Best Test Kit For Magnesium?
- Thread starter Agraves77
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NY_Caveman
likes words, fish and arbitrary statistics
I just started using Salifert. It is a pretty quick and easy test. The “reading” is a bit different than any other test I have used (gauging the remainder in a syringe) but it worked well compared to an ATI ICP-OES test.
TexasTodd
Valuable Member
Weird, I got a Salifert recently. Used it 5 times with all in syringe dosed without a color change....and I don't dose Mg! Maybe a bad kit.
Did you all have the air in the syringe as they say will happen?
To OP, my LFS recommends Red Sea.
Did you all have the air in the syringe as they say will happen?
To OP, my LFS recommends Red Sea.
NY_Caveman
likes words, fish and arbitrary statistics
Yes on the air. Some kits, like Hanna Alkalinity dKH have a similar syringe, but Hanna’s has a little rubber tip at the end of the plunger to fill the air gap.
Another vote for salifert. Cheap, easy, good precision.
When done rinse vial in ro. Before test rinse in tank water. This is more important with their calcium test that might go off a bit if there is ca in your tap.
When done rinse vial in ro. Before test rinse in tank water. This is more important with their calcium test that might go off a bit if there is ca in your tap.
WWIII
2500 Club Member
Salifert is the best I've used as well. Some salt mixes are very high in magnesium, so it's possible to use the entire 1 ml reagent without a change, because your magnesium is higher than 1500 ppm from the salt alone.(even if that's not what the salt manufacturer claims).
I had red sea..thought it was wrong because always tested around 1600. night a salifert two days ago, did 4 tests, got one to change color before the syringe was gone.
my salt definately is high in mag as I haven't added any mag in like 4 months..
my salt definately is high in mag as I haven't added any mag in like 4 months..
madweazl
2500 Club Member
The air in the syringe is created by the volume the plastic tip adds. If you pull the plunger back to 1ml, there will be 1ml of fluid even though it only fills to about .85ml (the other .15 resides in the tip). If your magnesium is above 1500, you can refill the syringe one more time and continue adding the reagent until you get a full color change; every .01ml corresponds to a 15ppm increase in magnesium (e.g. 1.1ml would be 1650ppm).
Edit: I've read that the Red Sea kits aren't very accurate for magnesium though I've never used one (Salifert has been cheap and easy).
I would trust salifert reading. Correlates very well to Triton ICP IME.
MichaelClark55
Active Member
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Salifert here too.
TexasTodd
Valuable Member
Huh, I don't add Mg, I use Kent salt at 1.026 and only change out about 8% a week. Don't see how Mg would be above level. No CaRX with Mg either. I test again and draw more if no change with first draw. Thanks.
madweazl
2500 Club Member
I had a bucket of Instant Ocean that was mixing up around 1650ppm magnesium recently. Contacted the company and gave them the lot # so they could investigate. They replaced the bucket of salt and it was testing in the typical range.. The peaks are from weekly water changes (I don't dose magnesium) but they started getting much higher than normal. The third week I decided to test the fresh mixed water a couple of times.
I didn't mention that the red sea kits require LOTS of mixing between the first 5 drops of reagent. Its super annoying.
Chris Wells
Active Member
I use Salifert with Red Sea glass tubes and titrator.
fabutahoun
Angels and Acros
Salifert here too.
