more on customer service and hanna calciium checker

alonglongtime · 09/27/2013, 01:39 PM

Quite a few months ago I wrote a note here about customer service and how much I appreciate it. There were a number of comments on that topic and I am now going to revisit it because I want to let all of you know how things are still working for me.

I know we all have our preferences on pumps, skimmers and the like and I think that is wonderful. We have choices. I have been in this hobby a little over 60 years and I have seen a lot of things come and a lot of things go. I still haven't figured out why so many people in the hobby relate expensive to good. Maybe I am too old for that one. LMAO But onto what I really wanted to state.

First off, I want to write about CoralVue. A bit over 2 years ago I wrote a note on here about the Water Blaster and Bubble Blaster pumps. I purchased them because I live in Texas and even with the air conditioner running all summer long, it was difficult to keep the tank below 81° without the chiller on most of the time. The heat being put off by my metal halides and the pumps in the sump were killing me. Our electric rate out here in the middle of nowhere runs 17 cents a kw/hour. That is expensive when I compare it to others who live 100 miles away and have the same carrier and get the same electricity for 9 cents a kw/hour. So, I had to do something. I replaced six pumps at that time with the blasters; five were water and one was bubble. The Bubble Blaster is on the skimmer. That system is 305 gallons. In the interim I have purchased two more water and one more bubble for a smaller system. I have to tell you this. One Water Blaster was damaged in shipping. It wasn't so bad that it couldn't be used and I didn't want to wait until I could get another one so I used some super glue to repair the cracked part and stuck it in the sump. About a year ago, it finally cracked again and I sent Jeremy at CoralVue an email and he asked for the pump serial #. I sent that and before I knew it I had new parts and the pump was back in service in no time. For those of you who don't know, CoralVue has a 3 year warranty on these pumps. I have had no problems with them doing their job. They do it using less than half the power consumption as my old ones and they do it with a lot less heat. So if I combine the savings and the service from CoralVue and the warranty, I would have to say that at this point, I am more than happy with these products and with the customer service I have received. If I had to grade CoralVue and Jeremy, I would give each 100%.

Next, let me mention EcoXotic. I now use their LED lighting exclusively. Yes, I have some SPS, LPS and softies under these. None of them have suffered as a result of the change. The only entity that was damaged when I changed was my electrical supplier. Yep, the LED's really put a dent in the monthly bill. You can say, I was more than happy. I currently have numerous critters thriving well under these lights and I am using one of their first big runs. If my memory serves me they are called Retrofit 2. Again no issues and I do appreciate all of the assistance I received from them when I was trying to decide what to use on my two tanks. Grade 100%.

Last, but not least, is Hanna instruments. I know they have gotten slammed around a bit because of their hand held calcium checker, but I have hung in with them. I will agree that their first attempt left a lot of hobbyists wondering Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, but that is no longer the case. If you have followed them, you will know that they took some severe steps in correcting the calcium checkers. By the way, it was never the checker, it was the reagents and hobbyists not following directions. They pulled everything off the shelf that had to do with the calcium checkers and have given it another try. I spoke with Pete at Hanna and he gave me some info that has truly been useful to me. I received my new reagents today and after a couple of mistakes (my own fault for not reading closer) I called Hanna. I spoke with Pete a second time and he put me back on the straight and narrow. I was using 1 ml of tank water when I was supposed to be using .1 ml. That can make a huge difference. Pete is one of the nicest folks I have spoken with at any supplier in quite a long time. He knows his stuff and he isn't too good to share it. I ran the tests again on both of my aquaria and the results were just slightly higher than I was getting with a titrate test kit. A good titrate test kit. The nice thing is, I don't have to try to guess what color is the right one now. So kudos, to Hanna and to Pete on the new reagents. By the way, I compared the results using lab grade DI water to testing with Ozarka distilled water. The difference? 1 point and that is all. I have my own RO/DI but I also live on a well and I don't know for sure that the quality is as good as some nice distilled or lab grade water. Just make sure you don't buy the Ozarka drinking water as it has calcium added to it.

Well, there you have it. CoralVue and Jeremy, EcoXotic (and I forget who...sorry EcoXotic), and Hanna Instruments and Pete. All have great customer service and really good products in my humble opinion. Keep those fish swimming and those corals growing. Have a great day.

Paul

outssider · 09/27/2013, 06:07 PM

I have dealt with Jeremy and the fellow that works in the lighting department at coralvue...you are right ...they are first rate fellows, both of them.

I have talked to Pete at hanna and he seemed great too!

I don't have the calcium meter but do have the others. Have stayed away from the calcium meter because of all the negative feed back.

??? how do you accurately measure .1ml ???

what is that like.... 2 and a half drops ??

SavingOurSeas · 09/27/2013, 08:47 PM

Thanks for the write-up. I'll definitely put more consideration into the Hanna calcium checker.

alonglongtime · 09/28/2013, 11:26 AM

outssider. You asked about measuring .1ml. A long time ago I went to a vet supply house where I live and purchased a number of different syringes in varying sizes. If you don't have one in your area, you can probably order online or get one at the vet's office. Maybe even your doc's office. Just tell them what you are doing. With the calcium checker I do things a bit different than I do with the other hand held Hanna checkers. I actually have three syringes that I use just with that tester. One is for the DI water. One for the sample
(tank water) and one for the first reagent used in the test. I always rinse the cuvette with DI before I use it. Then I add the first reagent. It is important to use just 1ml. In case you haven't heard of this trick, let me say that some syringes will give you just a bit more than 1ml. So, I draw the plunger back to leave some air space. Then I draw in about 3ml. I make sure that the amount is right on the 3 (or 2 or 4) ml mark. Then I push down to the next lowest number. That insures 1ml. For the 0.1ml of sample water, I use a syringe that is measured in 0.1ml increments. I use it the same way as I use the reagent syringe. That is, I pull the plunger back to allow for air space. Then I put in tank water and push the plunger back down until I reach a mark for whatever tenth I can reach. Then it is just a matter of plunging it again until I get to 0.1ml added to the cuvette. SImple, cheap, easy and I get some good readings. No more guess work on colors. I hope that helped. I hope I didn't confuse you more. LOL Shoot me an email if you don't understand and I will try again. Maybe I will have to get the little woman to make it simpler. Have a good day.

outssider · 09/28/2013, 05:52 PM

you did a great job of explaining it.

I see one potential problem with your system. What do you do if you accidentally put a tad too much in. Using your system there is no stop ! You must look at the fluid level in the syringe as you are squeezing. If you put a tad too much....you've ruined the test and would have to start over.
I have lots of 1ml syringes divided into 10ths, is this what you use to measure the .1ml ? I also have a few diabetic syringes that go to a maximum of 3/10 of a cc. or 30 units.... the diabetic syringe is very small and thin so I think if I could convert "units" to fractions of a "ml" this might work well to measure .1ml.

I may try the hanna calcium checker....this looking at purples and trying to judge when the purple /blue is really blue ..."and stays blue"....this is for the birds.....

spieszak · 09/28/2013, 06:04 PM

If you problem really is with the color, the Hanna checker will help.. if it'd with the complexity of the test, it won't. Reagent, ro/di water, a small sample and another packet of reagent that iI never trust I got all of.
the results seemOK (I check with a salifert and api and the Hanna until I 'm more confident with the Hanna) but its no easierr, and there are more steps to screw up. I figure once iI get it down, it will be fine, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it unless you really do have an issue with the color change deal. I wouldn't necesaarily advise against it either, while iI will tell everyone and anyone to use the Hanna checkers for talk and phosphate.

kylathwe · 09/28/2013, 06:25 PM

outsider- a cc is the same thing as a ml. If your syringe is 0.3cc it is the same as 0.3ml. Should help you out some

alonglongtime · 10/02/2013, 10:20 AM

outssider. Yes, I am using a diabetic syringe for the 0.1ml. Dawgs and kats get diabetes too and the vet supply store carries diabetic syringes. They do make it easier. As you mentioned, you do need to take care when adding reagents, test sample, and the like. Even with it being a bit more complex, it is better than my old eyes trying to guess what color is what. I thought of purchasing a calcium meter, but I have way too many things already and the Hanna checker fit my budget and my way of doing things. It may not be for everyone, but if you don't mind having to do a little extra work for an accurate reading, it is a good way to go. Is it the best? Definitely not, but then again, I don't think spending $1200 or more to test calcium is a good deal either. Hey, just my opinion. LOL

neuro · 10/02/2013, 10:54 AM

re: hanna phosphate checker:

they sent me a broken part asap, no question asked. it's working fine now!

09/27/2013, 01:39 PM	#1
alonglongtime Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 46	more on customer service and hanna calciium checker Quite a few months ago I wrote a note here about customer service and how much I appreciate it. There were a number of comments on that topic and I am now going to revisit it because I want to let all of you know how things are still working for me. I know we all have our preferences on pumps, skimmers and the like and I think that is wonderful. We have choices. I have been in this hobby a little over 60 years and I have seen a lot of things come and a lot of things go. I still haven't figured out why so many people in the hobby relate expensive to good. Maybe I am too old for that one. LMAO But onto what I really wanted to state. First off, I want to write about CoralVue. A bit over 2 years ago I wrote a note on here about the Water Blaster and Bubble Blaster pumps. I purchased them because I live in Texas and even with the air conditioner running all summer long, it was difficult to keep the tank below 81° without the chiller on most of the time. The heat being put off by my metal halides and the pumps in the sump were killing me. Our electric rate out here in the middle of nowhere runs 17 cents a kw/hour. That is expensive when I compare it to others who live 100 miles away and have the same carrier and get the same electricity for 9 cents a kw/hour. So, I had to do something. I replaced six pumps at that time with the blasters; five were water and one was bubble. The Bubble Blaster is on the skimmer. That system is 305 gallons. In the interim I have purchased two more water and one more bubble for a smaller system. I have to tell you this. One Water Blaster was damaged in shipping. It wasn't so bad that it couldn't be used and I didn't want to wait until I could get another one so I used some super glue to repair the cracked part and stuck it in the sump. About a year ago, it finally cracked again and I sent Jeremy at CoralVue an email and he asked for the pump serial #. I sent that and before I knew it I had new parts and the pump was back in service in no time. For those of you who don't know, CoralVue has a 3 year warranty on these pumps. I have had no problems with them doing their job. They do it using less than half the power consumption as my old ones and they do it with a lot less heat. So if I combine the savings and the service from CoralVue and the warranty, I would have to say that at this point, I am more than happy with these products and with the customer service I have received. If I had to grade CoralVue and Jeremy, I would give each 100%. Next, let me mention EcoXotic. I now use their LED lighting exclusively. Yes, I have some SPS, LPS and softies under these. None of them have suffered as a result of the change. The only entity that was damaged when I changed was my electrical supplier. Yep, the LED's really put a dent in the monthly bill. You can say, I was more than happy. I currently have numerous critters thriving well under these lights and I am using one of their first big runs. If my memory serves me they are called Retrofit 2. Again no issues and I do appreciate all of the assistance I received from them when I was trying to decide what to use on my two tanks. Grade 100%. Last, but not least, is Hanna instruments. I know they have gotten slammed around a bit because of their hand held calcium checker, but I have hung in with them. I will agree that their first attempt left a lot of hobbyists wondering Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, but that is no longer the case. If you have followed them, you will know that they took some severe steps in correcting the calcium checkers. By the way, it was never the checker, it was the reagents and hobbyists not following directions. They pulled everything off the shelf that had to do with the calcium checkers and have given it another try. I spoke with Pete at Hanna and he gave me some info that has truly been useful to me. I received my new reagents today and after a couple of mistakes (my own fault for not reading closer) I called Hanna. I spoke with Pete a second time and he put me back on the straight and narrow. I was using 1 ml of tank water when I was supposed to be using .1 ml. That can make a huge difference. Pete is one of the nicest folks I have spoken with at any supplier in quite a long time. He knows his stuff and he isn't too good to share it. I ran the tests again on both of my aquaria and the results were just slightly higher than I was getting with a titrate test kit. A good titrate test kit. The nice thing is, I don't have to try to guess what color is the right one now. So kudos, to Hanna and to Pete on the new reagents. By the way, I compared the results using lab grade DI water to testing with Ozarka distilled water. The difference? 1 point and that is all. I have my own RO/DI but I also live on a well and I don't know for sure that the quality is as good as some nice distilled or lab grade water. Just make sure you don't buy the Ozarka drinking water as it has calcium added to it. Well, there you have it. CoralVue and Jeremy, EcoXotic (and I forget who...sorry EcoXotic), and Hanna Instruments and Pete. All have great customer service and really good products in my humble opinion. Keep those fish swimming and those corals growing. Have a great day. Paul

09/27/2013, 08:47 PM	#3
SavingOurSeas Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Tennessee Posts: 128	Thanks for the write-up. I'll definitely put more consideration into the Hanna calcium checker. __________________ God is good-ALL the time God is good! A man who is intimate with God will never be intimidated by men-LeonardRavenhill http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/ac/feature/index.php Current Tank Info: Newest project; 36g bow-front wall installation/Prepping the new 22'6" x 11'3'' aquatic room.

09/28/2013, 06:04 PM	#6
spieszak Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 1,877	If you problem really is with the color, the Hanna checker will help.. if it'd with the complexity of the test, it won't. Reagent, ro/di water, a small sample and another packet of reagent that iI never trust I got all of. the results seemOK (I check with a salifert and api and the Hanna until I 'm more confident with the Hanna) but its no easierr, and there are more steps to screw up. I figure once iI get it down, it will be fine, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it unless you really do have an issue with the color change deal. I wouldn't necesaarily advise against it either, while iI will tell everyone and anyone to use the Hanna checkers for talk and phosphate. __________________ I'm new to this saltwater thing, all comments should be taken with a BUCKET of salt! :-) -Stacey

09/27/2013, 06:07 PM	#2
outssider Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Reseda, Ca. Posts: 1,717	I have dealt with Jeremy and the fellow that works in the lighting department at coralvue...you are right ...they are first rate fellows, both of them. I have talked to Pete at hanna and he seemed great too! I don't have the calcium meter but do have the others. Have stayed away from the calcium meter because of all the negative feed back. ??? how do you accurately measure .1ml ??? what is that like.... 2 and a half drops ??

09/28/2013, 11:26 AM	#4
alonglongtime Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 46	outssider. You asked about measuring .1ml. A long time ago I went to a vet supply house where I live and purchased a number of different syringes in varying sizes. If you don't have one in your area, you can probably order online or get one at the vet's office. Maybe even your doc's office. Just tell them what you are doing. With the calcium checker I do things a bit different than I do with the other hand held Hanna checkers. I actually have three syringes that I use just with that tester. One is for the DI water. One for the sample (tank water) and one for the first reagent used in the test. I always rinse the cuvette with DI before I use it. Then I add the first reagent. It is important to use just 1ml. In case you haven't heard of this trick, let me say that some syringes will give you just a bit more than 1ml. So, I draw the plunger back to leave some air space. Then I draw in about 3ml. I make sure that the amount is right on the 3 (or 2 or 4) ml mark. Then I push down to the next lowest number. That insures 1ml. For the 0.1ml of sample water, I use a syringe that is measured in 0.1ml increments. I use it the same way as I use the reagent syringe. That is, I pull the plunger back to allow for air space. Then I put in tank water and push the plunger back down until I reach a mark for whatever tenth I can reach. Then it is just a matter of plunging it again until I get to 0.1ml added to the cuvette. SImple, cheap, easy and I get some good readings. No more guess work on colors. I hope that helped. I hope I didn't confuse you more. LOL Shoot me an email if you don't understand and I will try again. Maybe I will have to get the little woman to make it simpler. Have a good day.

09/28/2013, 05:52 PM	#5
outssider Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Reseda, Ca. Posts: 1,717	you did a great job of explaining it. I see one potential problem with your system. What do you do if you accidentally put a tad too much in. Using your system there is no stop ! You must look at the fluid level in the syringe as you are squeezing. If you put a tad too much....you've ruined the test and would have to start over. I have lots of 1ml syringes divided into 10ths, is this what you use to measure the .1ml ? I also have a few diabetic syringes that go to a maximum of 3/10 of a cc. or 30 units.... the diabetic syringe is very small and thin so I think if I could convert "units" to fractions of a "ml" this might work well to measure .1ml. I may try the hanna calcium checker....this looking at purples and trying to judge when the purple /blue is really blue ..."and stays blue"....this is for the birds.....

09/28/2013, 06:25 PM	#7
kylathwe Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Cordova, TN Posts: 244	outsider- a cc is the same thing as a ml. If your syringe is 0.3cc it is the same as 0.3ml. Should help you out some

10/02/2013, 10:20 AM	#8
alonglongtime Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 46	outssider. Yes, I am using a diabetic syringe for the 0.1ml. Dawgs and kats get diabetes too and the vet supply store carries diabetic syringes. They do make it easier. As you mentioned, you do need to take care when adding reagents, test sample, and the like. Even with it being a bit more complex, it is better than my old eyes trying to guess what color is what. I thought of purchasing a calcium meter, but I have way too many things already and the Hanna checker fit my budget and my way of doing things. It may not be for everyone, but if you don't mind having to do a little extra work for an accurate reading, it is a good way to go. Is it the best? Definitely not, but then again, I don't think spending $1200 or more to test calcium is a good deal either. Hey, just my opinion. LOL

10/02/2013, 10:54 AM	#9
neuro the cat did it Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: bay area Posts: 976	re: hanna phosphate checker: they sent me a broken part asap, no question asked. it's working fine now!