SteveG_inDC
Active Member
The thing that will kill me in this hobby is my lack of confidence in my test results. I've had so many problems with probes, monitors, and test kits that I'm ready to pull my hair out.
First there was the salinity saga. Everyone loves their Milwaukee digital refractometers, but mine (admittedly, used) led me astray for months, causing me to overdose additives and mix salt incorrectly and generally spend a lot of money ruining my parameters. Eventually l I bought a second handheld refractometer with calibration solution (my first one was giving bad readings) and used a floating glass hydrometer to conclude that the handheld was trustworthy and the Milwaukee, no matter how I calibrated, was worthless.
Now I'm having mysterious alkalinity drops and I don't know if it's the test or real. I am using multiple brands of test kits for every parameter but I just don't trust my readings.
Mg reference solution = 1310 +/-1%, tested with Aquaforest kit at 1380, a deviation of 5.3%
Ca reference solution = 425 +/-1%,, tested with Salifert kit at 460, a deviation of 8.2%
This is just today. In the past I've done two test kits or even three (AF, Salifert, and Red Sea) on the same sample and gotten deviations this large or larger.
These are all non-expired. I wash all my glassware in citric acid, rinse in RO/DI, then rinse in sample water before testing.
Meanwhile Alk and Ca seem to be dropping despite my increasing kalkwasser dosage and no sign of precipitation. Alk went from 7.3 to 8.3 the next day, 7.2 the next day, 9.0 four days later, 8.5 three days later, 8.0 six days, later, 7.0 four days later, 6.3 two days later. Similar but not as dramatic Ca swings during the same period. Mg is testing low at 1125. I don't test it that often, but was 1140 three weeks ago, 1200 in December, and 1380 back in August, 1140 in July. Needless to day, stony corals not really growing or even doing well. Softies were doing ok, but recently even my recordeas and green start polyps (!) look unhappy.
My makeup water (Reef Crystals) is testing at 7.2 dKH and 380 Ca, which is terrible, but I don't know if I should start buying more expensive salt or just better test kits. I've already spent a lot on test kits and additives. I just want stability and confident measurement. Going absolutely crazy!! Someone help.
First there was the salinity saga. Everyone loves their Milwaukee digital refractometers, but mine (admittedly, used) led me astray for months, causing me to overdose additives and mix salt incorrectly and generally spend a lot of money ruining my parameters. Eventually l I bought a second handheld refractometer with calibration solution (my first one was giving bad readings) and used a floating glass hydrometer to conclude that the handheld was trustworthy and the Milwaukee, no matter how I calibrated, was worthless.
Now I'm having mysterious alkalinity drops and I don't know if it's the test or real. I am using multiple brands of test kits for every parameter but I just don't trust my readings.
Mg reference solution = 1310 +/-1%, tested with Aquaforest kit at 1380, a deviation of 5.3%
Ca reference solution = 425 +/-1%,, tested with Salifert kit at 460, a deviation of 8.2%
This is just today. In the past I've done two test kits or even three (AF, Salifert, and Red Sea) on the same sample and gotten deviations this large or larger.
These are all non-expired. I wash all my glassware in citric acid, rinse in RO/DI, then rinse in sample water before testing.
Meanwhile Alk and Ca seem to be dropping despite my increasing kalkwasser dosage and no sign of precipitation. Alk went from 7.3 to 8.3 the next day, 7.2 the next day, 9.0 four days later, 8.5 three days later, 8.0 six days, later, 7.0 four days later, 6.3 two days later. Similar but not as dramatic Ca swings during the same period. Mg is testing low at 1125. I don't test it that often, but was 1140 three weeks ago, 1200 in December, and 1380 back in August, 1140 in July. Needless to day, stony corals not really growing or even doing well. Softies were doing ok, but recently even my recordeas and green start polyps (!) look unhappy.
My makeup water (Reef Crystals) is testing at 7.2 dKH and 380 Ca, which is terrible, but I don't know if I should start buying more expensive salt or just better test kits. I've already spent a lot on test kits and additives. I just want stability and confident measurement. Going absolutely crazy!! Someone help.
