I recently purchased the new Hanna Phosphate Pocket Photometer from Premium Aquatics.com
Here I will list my experience and what i liked and disliked.
First off, testing for PO4 with dry tests like Seachem or Aquarium Pharmaceuticals renders a mixed bag of results. From test to test you get quite a different reading and many readings on low nutrient systems say zero, yet there is evidence that PO4 exists and is elevated within the tank. To get around the problem of hobby test kits not giving an actual reading I decided to try a much more accurate photometer.
I ordered the photometer from this link and it shipped the next day.......
http://premiumaquatics.com/store/me...de=PA&Product_Code=HI-713&Category_Code=Hanna
This is what you get......
It comes with a battery, the photometer, and 2 glass vials with caps. It also comes with chemical reagents and instructions all concealed in a nice small case.
The photometer is incredibly easy to use, but care must be taken to get an accurate reading.
The first step is to get a water sample from the tank. Just fill a vial to the appropriate line and cap. Make sure that there is NO water on the outside of the glass vial and that it is lint free and dry.
Then press the black button on the photometer and add the vial when it asks for "C1" sample. The photometer screen will flash 3 black lines as it reads the sample, and then it will prompt you for sample "C2".
At this point remove the vial and add one packet of the chemical reagent. I found this to be the only cumbersome part of using this photometer. The packets are paper/foil envelopes with a fine powder inside. The easiest way to do this is to rip the top of the packet off, the bend one edge over so that the envelope crimping( the seam where the envelope is glued together on the side of the packet) does not interfere with dumping the chemical into the vial.
Once you have dumped the chemical into the vial , cap it and slowly agitate it in a circular fashion for 2 minutes to dissolv the chemical powder in the vial. Be sure NOT to vigorously shake the vial as this will add small micro bubbles to the sample and affect your reading. Once the powder is dissolved, add the vial to the photometer and press the black button.
The 3 black lines will flash again while the sample is being read, in about 1-2 seconds later the readout will display the PO4 reading in ppm. It is highly recommended that the vial be rinsed and dried immediately after the test to prevent any staining of the glass vial for future tests.
If you can not complete the test under 3 minutes then be advised that you should keep 1 vial with the water sample with out any chemical in it, and fill a second vial(provided) with an additional water sample and chemical. This is because the photometer has an energy saver that automatically turns off the unit if it is not being used. So if you are a bit slower than 3 minutes, just use the 2 vials and then once the chemical is dissolved in the second vial you can begin the test as indicated above.
I found this unit to be accurate and my first reading was 0.06ppm. Kind of high, so I changed out my Warner Marine High Capacity GFO phoSar HC which I also buy from Premium Aquatics at this link....
http://premiumaquatics.com/store/me...roduct_Code=WM-PHOSAR-HC&Category_Code=warner
After 24 hours I tested the tank again and the PO4 was down to 0.02ppm. I added some Cheato to the fuge and increased the light to the Cheato and after a week the reading is now 0.00ppm and nuisance algae is dying back.
I also tested my make up water, my ro/di water, and they were also at 0.00ppm.
I did a cross comparison against both the Seachem test kit, an Aquarium Pharm test kit, and a Red sea test kit that all read 0ppm when I tested initially with the photometer and had a level of 0.06ppm. I also retested the first sample to see if I would get diofferent readings from the same samples. My second test was also 0.06 ppm, no variance in readings when I redid the test completely.
I am very satisfied with the performance and costs of this unit. I have recommended it to my club and several people will be placing orders with premium Aquatics for their own Photometers.
I recommend that if you purchase this unit that you also purchase an additional refill of chemical reagents from this link as the unit only comes with about 6 tests.....
http://premiumaquatics.com/store/me...PA&Product_Code=HI-713-25&Category_Code=Hanna
Pros:
Price: under $50
ease of use: 4 out 5 star rating
ability to understand and use product efficiently
Cons:
Unit turns off in 3 minutes, so you have to work quickly
chemical packets are cumbersome to use
Over all I would repeatedly recommend this product from premium Aquatics to anyone who maintains phosphates in their aquarium. It has been one of the easiest and most accurate test units I have used.
Here I will list my experience and what i liked and disliked.
First off, testing for PO4 with dry tests like Seachem or Aquarium Pharmaceuticals renders a mixed bag of results. From test to test you get quite a different reading and many readings on low nutrient systems say zero, yet there is evidence that PO4 exists and is elevated within the tank. To get around the problem of hobby test kits not giving an actual reading I decided to try a much more accurate photometer.
I ordered the photometer from this link and it shipped the next day.......
http://premiumaquatics.com/store/me...de=PA&Product_Code=HI-713&Category_Code=Hanna
This is what you get......
It comes with a battery, the photometer, and 2 glass vials with caps. It also comes with chemical reagents and instructions all concealed in a nice small case.
The photometer is incredibly easy to use, but care must be taken to get an accurate reading.
The first step is to get a water sample from the tank. Just fill a vial to the appropriate line and cap. Make sure that there is NO water on the outside of the glass vial and that it is lint free and dry.
Then press the black button on the photometer and add the vial when it asks for "C1" sample. The photometer screen will flash 3 black lines as it reads the sample, and then it will prompt you for sample "C2".
At this point remove the vial and add one packet of the chemical reagent. I found this to be the only cumbersome part of using this photometer. The packets are paper/foil envelopes with a fine powder inside. The easiest way to do this is to rip the top of the packet off, the bend one edge over so that the envelope crimping( the seam where the envelope is glued together on the side of the packet) does not interfere with dumping the chemical into the vial.
Once you have dumped the chemical into the vial , cap it and slowly agitate it in a circular fashion for 2 minutes to dissolv the chemical powder in the vial. Be sure NOT to vigorously shake the vial as this will add small micro bubbles to the sample and affect your reading. Once the powder is dissolved, add the vial to the photometer and press the black button.
The 3 black lines will flash again while the sample is being read, in about 1-2 seconds later the readout will display the PO4 reading in ppm. It is highly recommended that the vial be rinsed and dried immediately after the test to prevent any staining of the glass vial for future tests.
If you can not complete the test under 3 minutes then be advised that you should keep 1 vial with the water sample with out any chemical in it, and fill a second vial(provided) with an additional water sample and chemical. This is because the photometer has an energy saver that automatically turns off the unit if it is not being used. So if you are a bit slower than 3 minutes, just use the 2 vials and then once the chemical is dissolved in the second vial you can begin the test as indicated above.
I found this unit to be accurate and my first reading was 0.06ppm. Kind of high, so I changed out my Warner Marine High Capacity GFO phoSar HC which I also buy from Premium Aquatics at this link....
http://premiumaquatics.com/store/me...roduct_Code=WM-PHOSAR-HC&Category_Code=warner
After 24 hours I tested the tank again and the PO4 was down to 0.02ppm. I added some Cheato to the fuge and increased the light to the Cheato and after a week the reading is now 0.00ppm and nuisance algae is dying back.
I also tested my make up water, my ro/di water, and they were also at 0.00ppm.
I did a cross comparison against both the Seachem test kit, an Aquarium Pharm test kit, and a Red sea test kit that all read 0ppm when I tested initially with the photometer and had a level of 0.06ppm. I also retested the first sample to see if I would get diofferent readings from the same samples. My second test was also 0.06 ppm, no variance in readings when I redid the test completely.
I am very satisfied with the performance and costs of this unit. I have recommended it to my club and several people will be placing orders with premium Aquatics for their own Photometers.
I recommend that if you purchase this unit that you also purchase an additional refill of chemical reagents from this link as the unit only comes with about 6 tests.....
http://premiumaquatics.com/store/me...PA&Product_Code=HI-713-25&Category_Code=Hanna
Pros:
Price: under $50
ease of use: 4 out 5 star rating
ability to understand and use product efficiently
Cons:
Unit turns off in 3 minutes, so you have to work quickly
chemical packets are cumbersome to use
Over all I would repeatedly recommend this product from premium Aquatics to anyone who maintains phosphates in their aquarium. It has been one of the easiest and most accurate test units I have used.
