How common is it for a Hanna phosphorous test to have bad reagents?

BriDroid

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 2, 2024
Messages
153
Reaction score
167
Location
Prosper, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I bought some new reagent for my ULR Phosphorous checker a two weeks ago. I've been battling low PO4, so multiple tests coming back as 0 didn't raise much of an alarm at first. I've been dosing NeoPhos and retesting daily. Every time it would read 0. Today I tested and got a 0, then dosed enough NeoPhos to raise it to 0.05ppm. After about 4-5 hours I tested again. I should have been somewhere around 13ppb on the checker, but sure enough it was 0 again? I'm thinking I have some bad reagent? I reached out to Hanna and they are going to send me some different lots of reagents to try. I don't think it's the checker, since the old reagent was giving me readings.

Is this a common thing for the Hanna reagents to go bad? This box was bought from a LFS and the expiration date is good?
 

rtparty

5000 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Messages
5,388
Reaction score
9,137
Location
Utah
Rating - 100%
4   0   0
With enough demand, you could be eating through that PO4 shortly after it is dosed.

You are also at the very bottom of the the range and it gets hard to test that low. Pull out some tank water, dose it up to .1ppm, and test that. Test more than the margin of error for sure
 

dangles

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 22, 2022
Messages
1,226
Reaction score
1,458
Location
Ohio
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Dude! I’m having the same problem!!

The thought crossed my mind that it might be bad reagent but I blew it off as not likely. Maybe there’s something to it because I didn’t start getting zeros until sometime after I started a new box of reagent!

I’ll have to reach out to them as well.
 

dangles

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 22, 2022
Messages
1,226
Reaction score
1,458
Location
Ohio
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
You mean phosphate right?

I guess you did say ULR. Mine is just the standard LR one.

IMG_1492.jpeg
 

vadryn

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 15, 2023
Messages
69
Reaction score
40
Location
North Logan
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
FWIW - I store my vials with RO Water in the Hanna case to try and prevent any staining, and had problems with my Nitrate reagent in particular until I stopped storing the reagent packets in the case. Once I kept them separate the problem went away.
 

SliceGolfer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 8, 2009
Messages
1,051
Reaction score
1,584
Location
US
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
From this thread it would appear your tank is two months old. Very normal for phosphate to be depleted quickly, binding to rock and sand, requiring multiple doses. I’ve been using the Hanna phosphorus test kit for 5+ years and have never come across a bad reagent.

Add enough Neophos to register 0.10 on your test kit and then you can monitor how long that dose will last. I dose DIY trisodium phosphate daily and require maintenance doses of 1ml in my 15g tanks, 5ml in my 40g tank.
 
OP
OP
BriDroid

BriDroid

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 2, 2024
Messages
153
Reaction score
167
Location
Prosper, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
FWIW - I store my vials with RO Water in the Hanna case to try and prevent any staining, and had problems with my Nitrate reagent in particular until I stopped storing the reagent packets in the case. Once I kept them separate the problem went away.
I have been storing them with RO/DI water in the Hanna case too. I saw that on BRS TV. Maybe I need to stop doing that?
 
OP
OP
BriDroid

BriDroid

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 2, 2024
Messages
153
Reaction score
167
Location
Prosper, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
From this thread it would appear your tank is two months old. Very normal for phosphate to be depleted quickly, binding to rock and sand, requiring multiple doses. I’ve been using the Hanna phosphorus test kit for 5+ years and have never come across a bad reagent.

Add enough Neophos to register 0.10 on your test kit and then you can monitor how long that dose will last. I dose DIY trisodium phosphate daily and require maintenance doses of 1ml in my 15g tanks, 5ml in my 40g tank.
Thank you for this! It makes me feel better. For a while, I was able to dose enough to hit 0.05ppm and I could see it slowly fall over 2 days. Like I posted, today it was gone in 4 hours. I'll try to bump it up to 0.1 and see if that lasts.
 

BeanAnimal

5000 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 16, 2009
Messages
5,071
Reaction score
8,108
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have a brand new one.... grabbed it when testing the ReefBot (bad experience) but only used it once or twice.


That said, I have two or three of the original LR and ULR models and long story short... had a lot of problems. Friend had an LFS that closed when he moved away. I took all the reagent... maybe 5 or 6 batches, none expired and did a few hundred very carful tests. They were all over the map. I don't know if the reagents are more consistent now or now, but IMHO they were terrible. The notebook where all of the data was got wet and mildewed and I tossed it. So I can't reference or answer detailed questions.
 
OP
OP
BriDroid

BriDroid

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 2, 2024
Messages
153
Reaction score
167
Location
Prosper, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
From this thread it would appear your tank is two months old. Very normal for phosphate to be depleted quickly, binding to rock and sand, requiring multiple doses. I’ve been using the Hanna phosphorus test kit for 5+ years and have never come across a bad reagent.

Add enough Neophos to register 0.10 on your test kit and then you can monitor how long that dose will last. I dose DIY trisodium phosphate daily and require maintenance doses of 1ml in my 15g tanks, 5ml in my 40g tank.
I did what you said, I bumped my PO4 to 0.1ppm and my NO3 to 10ppm. This got me beyond the margin or error for the phosphorus test. I have been consuming just over 0.05ppm in 24 hours, confirmed with these higher numbers. My NO3 is only dropping about 1ppm in that same period.

Thanks again for the advice! It's what I needed. Also, does anyone know how long rocks and sand will absorb PO4? I assume until they get covered with coraline?
 

rtparty

5000 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Messages
5,388
Reaction score
9,137
Location
Utah
Rating - 100%
4   0   0
I did what you said, I bumped my PO4 to 0.1ppm and my NO3 to 10ppm. This got me beyond the margin or error for the phosphorus test. I have been consuming just over 0.05ppm in 24 hours, confirmed with these higher numbers. My NO3 is only dropping about 1ppm in that same period.

Thanks again for the advice! It's what I needed. Also, does anyone know how long rocks and sand will absorb PO4? I assume until they get covered with coraline?

Rocks can absorb PO4 for a long time. I have seen some state they had to dose and monitor closely for up to a year
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

Back
Top