Best Test Kits for K, I, Fe?

[kyley]

Hi All,
I'd like to test these three occasionally. What kits should I use?
Potassium (K):
I read Salifert makes a good test kit, so I'll probably get it. And I read that Red Sea's is terrible. I don't see other options?

Iodine (I2):
It doesn't sound like Red Sea's test is very good? Nor Salifert's? Giesemann and Seachem make one, not sure if they're any good?? And there's a Hanna tester, but I'd rather not spend that kind of money! Really no idea what to try for this one...

Iron (Fe):
Seachem, Giesemann, and Elos make kits, but I don't know anything about them? Also Red Sea, but I only see it in the 3 pack (with all 3 of these tests), and since the Potassium is no good and the Iodine doesn't sound great, I thought I should buy them individually. Hanna again is an option, but too expensive. I also see SenSafe EXact Total Iron Test Strips, but I know strips aren't usually very accurate. It would be nice if these are decent?

Strontium (Sr):
I already have Salifert, so I'm just going to hope this one is decent? Reviews don't look great, but after looking, it's the only one I can find anyway!

I'm asking because I'd like to start dosing trace elements. It looks like these ones would be important to keep track of. But maybe Iron isn't quite as important to test? Thank you!
--Kyle

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

I have the Red Sea test. I can give you my opinions

Potassium: I can never get this thing to an endpoint that looks anything like the card. I know I must have potassium in the tank because I dose trace elements with potassium. Maybe I'm just colorblind.

Iodine: My iodine always reads the same. Either the test is inaccurate or I have an innate ability to maintain exactly constant iodine levels.

Iron: I never see any iron in my tests. I dose trace elements with iron. Maybe my macroalgae sucks it up like a sponge.

Bottom line is that I stopped testing for these and just regularly dose trace elements with monthly water changes.

 

[kyley]

Bottom line is that I stopped testing for these and just regularly dose trace elements with monthly water changes.

Thanks, I imagine that is what I will do for the most part, but it would be good to at least check every few months in case one is getting elevated to a dangerous level.

Your experience with the Red Sea Potassium is about the same as what I read elsewhere. Iodine doesn't appear to be a great test either. Thanks,
--Kyle

 

[LARedstickreefer]

IMO, the kits are expensive, hard to use, and the elements tested shouldn’t be depleted often.

If it were me, I’d spend the money on an ICP test to see all of these, and much more, levels.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

There is no kit (or ICP test) that can detect iron at anywhere near as low as the natural level. It is not worth using a kit for.

 

[taricha]

I like salifert K test.
Iodine: I have used seachem (iodide) extensively and @Rick Mathew has done really detailed work with Red Sea (total iodine I think). Both of us have been quite happy with these two kits.
Fe: like Randy says, is undetectable at the biologically relevant levels. Hanna Fe test goes about as low as you can with a hobby test kit, and if you dose heavy enough to actually detect, it depletes absurdly fast - and @Dan_P found it surprisingly goes into the skimmer.

 

[kyley]

There is no kit (or ICP test) that can detect iron at anywhere near as low as the natural level. It is not worth using a kit for.

Okay, good. I thought I might just skip the Iron test.

I like salifert K test.
Iodine: I have used seachem (iodide) extensively and @Rick Mathew has done really detailed work with Red Sea (total iodine I think). Both of us have been quite happy with these two kits.
Fe: like Randy says, is undetectable at the biologically relevant levels. Hanna Fe test goes about as low as you can with a hobby test kit, and if you dose heavy enough to actually detect, it depletes absurdly fast - and @Dan_P found it surprisingly goes into the skimmer.

Great, thanks. Salifert K is what I was thinking about getting. And maybe I'll try Seachem's Iodide. Thanks for sharing,
--Kyle

 

[Terry Mattson]

I have and use red sea pro iodine test. The reference sample helps me for sure. I had like. 02 pm or less and my zoas looked terrible, over 100 polyps. A few partially opened. So dosed brightwell iodine a few drops in tank and retested. Repeated until test indicated. 06 ppm to match reference sample. Next day they all opened. Now if it really was .04 or .07 doesn't matter much
I add 2 drops a week now in combination with waterchanges to maintain .06 on test kit. For me the kit works and now test about once every 6 weeks.

 

[nick0206]

Hey.
I am new to the forum, but have been in the hobby for 13 years.
I am from Israel. The country is small, like our hobby community, and most of them are mostly familiar with each other.
Most of those I know don't trust Salifert or Red Sea. Only tests from Tropic Marine (TM).
For a long time they did not have a potassium test, but 2 years ago it appeared. We compared the TM and Salifert tests with the Triton test.
TM turned out to be more accurate and not only for potassium. So besides the phosphate test (Hannah), I have everything from Tropic Marine.

 

[Realposition]

I use salifert for potassium, it is fairly easy to use. I have red Sea for iodine and I can't read it at all.

 

[Rick Mathew]

Hi All,
I'd like to test these three occasionally. What kits should I use?
Potassium (K):
I read Salifert makes a good test kit, so I'll probably get it. And I read that Red Sea's is terrible. I don't see other options?

Iodine (I2):
It doesn't sound like Red Sea's test is very good? Nor Salifert's? Giesemann and Seachem make one, not sure if they're any good?? And there's a Hanna tester, but I'd rather not spend that kind of money! Really no idea what to try for this one...

Iron (Fe):
Seachem, Giesemann, and Elos make kits, but I don't know anything about them? Also Red Sea, but I only see it in the 3 pack (with all 3 of these tests), and since the Potassium is no good and the Iodine doesn't sound great, I thought I should buy them individually. Hanna again is an option, but too expensive. I also see SenSafe EXact Total Iron Test Strips, but I know strips aren't usually very accurate. It would be nice if these are decent?

Strontium (Sr):
I already have Salifert, so I'm just going to hope this one is decent? Reviews don't look great, but after looking, it's the only one I can find anyway!

I'm asking because I'd like to start dosing trace elements. It looks like these ones would be important to keep track of. But maybe Iron isn't quite as important to test? Thank you!
--Kyle

I commend you for wanting to know the what is going on with the chemistry of your tank! Keeping a close eye on the status of your system will give you a good chance of success...The key is Accurate and Precise results...These Articles might help...

GETTING IT RIGHT! ---MAKE TESTING COUNT BY USING A QUALITY SYSTEM APPROACH

GETTING IT RIGHT! ---MAKE TESTING COUNT BY USING A QUALITY SYSTEM APPROACH INTRODUCTION All of us want healthy and thriving Reef Tanks. This necessarily means excellent water quality. So I ask myself. How do I know the quality of my water...

www.reef2reef.com

PART 2 -GETTING IT RIGHT--MAKE TESTING COUNT BY USING A QUALITY SYSTEM APPROACH---COLORIMETRIC VISUAL TESTING

PART 2-----COLORIMETRIC VISUAL TESTING METHODS (The Chemistry) As we covered in Part 1 in the “Understanding Errors” section, the visual testing method consists of essentially two steps, Evaluation and Assessment. Evaluation is the test...

www.reef2reef.com

Parts 3 and 4 will follow shortly


For Iodine testing I use a the Red Sea Iodine Pro test reagents but with a different twist... See Here

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/using-hanna-checker-hi-707-to-test-for-iodine.743/

I use the Salfert Potassium test kit and have had good results. I compare my results to ICP Testing and get good correlation (see below)

MY RESUTLS ICP VENDOR 1 RESULTS ICP VENDOR 2 RESULTS ICP VENDOR 3 RESULTS

450 PPM 470 PPM 450 PPM 425 PPM
440 PPM 478 PPM 451 PPM 450 PPM
470 PPM 464 PPM 450 PPM 440 PPM

As has already been mentioned testing for Iron with a hobby test kit as well as ICP is not useful because the levels of detection are not sufficient to to measure it...I would not waste my time.

I have no experience with testing of Strontium

Hope this helps

rick

 

[kyley]

I commend you for wanting to know the what is going on with the chemistry of your tank! Keeping a close eye on the status of your system will give you a good chance of success...The key is Accurate and Precise

Thanks for your help! I've been reef keeping for 10 years now, but I decided I need to try supplementing trace elements - and making sure they don't get to dangerous levels (most important with Iodine, Potassium, and maybe Strontium?). In my 10 year old tank and even my newer tank, corals are pale compared to many of the nice tanks I see. I imagine part of this is because NO3 and PO4 are always 0, but I figured trace elements and/or adding amino acids and related supplements can help.

Anyway, sounds like Salifert Potassium is a winner and Iodine I'm not too sure about, but I'll read your article. Thanks,
--Kyle

 

[kyley]

For a long time they did not have a potassium test, but 2 years ago it appeared. We compared the TM and Salifert tests with the Triton test.
TM turned out to be more accurate and not only for potassium. So besides the phosphate test (Hannah), I have everything from Tropic Marine.

Thanks for sharing. It looks like TM doesn't have a test kit for Iodine, Iron (which I'm not going to test), or Strontium through? If they do, has your group tested them? I don't see them anywhere in the US anyway. Thanks,
--Kyle

 

[kyley]

...Iodine I'm not too sure about, but I'll read your article. Thanks,
--Kyle

Rick Mathew, I skimmed through your article on Iodine testing with Hanna and Red Sea Reagents. And wow, that's thorough and incredibly impressive that you came up with this method! I actually started to reply here and say "no way man, too much work, and way too expensive to buy a Hanna checker AND Red Sea test kit." However... I now read (instead of just skimmed) and thought about it, and I'm coming around to the idea that this might be worth it. I imagine I could just buy the Red Sea Iodine Refill instead of the full kit to save some $, your method's results are really accurate, it isn't as complicated as it first appears, and iodine is probably the most important to have accurate readings for. The only issue is the temperature. I'd worry the temp will drop real fast in a small vial like that. Anyway, I'm likely going to try this. Thank you very much for your contribution to the hobby.

taricha, you mentioned Seachem for Iodide testing. My trace elements dosing will contain Iodine (not Iodide as far as I know) - do I really need to test Iodide as well, or would Iodine alone be sufficient. I noticed their test covers both? Thanks,
--Kyle

 

[ScottB]

I have and use red sea pro iodine test. The reference sample helps me for sure. I had like. 02 pm or less and my zoas looked terrible, over 100 polyps. A few partially opened. So dosed brightwell iodine a few drops in tank and retested. Repeated until test indicated. 06 ppm to match reference sample. Next day they all opened. Now if it really was .04 or .07 doesn't matter much
I add 2 drops a week now in combination with waterchanges to maintain .06 on test kit. For me the kit works and now test about once every 6 weeks.

Similar experience, but with my duncan.
If my Duncan polyps are <1" long during daylight, two/three drops of Lugol's and they perk right up. My green canary.

 

[Terry Mattson]

Iodine must get used up. I also noticed the Duncan and other lps purked up. Just was not sure cause and effect on them. But the zoas was like a be healed miracle.

 

[taricha]

@taricha, you mentioned Seachem for Iodide testing. My trace elements dosing will contain Iodine (not Iodide as far as I know) - do I really need to test Iodide as well, or would Iodine alone be sufficient. I noticed their test covers both? Thanks

Iodine in tank water exists as iodide, iodate, and hopefully not dangerous I2.
Iodide is the most quickly consumed, iodate is the oxidized form. They exist in some equilibrium in water.
Testing for either iodide or total iodine (iodide+iodate) can tell you when to consider dosing.
This thread has a decent discussion of the topic.

Low Iodide level ... what's the best solution?

I've been noticing my Invertebrates getting very sluggish and decided to do a Salifert Iodide test. The test revealed I have less than 0.01 ppm Iodide, since the solution was pretty much clear. After research, including Randy's articles on Iodine, it appears the cause is likely the large...

www.reef2reef.com

Randy's article on iodine should be read as well.