Exact iDip Digital Water Testing

[reefwiser]

One thing I notice in doing my alk testing. I make sure the water is at the top of the measuring vessel.

In the above picture it is too low.

Here it is at the very top.
Also remember to be using the total marine al test
Use tank water to rinse three times then place cap on test chamber and press zero.
Then press read and stir the stick for 19 second and remove for the final second.
Placing cap on chamber when it is reading.
If I do the steps correctly it is repeatable for me.

 

[reefwiser]

You know in thinking about this over night. I would be good to use a syringe so you could use the exact amount of tank water each time.
Also cleaning out with tank water three times before you test is important too.

 

[revhtree]

You know in thinking about this over night. I would be good to use a syringe so you could use the exact amount of tank water each time.
Also cleaning out with tank water three times before you test is important too.

That is a good idea.

 

[lnevo]

I follow the method that Christian and George demonstrate in your first video Ed.

If you pour water in till it overflows and tilt the unit diagonally you will get the same amount every time and all the way filled.

 

[reefwiser]

I am talking to Christian to see what the exact amount is in the chamber. Its just something a noticed in doing 4 different alk test yesterday afternoon.
With any test kit it is the way in which you actually do the test that makes all the difference. Like the stopping and 1 second when using the strip so you can place the lid on the testing chamber. That helps you get the proper reading.

 

[slosoak]

Was curious if you have been using for phosphate and nitrate. I have the idip and have compared to Red Sea Pro and have been getting very different results. For Red Sea phosphate .16ppm PO4, for the idip low.
For nitrate idip is 36 ppmNO3 where the Red Sea nitrate is over 60ppm NO3. Curious if anyone else had such differences.

 

[lnevo]

I do. I found it very accurate compared with Red Sea and Salifert. The resolution of Red Sea on the high end is pretty poor and the color differences are so subtle. It could easily just be >30 because of the dilution your measuring in increments of 16..

 

[kodo28]

Just ordered mine today...wait&see

 

[kodo28]

I am talking to Christian to see what the exact amount is in the chamber.

We could not just ask or check what is the full chamber amount and add this exact amount with a lab pipette or syringe ?

 

[lnevo]

It's a 4ml for the tests with drops you add 3.8ml

 

[gus6464]

What is the format we use for magnesium? Is it mg-2? I did the calculation based on calcium and hardness yesterday but it gave me something close to 5000 which is not the correct format. Couldn't get the app to covert to another format so have to change my preference so it shows correct one but not sure which is the right one we use to get it somewhere in the 1400-1600 range.

 

[gus6464]

Ohh and got to test some stuff this weekend with new tank and a buddy's tank. The idip was testing within .2 of salifert and hanna in the alk. Funny enough this is what they were spitting out after doing two tests on each to rule out outliers.

Hanna - 7.2
Salifert - 7.6
iDip - 7.4

 

[kodo28]

Idip is arriving tomorrow. I will compare it with Hanna and Redsea kits that I have actually.

 

[lnevo]

What is the format we use for magnesium? Is it mg-2? I did the calculation based on calcium and hardness yesterday but it gave me something close to 5000 which is not the correct format. Couldn't get the app to covert to another format so have to change my preference so it shows correct one but not sure which is the right one we use to get it somewhere in the 1400-1600 range.

Yes Mg+2 once you set that is should use that in future calculations. If its not set you can scroll through the values, but once you save the results you can't convert.

 

[kodo28]

OK, I have performed some tests with the AL and I am kind of reserved on the results
To try to have accurate results I used the syringe at 4ml as recommend and be sure that no air bubble were on the syringe and also on the IDIP cell and dip the strip half second after pressing the countdown till the last second.

IDIP
1st test - 139ppm
2nd test - 129ppm
3rd test - 132ppm

Hanna Checker
1st test - 142ppm
2nd test - 141ppm
3rd test - 142ppm

Questions:
- Are the strips all the same strength ? ( because I can read on the instructions to discard the strips that are to small or to large in width)
- 20 seconds is enough time to allow full reagent dilution on all strips ?

I have also some application crashing issues on ver:2.3.3.2 with Android Nougat on my Xperia XZ.
Also no language option to change the language to full English or full French.
When downloading the App in Play Store FRANCE the IDIP App is a kind of mixed English/French language
Last thing the cleaning brush is made of steel and the tip of the brush could scratch the IDIP cell.

 

[kodo28]

2nd test batch...seems that we cannot get accurate and/or consistent readings...

It will go back to shop soon as I thought

 

[lnevo]

It seems like you've changed slightly your methodology...

First test was 139,129,132 and your screenshot shows a 136 and 133...thats pretty dang consistent.

As far as the strips sometimes you'll find ones cut thinner and those should be discarded.

20 seconds is enough time and you should be swishing 2x per second

 

[kodo28]

It seems like you've changed slightly your methodology...

First test was 139,129,132 and your screenshot shows a 136 and 133...thats pretty dang consistent.

As far as the strips sometimes you'll find ones cut thinner and those should be discarded.

20 seconds is enough time and you should be swishing 2x per second

Nothing changed on the method , that's the point, I try to keep all steps same between tests to have the closest consistency which works pretty good with my Hanna tests kits.
With IDIP I tried to keep this methodology ,
-Filling the syringe at 4ml (checking twice for the 4ml and that no water goes out or remaining on syringe)
-Fill the cell and insert the cap the second after.
-Set IDIP to zero
-Take a strip and close the package.
-Take the strip, open the lid , press the read button and dipping the strip and starting swishing 2x per second
- At 1 sec remove the strip and put the cap back on at same time.

And final results are those posted ...

 

[lnevo]

Ok but at least 5 similar results...

 

[kodo28]

7 tests performed values going from 139ppm to 109ppm = 1.6dkh difference that makes a lot of difference.
Doing the same tests on Hanna checker or even with my RedSea test kit, I get no more than 0.1dkh difference in 7 tests.