What does everyone use for Calcium, Alkalinity, and Magnesium testing? I am torn between Salifert and Red Sea right now. I have a 20 long currently that is starting to become SPS dominant. I have always just dosed 2 part manually without testing much. I am going to be buying a doser and would like to know the pros and cons to both of these brands.
New to dosing.
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Greenreef75
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I like to use the Red Sea pro for the big 3 because it has the handle that screws on the glass vial to titrate the reagents. Also like the water resistant container for everything and refills don't cost a lot.
Chiefmaster30
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I’ve found Red Sea to be more accurate for mag and calcium. That’s why I use those. And since alkalinity is so important, especially in an sps dominant tank I would recommend a Hanna checker. That is also what I use.
Dkeller_nc
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By the way, many of us that do regular water changes, and with a salt mix that has reasonable magnesium levels, don't dose magnesium at all. Magnesium is consumed at a much lower rate than calcium and alkalinity in most reef tanks, including SPS tanks. There's always an asterisk to add to this, in that every tank is different.
But in my case, I don't even bother testing for it any longer. That's with a typical water change regimen of 10% per week, and with a salt that has a relatively enriched magnesium content (H. W. Weigandt Reefer Salt Mix). The only salt mix that's known to have somewhat low levels of magnesium is Instant Ocean (around 1050 ppm when mixed to 1.026), so you might consider a magnesium supplement if you use IO regularly.
As for test kits, I use Salifert because they're inexpensive, accurate, and very easy to use. I did use Red Sea for a while, but found the vial/syringe setup a bit fiddly for my taste. But there's nothing wrong with Red Sea, so if you prefer them because of local availability or just like the idea of semi-permanent test equipment with refills, it's certainly a valid choice.
But in my case, I don't even bother testing for it any longer. That's with a typical water change regimen of 10% per week, and with a salt that has a relatively enriched magnesium content (H. W. Weigandt Reefer Salt Mix). The only salt mix that's known to have somewhat low levels of magnesium is Instant Ocean (around 1050 ppm when mixed to 1.026), so you might consider a magnesium supplement if you use IO regularly.
As for test kits, I use Salifert because they're inexpensive, accurate, and very easy to use. I did use Red Sea for a while, but found the vial/syringe setup a bit fiddly for my taste. But there's nothing wrong with Red Sea, so if you prefer them because of local availability or just like the idea of semi-permanent test equipment with refills, it's certainly a valid choice.
Thanks for all of the input! It looks like I will go with a mix of brands as most people do.
I haven't done a water change in over a year. The only livestock is two clowns and a cleaner shrimp. I do change filter socks frequently after blasting detritus up at least once weekly. I also have a refugium that is 80% of my display volume along with skimming wet. I adjust salinity when needed because of the skimming.
I haven't done a water change in over a year. The only livestock is two clowns and a cleaner shrimp. I do change filter socks frequently after blasting detritus up at least once weekly. I also have a refugium that is 80% of my display volume along with skimming wet. I adjust salinity when needed because of the skimming.
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