Maintaining good water quality
has always been key for the
aquarist and a having reliable
and accurate test kits are a
must. Whilst there were a wider
range of kits available they still
used a titrant to create a colour
change in the water sample
being tested. Digital meters
had been available for some
time, usually for monitoring of
temperature and pH but that
changed when Hanna intro-
duced their range of afford-
able pocket checkers. Costing
£50 at the time these proved
very popular in particular the
phosphate/phosphorous and
alkalinity versions and an af-
fordable alternative to profes-
sional colourimeters. They
provided a quick and straight-
forward test that gives a digital
readout avoiding the frustration
of colour comparison charts.
Milwaukee’s electronic refrac-
tometer gives a digital readout
of specific gravity; a far cry from
the swing arm hydrometers
of the 70’s. The introduction
of LED lighting caused much
debate and some trepidation
amongst aquarists. Success
with light loving corals using
tubes and metal halides meant
many were reluctant to move to
LEDs whilst early adopters saw
the controllability and efficien-
cy of as the way forward; even
the shimmer otherwise unique
to metal halides was possible.
Hanna Alkalinity and Phosphorus checkers
Vertex full spectrum LED fixture
26 http://www.ultramarinemagazine.co.uk
