Best investment with testing kits

[Reeferstin]

Hey all

Looking to start aquascaping/cycling in the next month or so. Before then, need to decide on how to best test our water.

What is your preferred testing method? Hanna checkers? Test kits (if so, which ones)? Which parameters can I wait to check (pretty sure I dont need to check calcium until I have corals, correct?) If i can wait to buy certain tests then i can focus on other things.

Thank you!

Api is all you need

 

[Dr. Jim]

If cycling a tank, I would skip the ammonia test kit and just buy a Salifert Nitrite kit.

Then, for some parameters, I would recommend at least 2 kits, especially if one is a Hanna checker. I would never depend on 1 kit for all parameters (especially Hanna checker).

-Salinity: Refractometer and Milwaukee Digital; (I'm also using GHL Conductivity probe)
-Alkalinity: Hanna AND Salifert (or a host of others, but not Red Sea); (I'm also using GHL KH Director)
-Phosphate: Hanna Phosphorus AND Red Sea.
-Nitrate: Red Sea AND Salifert AND Nyos (Yes, I'm using all 3).
-Calcium: Red Sea (better than Salifert since it uses a larger volume and easier to see color change)
-Magnesium: Salifert; (Not Red Sea)
-Potassium: Salifert

 

[PatW]

Red Sea is good for ALK, Ca, and nitrate. I don’t like the Mg test.

Salifert is good for ALK (a bit better than Red Sea), Ca, nitrate and Mg.

Hanna is really good for ALK and has the only viable test for phosphates either the ULR phosphorous or phosphate.

 

[robbyg]

Hanna for me works perfectly for Calcium tests. You just have to follow the tutorial video to the Tee and then you get a very accurate and precise result.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hanna for me works perfectly for Calcium tests. You just have to follow the tutorial video to the Tee and then you get a very accurate and precise result.

How do you know it is accurate?

 

[robbyg]

How do you know it is accurate?

I am assuming that the Trident calibration fluid is accurate and this was what I got on my first test of the fluid.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I am assuming that the Trident calibration fluid is accurate and this was what I got on my first test of the fluid.

Here's hoping.

 

[Weasel1960]

Hello. Diving into another subject as I prepare my one and only build. Hanna Checkers for me are not in the cards right now. I just read the link Randy provided and not a big fan of keeping acid in the house. I plan on doing ReefPi with a pH monitor. Looked at the multitude of test kits on BRS. Would prefer to get a kit(s) that have tests for more than one thing so what are your opinions on Red Sea and Tropic Marin kits? What other singular test kits are a must have for starting out?

 

[PatW]

I have never used Tropic Marin. I have used Red Sea Pro, Salifert, API, Hanna and others.

Before buying any test kit, I would advise watching some you tube videos showing the test used. Even an excellent test is not for everyone because of personal taste or not being able to see the color change.

API is OK for quick and dirty if you do not expect too much.

Red Sea Pro is pricey to buy initially but you can buy reagent refills that make it pretty economical. Calcium is good. Nitrate is good (if you do not get driven nuts by shades of pink). Magnesium is complex and drives me nuts. I do not get consistent results. Alkalinity is OK. The end point is a bit ill defined but it allows about a .2 DKH discernment.

Salifert. These are economical and pretty decent tests. The alkalinity test like Red Sea is a bit hard to nail for end point but I think here it is a bit better. The problem is that it allows about a .3 DKH discernment. Nitrate like Red Sea is shades of pink. It is similar to Red Sea and which you use is personal preference. I use the Magnesium test. Magnesium tests are sort of problematic but a schedule of water changes should keep it stable unless you have a really high consumption SPS tank. I don’t recall using their calcium test but given the other tests, I would assume it is quite good.

Hanna. The alkalinity test is very highly favored. I have compared it to Red Sea and Salifert and I think it is maybe more prone to error. I think Hanna is not that good at making their test solution consistent. It does resolve DKH to .1 unit which is better than anyone else. Hanna’s phosphorous ULR is the most sensitive test on the market and this test and the Hanna phosphate ULR are the only tests that are sensitive enough to reliably test for phosphates.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I just read the link Randy provided and not a big fan of keeping acid in the house.

All alkalinity tests use acid of similar strength as my DIY.

 

[Weasel1960]

All alkalinity tests use acid of similar strength as my DIY.

Thanks for the update, wasn’t aware of that and is definitely something to plan for with visiting grand kids. I would assume though that the quantities are much smaller than you would typically buy for DIY?i

 

[saltcats]

Thanks for the update, wasn’t aware of that and is definitely something to plan for with visiting grand kids. I would assume though that the quantities are much smaller than you would typically buy for DIY?i

I think most liquid tests have pretty toxic ingredients (my nitrate kit uses hydrochloric acid, for example, and my ammonia kit has bleach), so something to keep out of the reach of kids in general!

 

[Weasel1960]

I think most liquid tests have pretty toxic ingredients (my nitrate kit uses hydrochloric acid, for example, and my ammonia kit has bleach), so something to keep out of the reach of kids in general!

Since just getting started in the hobby was not aware of that, thanks for the info, will definitely be something to plan for.

 

[Fezbearer]

Overall, I like the Salifert kits. I'm red/green colorblind though, so the ones that are predominately that color are a pain in the nethers for me.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for the update, wasn’t aware of that and is definitely something to plan for with visiting grand kids. I would assume though that the quantities are much smaller than you would typically buy for DIY?i

That is likely true. The standard acid is a hundred times weaker than muriatic acid from the hardware store, but I certainly wouldn't deter folks from being as safe as possible.

 

[t5Nitro]

Sure:

A DIY Alkalinity Test: By Randy Holmes-Farley - REEFEDITION

A DIY Alkalinity Test: By Randy Holmes-Farley - REEFEDITION

Alkalinity is one of the most important measurements that a reef aquarist can make. It can become rapidly depleted in many aquaria, requiring frequent measurement in order to maintain stable levels.

www.reefedition.com

This is great, Randy. Is it reasonable to use small volumes as low as 10mL like the hanna checker to perform your alk testing? I don't have a pH meter, but I'm guessing the sample container needs to be big enough to be able to hold the meter probe and be able to do your work in. I really want to try this if I'm able to perform it with small volumes appropriately, only to limit the amount of tank water that I remove since test alk daily.

It would be very small volumes of acid that it might get hard to titrate if it only requires up to 0.3mL of acid in a 10mL sample or so. Let me know your thoughts.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This is great, Randy. Is it reasonable to use small volumes as low as 10mL like the hanna checker to perform your alk testing? I don't have a pH meter, but I'm guessing the sample container needs to be big enough to be able to hold the meter probe and be able to do your work in. I really want to try this if I'm able to perform it with small volumes appropriately, only to limit the amount of tank water that I remove since test alk daily.

It would be very small volumes of acid that it might get hard to titrate if it only requires up to 0.3mL of acid in a 10mL sample or so. Let me know your thoughts.

The reason I did it on the scale I did was just to allow easy/accurate volume and pH measurement.

if you can accurately measure small volumes, and you can get your pH meter into it properly, you can do it on any scale, and smaller will save money.

 

[Garf]

That is likely true. The standard acid is a hundred times weaker than muriatic acid from the hardware store, but I certainly wouldn't deter folks from being as safe as possible.

Assistance please. I’ve got 2.5 Ltrs of this stuff below. What ratio of this to RODI is it to make the testing solution? Cheers

 

[Andreas' Reef]

API marine test kit is probably a good option

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Assistance please. I’ve got 2.5 Ltrs of this stuff below. What ratio of this to RODI is it to make the testing solution? Cheers

Crude concentrated HCl like that is not the best way to go to make a standard because the concentration is not well controlled.

That said, if you accept that it is literally what it says (36-37% HCl), then here's how to do it:

36% HCl has a concentration of 11.634 M according to wikipedia.

If you dilute 10 mL (or 11.8 grams) into 1,153 mL of RO/DI water, you will get 0.1 N for a titration.