high nitrates in source water.
- Thread starter DBUK
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hi Dom i checked this out for you. APi kits are know to be the same regents for freshwater and saltwater, they are unsure of red sea kits. but using a salt water for freshwater may in some cases throw you results off, with PH, but this also depnds if you use freshwater test kits for salt or saltwater for fresh, you may find your results from tests either way you do them, could be well out! as the paramitors bewteen salt and fresh is vastely different, i would NOT use a freshwater test kit on the salt water just to be safe. but this is what i have read about, and asked a friend who has freshwater tank. but im new to this marine hobbie, so i would advise going down to your local marine store as they usally have more of wealth of knowledge 
Dom
Full Time Reef Keeper
hi Dom i checked this out for you. APi kits are know to be the same regents for freshwater and saltwater, they are unsure of red sea kits. but using a salt water for freshwater may in some cases throw you results off, with PH, but this also depnds if you use freshwater test kits for salt or saltwater for fresh, you may find your results from tests either way you do them, could be well out! as the paramitors bewteen salt and fresh is vastely different, i would NOT use a freshwater test kit on the salt water just to be safe. but this is what i have read about, and asked a friend who has freshwater tank. but im new to this marine hobbie, so i would advise going down to your local marine store as they usally have more of wealth of knowledge
Thank you for the reply. I appreciate the research.
I only asked because there are test kits specifically for salt water and fresh water. You're running a salt tank, which means you have test kits for salt.
When it was suggested that you test your source water for nitrates, you would need a fresh water nitrate test kit because at that point, you have not added salt.
That's why I asked... more of a food for thought question.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
I could be wrong, but I thought that all salt water nitrate kits worked on fresh water but some fresh water kits don't work on salt water.
For example, I know the API nitrate kit works on both fresh and salt water.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
I'm not sure either. The bigger players like Salifert and Redsea don't say. My guess is that they are both at least fairly accurate in salt and fresh water, but not sure.
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There is actually a test vid on Youtube and they were able to show that for API that the Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite that the only difference was a couple of minor differences in the color chart. So all you need to do is get the saltwater color chart with the freshwater kit or vice versa and you should be good to go. I have heard that Red Sea and Salifert can be adapated to freshwater but it's a bit of a pain (more steps to go through).
well im thinking of buying a new test as my red sea muti test may not be right as in my tank the ALK is 1 dkh, and nitrate was 0,02 when i added it to the tank now its shot up to 10ppm. p04 is 2ppm
mag, ph, amonia nitite all good. and Cal is 490.
can i ask what would make the ALk drop to 1 ?
i did change salt from h20 ocean to instant ocean but dont think that make much difference, and done two 50/50 water chages this week.
mag, ph, amonia nitite all good. and Cal is 490.
can i ask what would make the ALk drop to 1 ?
i did change salt from h20 ocean to instant ocean but dont think that make much difference, and done two 50/50 water chages this week.
