Best test kit for each parameter

[stanleo]

I am tired of buying test kit after test kit. I would like to know what successful reefers use. I have been using Red Sea for Calcium, KH, and Magnesium. Salifert for Phosphate and Nitrate and API for pH, ammonia and nitrite. My mag test on the tank always reads sky high at 1800ppm. Someone suggested on someone else's thread to test fresh mix so I did that. And I got the same result, 1800ppm. Obviously I'm never using that again. I use Instant Ocean reef crystals and at 35ppt Magnesium should be 1345ppm. I can't imagine that every batch of salt I buy is a bad batch so the test must be crap. So I would like to know, by parameter, what are the best test kits that aren't going to put into debt but I don't mind spending a little more to get the right test kit, if that makes any sense.

What is the best test kit for:
pH
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Phosphate
Magnesium
Calcium
KH

I don't think this is a big emergancy cause everything seems really stable and the corals are growing but I need to know the numbers accurately. At the very least, ballpark would be nice.

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

I am sure you are going to get a lot of different answers here. I use Red Sea for calcium, Salifret for Iodide and Magnesium, Hanna Checker for ALK. For phosphate and nitrate I am using API. Just follow the directions and I have found it to be pretty accurate.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=%23&ved=2ahUKEwir64G3g5flAhURlKwKHb_KBF0QwqsBMAF6BAgHEAc&usg=AOvVaw0VTJzWxrN8ZFOD4xbU2nov

 

[stanleo]

I just ran the calcium test for the fresh mix and got 550ppm on that same as my tank. According to the box it should 455ppm. Something is not right.

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

What salt mix are you using?

 

[stanleo]

Instant Ocean Reef Crystals reef salt

 

[Mical]

Personally I like the Hanna for Alk and Red Sea for Cal & Mag. I rarely test for phos & nitrate, when I do the basic API kits work. I have few SPS most are Lps & softies.

 

[stanleo]

Personally I like the Hanna for Alk and Red Sea for Cal & Mag. I rarely test for phos & nitrate, when I do the basic API kits work. I have few SPS most are Lps & softies.

I just watched videos of doing the Red Sea test kits and I get the same numbers on the fresh mix. 550 calcium and 1800 mag. that can't be right

 

[Mical]

Yea something doesn't sound right. The Red Sea kits are pretty easy so I'm NOT going to say you're doing something wrong. What is the actual Spec Gravity of your tank?

 

[stanleo]

Yea something doesn't sound right. The Red Sea kits are pretty easy so I'm NOT going to say you're doing something wrong. What is the actual Spec Gravity of your tank?

35ppt same as the fresh salt mix I was testing. 1.025

 

[Mical]

Do you have a fellow reefer or LFS nearby to test your water sample to compare? Test kits do have an expiration date and maybe you got an old one.

 

[acer]

Reef Crystals certainly have been known to be high in CA, Alk, and Mg. I switched for that very reason.

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

I use Reef Cyrstals also. Their numbers aren't accurate at all. Their salt mixes really high.

 

[SPR1968]

I use Hanna checkers for alkalinity and phosphate

I use NYOS for Calcium Magnesium and nitrate. The NYOS kits are very quick and easy to use, good equipment and they match Triton tests fairly accurately from my experience

The Red Sea Magnesium was always high, until confirmed to be inaccurate by a Triton test and it went in the bin

I’ve tried many kits including the full Red Sea range, and the above are my current personal preference

 

[stanleo]

Do you have a fellow reefer or LFS nearby to test your water sample to compare? Test kits do have an expiration date and maybe you got an old one.

I just called and they aren't setup to test for those parameters. He acted like no one has ever asked for that.

Reef Crystals certainly have been known to be high in CA, Alk, and Mg. I switched for that very reason.

I have heard that before but THAT high? And consistently? I test every two weeks right before my water change and I get the same results every time. This is the first time I tested fresh mix. I might just bite the bullet and do the Triton test.

 

[Oldreefer44]

I have used all the above and found Hanna to come closest to ICP test results. I now have a Mindstream which also matches Hanna more closely than the others.

 

[saltyhog]

As already stated you will get a lot of different answers because there is always more than one way to do things. My preferences.

pH....don't test but monitor for changes with my Apex probe
Ammonia....Don't test except new tank/QT tanks.... I still like API (Seachem stinks!). I haven't had problems with the false +
Nitrite....Don't test except cycling tank.....use Salifert when I do
Nitrate.....whew...I go back and forth between NYOS and Salifert depending on which tank/how high the levels are
Phosphate.....Easy, Hanna ULR Phosphorous
Magnesium.....none of the available kits excite me but Aquaforest is my favorite (hard to find lately)
Calcium.......Salifert, consistent and usually matches ICP results.
KH.........Easy, Hanna ppm alkalinity checker. If all test kits were as good as this I would be very happy. I can test 5 times in a row and all five will be within 1-2 ppm of each other. Consistency here is more important than accuracy to me.

 

[fcmatt]

Hanna - alk and phos
Red sea for everything else.

Refract... make sure u have 2 calibration fluids from diff sources.

I do not like reef Crystals. I prefer reg io.

And yes it is very easy to use a test kit wrong. I have seen people be inaccurate in so many wonderful unique ways it is funny. Just interpreting when to stop can result in being way off from a diff person. Rinsing the bottle in the test water yet leaving hard to get out water as you add the required amount to test. Using the syringe wrong when filling it. A combination of all of the above. Expired kits never mentioned. Mishandled kits or improperly stored.

I am not saying you did any of this but it truly does happen. I am guilty of it sometimes! So in general if used properly they all come pretty darn close.

 

[Bills beginning]

BRS has a good set of videos on various tests kits with comparisons between kits. Good source of information

 

[jsker]

Members use a number of combination of brands of test kits they feel do the job best and are comfortable using.

Is there an all in one test kit that will work? Sure you can buy one brand but I have found that I now use a combination of kits.

I use Hanna for alk, Ca, Phosphates (low phosphorus ) and Aquaforest for my Mg and No3's. I also keep Aquaforest alk, Ca, on hand to test if and when my test result are really off. Usually when my results are off I will also come back later, maybe a day to retest. Most of the time when my results are off, it is me/human error .

I would also suggest if you decided to use the Hanna checkers, use new tips and syringes every time. I have found that using the tips and stringers over and over will give faults reading. I am not a chemist but I equate the faults results to dried regents and cross contamination.

For example when I test Ca with the Hanna Checker I use a 1000 ul pipette and new tip for my reagent, a new 100ul tip for my tank water sample and reuse a 10 to 12 ml syringe for my 9 ml distilled water for the test. I have also found that using distilled water purchased at the store test better then using RO/DI. Syringes and tip are really cheap online compared to the frustration of test and having crazy results.

 

[stanleo]

Hanna - alk and phos
Red sea for everything else.

Refract... make sure u have 2 calibration fluids from diff sources.

I do not like reef Crystals. I prefer reg io.

And yes it is very easy to use a test kit wrong. I have seen people be inaccurate in so many wonderful unique ways it is funny. Just interpreting when to stop can result in being way off from a diff person. Rinsing the bottle in the test water yet leaving hard to get out water as you add the required amount to test. Using the syringe wrong when filling it. A combination of all of the above. Expired kits never mentioned. Mishandled kits or improperly stored.

I am not saying you did any of this but it truly does happen. I am guilty of it sometimes! So in general if used properly they all come pretty darn close.

what do you mean by "reg io"?

I have that concern about mistakes. After I test I rinse the vials and dry them and let them air dry. I dry them after rinsing them. the kit is not expired. In fact I have two kits for calcium and tried both and I get the same results.