Can we trust test kits? I don't even know anymore.

[Earl Karl]

Just tested with my backup Salifert and API kH test and Salifert got 14.4 dkH and API got 14 dkH. iDip tester reads 9.41. I don't even know who to trust anymore, either my reef does best in 14 dkH and my iDip is lying, or my reef does best in 9.41 dkH and the Salifert AND the API test are lying. Either way I'm trusting my reef from now on. I think the @eXact iDip® tester is wrong though, I do see some burnt tips.

 

[LC8Sumi]

I don’t think 14 dKh is possible without precipitation (and ultimately lowering in the Kh). Are you sure the salifert is not expired and you’re doing the test correctly?

 

[Earl Karl]

I don’t think 14 dKh is possible without precipitation (and ultimately lowering in the Kh). Are you sure the salifert is not expired and you’re doing the test correctly?

Both test kits expire in 2023. Test three times each.

 

[Tamberav]

If your corals appear happy and growing well. Trust them over any test kit.

Lots of posts of previously happy corals having issues after they tried to tweek something.

 

[Earl Karl]

If your corals appear happy and growing well. Trust them over any test kit.

Lots of posts of previously happy corals having issues after they tried to tweek something.

Even then, let's say a person was having trouble with their reefs and they don't know what their issue is because their test kit was lying to them. They do a lot of adjusting, yet no luck. Turns out the test kit company sent out a bad batch and recently release a change in their tests without notifying the customers (maybe they do but I was well unaware of the updates they do with their tests).

Would the company be liable for that? My corals seem to look healthier, but I don't know if they are growing since that is something that takes a while. I do see some burnt tips in my acros, so I am going to have to observe.

I'm gonna compare my iDip tester with a wholesaler's iDip tester. I need to see if there is something wrong with my tester or is there is something wrong with the strips. I am VERY meticulous with directions.

 

[Dave Bayliss]

IMO, its not about what the test kit states but the consistency of he parameters, keep it consistent then things are happy!!

 

[Phyber]

Yeah I made that mistake of not reading my reef. I have been very busy in life, I haven't even seen my roommate back at home in 4 days, all I have her do is test the tank for me every day and text me the results. That's about to change now, I absolutely hate it when animals under my care dies. I tend to try to be perfect. Didn't seem like it now however.

I guess you're chained to your reef when you keep one, I can't get out of the house more than a few days. I can't even sleep at night well without being worried since I'm away so often.

I miss the old days when I was able to come back to my reefs everyday after school since I didn't have a job to worry about.

There are no straight lines in nature. Don't try to be perfect. Even though nature was created perfectly, it's man's desire to make it seem a certain way.

Test your tanks, watch trends, adjust when you can. That's really all were trying to do.

 

[Scorpius]

I've never had many problems with Salifert alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, nitrate, or their potassium test kits. They do tend to lose accuracy the closer you are to the end of a reagent bottle.

 

[Tamberav]

Even then, let's say a person was having trouble with their reefs and they don't know what their issue is because their test kit was lying to them. They do a lot of adjusting, yet no luck. Turns out the test kit company sent out a bad batch and recently release a change in their tests without notifying the customers (maybe they do but I was well unaware of the updates they do with their tests).

Would the company be liable for that? My corals seem to look healthier, but I don't know if they are growing since that is something that takes a while. I do see some burnt tips in my acros, so I am going to have to observe.

I'm gonna compare my iDip tester with a wholesaler's iDip tester. I need to see if there is something wrong with my tester or is there is something wrong with the strips. I am VERY meticulous with directions.

I keep more than one Hanna reagent if I feel something is not right I check with the other. I also have the kit to verify it is calibrated correctly. If I was still puzzled I would double check with more kits of another brand but it has never come to that. I have had bad reagents but it was fairly obvious.

That tester doesn't seem great from what you are describing. My Hanna is very easy to check calibration.

 

[Earl Karl]

I keep more than one Hanna reagent if I feel something is not right I check with the other. I also have the kit to verify it is calibrated correctly. If I was still puzzled I would double check with more kits of another brand but it has never come to that. I have had bad reagents but it was fairly obvious.

That tester doesn't seem great from what you are describing. My Hanna is very easy to check calibration.

I'm pretty sure it is the test strips. I only got different results as soon as I got the new test strips.

 

[Brian Kennedy]

I was getting wonky alk readings with the Red Sea kit. +/- 3 dkh every other day. I chose to continue with my normal routine and made no changes until the Hanna checker arrived. Fortunately I don’t have a ton of expensive coral yet so my risk was lower. I adjusted alk based on Hanna and things seem to be going in the right direction. Stick with 1 kit and observe the tank.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I tend to agree that the number is unimportant as long as the results are consistent. You're looking for trends. If everything is happy and thriving, then use that as a benchmark with whatever number you're getting, don't adjust the tank to a number, but the other way around.

Also, always doubt the test. If the results are unexpected, test at least twice more to see if the results are consistent.

 

[Earl Karl]

I tend to agree that the number is unimportant as long as the results are consistent. You're looking for trends. If everything is happy and thriving, then use that as a benchmark with whatever number you're getting, don't adjust the tank to a number, but the other way around.

Also, always doubt the test. If the results are unexpected, test at least twice more to see if the results are consistent.

My new frag tank hasn't been doing well. The iDip tester is consistent, but I'm pretty sure the strips are inaccurate. I have been tweaking a lot but I'm gonna have to compare my tests with another one and keep tweaking until everything looks happy. It's been difficult however, since corals adjust slowly unless things get out of range.

However, from experiments I have done in the past, I do like to aim for 9.5 dkH as I get the best growth.

 

[Earl Karl]

What I plan to do is get a reference and test it. Then whatever number it gives me, I shall keep testing for that number.

 

[robbyg]

I just puzzle sometimes over how people understand test kits. For example, how a digital readout is going to make this a professional lab grade test kit that you can trust completely when it's just removing some reader inconsistencies (a very good thing I value and pay for myself).

But ultimately if my tank looks good, it looks good...and that should be the key input, not the only one as you can have ticking time bombs waiting to go off but still, I would never lightly override my tank appearance over a test kit and change what I'm doing unless I had very good reasons.

Edit: Sorry OP...got off topic a bit. I've been very fortunate in not having batch inconsistencies so far. I do check out of date tests which is always recommended. And I've been known to screw up a test a couple times in a row, dig out the old/backup API or whatever and find out I messed up.

Yep its one of the mental phases of reefkeeping. First is the daily testing phase and then when success comes around it switches from daily to weekly and several months later the "I am a reef god and I can do no wrong" phase kicks in. This is followed by only checking parameters when something in the tank looks slightly off. I found this phase lasted for about two years. Then one of those bombs went off and I lost about 60% of my Tank in a two day period. Humbled I started back again with daily testing and that has moved to weekly testing. I am trying very hard to at least maintain that. This is the main reason I was really hoping a MindStream would have been in my future. I hate water testing!

 

[Quietman]

Yep its one of the mental phases of reefkeeping. First is the daily testing phase and then when success comes around it switches from daily to weekly and several months later the "I am a reef god and I can do no wrong" phase kicks in. This is followed by only checking parameters when something in the tank looks slightly off. I found this phase lasted for about two years. Then one of those bombs went off and I lost about 60% of my Tank in a two day period. Humbled I started back again with daily testing and that has moved to weekly testing. I am trying very hard to at least maintain that. This is the main reason I was really hoping a MindStream would have been in my future. I hate water testing!

I admit I sometimes have to motivate myself for testing. Make a game of it, guess the parameters based on how it looks or something. I did find getting one tool box that holds everything really helped. It's not the testing I mind, it's the lugging everything in and out of my fish closet.

 

[Eggs]

What I plan to do is get a reference and test it. Then whatever number it gives me, I shall keep testing for that number.

A reference is the way to go. If you get a new kit and it’s reading is off you can still use that new kit reading as the target knowing that it’s right at your “true” target.......it’s relevant to that test kit only and you’ll know where your at.

 

[Earl Karl]

A reference is the way to go. If you get a new kit and it’s reading is off you can still use that new kit reading as the target knowing that it’s right at your “true” target.......it’s relevant to that test kit and you’ll know what to target.

Any good reference solution that has been tested? So far I'm looking at the Fauna Marin one.

 

[Quietman]

Any good reference solution that has been tested? So far I'm looking at the Fauna Marin one.

That's what I use...along with the AquaForest that's included in their kits.

 

[Earl Karl]

That's what I use...along with the AquaForest that's included in their kits.

Ok, I will try that one and see from there on.