Planning for the future, some questions

[PandorasChalk]

As I go forward on my new tank I am looking towards the future on long term care for my new coral buddies.

1) I picked up the API Saltwater and Reef Testing kits, but in recent days I have read these tests are absolute garbage and unable to be absolved of sin. I am looking into the Hannah testing kits, and I see they use reagents. Are they worth the price of admission? I may go with Salifert instead.

2) My tank is a 14 gallon cube, and I have been reading about managing things such as Alk/Mag/Cal/Iodine. Would water changes weekly (like 20%) help handle this without the need to dose? My plan going forward is leaning heavy towards Zoas with maybe another torch. I have no issues with needing to dose, just wanting to get a good idea going forward. I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals currently as my salt.

 

[mdb_talon]

Regarding test kits at one time i swore by the hanna checkers. After seeing a significant difference between two batches of alkalinity reagents and then testing further i am no longer as big of a fan. The difference i saw was way outside margin of error(several times it). The readings were also consistent after testing each batch multiple times. Then i got a third bottle which also came with a new batch#. This regeant also consistently gave different results than either of the two previous batches. Next i did similar tests using phosphate and again found consistently different results(though the difference was much smaller and less significant).

Anyway now i use Salifert mostly and for a couple key parameters i occassionally use a nyos test to double check. Still use hanna primarily for phosphate.

As for dosing it is very dependent on the tank, the coral in it, and the growth. In a new tank it rarely needs dosing if doing occassional water changes. As it matures and starts growing coralline and/or you start adding and having growth from sps/lps then dosing becomes a better solution that just relying on water changes.

The best way to know if you need to dose though is occassional testing. See how much your alk/calc goes down between a WC and if it trends downward overall.

 

[brmreefer]

As I go forward on my new tank I am looking towards the future on long term care for my new coral buddies.

1) I picked up the API Saltwater and Reef Testing kits, but in recent days I have read these tests are absolute garbage and unable to be absolved of sin. I am looking into the Hannah testing kits, and I see they use reagents. Are they worth the price of admission? I may go with Salifert instead.

2) My tank is a 14 gallon cube, and I have been reading about managing things such as Alk/Mag/Cal/Iodine. Would water changes weekly (like 20%) help handle this without the need to dose? My plan going forward is leaning heavy towards Zoas with maybe another torch. I have no issues with needing to dose, just wanting to get a good idea going forward. I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals currently as my salt.

First welcome to R2R.

Here is my recommendations:

1. I've used all test kits listed. I use API as a general measurement, not for accuracy (ball park figures). Salifert is what I would recommend starting out and are good. Hanna I eventually jumped into and would do again. I highly recommend Hanna for accurate PO4 measurements due to low levels I try and maintain. Hanna costs higher, but only initially and the reagent refills are not bad in pricing. I used both Salifert and Hanna in combination to date. If unsure of test results, get it checked against a buddies or LFS' testing to see if results drastically vary. This helps identify any testing errors, but only as needed.
2. Based on going with heavy zoa collecting and some torches, the water changes will definitely help, but the only way to know for sure is to establish weekly testing because everyone's system is different. (Example: You may eventually have coralline algae heavily consuming calcium and not have been factored in.) Once a base line is known, then knowing whether or not to dose get easier.

Take it slow and steady. Always research. Bottom line...have fun with it.

 

[PandorasChalk]

Regarding test kits at one time i swore by the hanna checkers. After seeing a significant difference between two batches of alkalinity reagents and then testing further i am no longer as big of a fan. The difference i saw was way outside margin of error(several times it). The readings were also consistent after testing each batch multiple times. Then i got a third bottle which also came with a new batch#. This regeant also consistently gave different results than either of the two previous batches. Next i did similar tests using phosphate and again found consistently different results(though the difference was much smaller and less significant).

Anyway now i use Salifert mostly and for a couple key parameters i occassionally use a nyos test to double check. Still use hanna primarily for phosphate.

As for dosing it is very dependent on the tank, the coral in it, and the growth. In a new tank it rarely needs dosing if doing occassional water changes. As it matures and starts growing coralline and/or you start adding and having growth from sps/lps then dosing becomes a better solution that just relying on water changes.

The best way to know if you need to dose though is occassional testing. See how much your alk/calc goes down between a WC and if it trends downward overall.

Thanks for the feedback! The variance is what I had heard from a local reef hobbyist as well as a few places online, and it had me looking to Salifert. It sounds like though like many things in life nothing is perfect, so I may just have to deal.

I never took coralline into my thought process... that is a great point. I am confident in dosing the tank reliably, I will look into that for the future if things go well.

First welcome to R2R.

Here is my recommendations:

1. I've used all test kits listed. I use API as a general measurement, not for accuracy (ball park figures). Salifert is what I would recommend starting out and are good. Hanna I eventually jumped into and would do again. I highly recommend Hanna for accurate PO4 measurements due to low levels I try and maintain. Hanna costs higher, but only initially and the reagent refills are not bad in pricing. I used both Salifert and Hanna in combination to date. If unsure of test results, get it checked against a buddies or LFS' testing to see if results drastically vary. This helps identify any testing errors, but only as needed.
2. Based on going with heavy zoa collecting and some torches, the water changes will definitely help, but the only way to know for sure is to establish weekly testing because everyone's system is different. (Example: You may eventually have coralline algae heavily consuming calcium and not have been factored in.) Once a base line is known, then knowing whether or not to dose get easier.

Take it slow and steady. Always research. Bottom line...have fun with it.

Thanks for the feedback! I use API Freshwater in that manner right now, ballpark. Way I see it some of the things we test for in Freshwater side should be under x or 0, so if the test shows anything but then you're in trouble and knowing the direct number down to the .01 is not important. I am sure this is different in many ways for salt, so I am looking at other testing kits.

Taking slow has been my game plan, my concern is more in line with "prepare for the worst, hope for the best" mentality where I'd like to know about possible pitfalls and how to handle ASAP. Friday I am buying a few things to help me out tools wise, and some other test kits are on the list.