018, 06:45 AM | #14 |
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Quarter 4 I think was the last thing i saw. So either around x-mas time or early next year.
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80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work" |
09/26/2018, 09:51 AM | #15 |
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I have the KH Guardian, it is not without problems but for $600 for the control version I think it’s worth it. There is a monitor only version that is even cheaper. It integrates with Apex. I have had it since the spring and it has already alerted me to a couple issues.
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If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles |
09/26/2018, 04:07 PM | #16 |
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Have you double-checked the accuracy of the Apex meter much? I'd be very interested in hearing more about your experiences.
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Jonathan Bertoni |
09/28/2018, 09:03 AM | #17 |
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The KHG lets you “calibrate” based on an outside measurement. I check my alk weekly with a salifert kit and make sure the KHG is tracking close. Out of the box I think mine is reading about 1 dkh high without adjustment.
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If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles |
09/28/2018, 01:46 PM | #18 | |
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Quote:
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09/28/2018, 03:59 PM | #19 |
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Thank you both for the reports. I'm glad to hear that the units are behaving well. Hopefully, we'll get more data from other satisfied users.
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Jonathan Bertoni |
09/28/2018, 04:49 PM | #20 |
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Alkatronic user here....love it! It’s a bit loud but reliable and you can dose with it (or control an outlet). Depending on your reagent mix, you calibrate it to a known value say from a Hanna test kit. Once calibrated appears to be spot on. Very happy with it. Best of all, you can connect it to an Apex via a BNC cable and obtain reading directly from the Apex if you choose.
Note that Support has been wonderful as well.
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Bill Current Tank Info: 180 gallon Starfire, 3-Radion G1, Tunze with 7091 Controller, 2- ecotech mp40s, MP60, Panworld 250 return pump, TunzeATO, XP2000ss Reef Octopus Skimmer, Theiling rollermat |
09/28/2018, 05:49 PM | #21 |
Ancient Eskimo Legend
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Appreciate the replies!
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The wind blew, the chit flew, and then they came two by two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Current Tank Info: 375g Tanganyikan Tank & 470g mixed reef |
10/04/2018, 10:01 AM | #22 |
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I have a Hanna. I find that I generally end up using one of my drop Alk tests though. It ends up taking about the same time and I haven't found the Hanna to be any more, or less, accurate.
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