RANT ON....TEST KITS

[CoralNerd]

He fully tested two water samples in less than a 1/2 hour. We were shooting the ship the whole time. Plus he was filling water jugs for another customer. Also telling his assistant what to do. So juggling 3 things at once. I guess I will feel stupid only doing one thing if I can't do it right.

Yeah, that's the fish store guy...let's see what the rookie thinks[emoji6]

 

[reeftank220master]

Is it ok if I rant a little?

How can test kits give such different results? I'm talking a 100ppm calcium difference and a 2.0 DKH difference.

I want my sps to do well but it stinks when all these test kits give such different results!!

Rant off...for now....

Please check out TRITON testing... You won't believe how accurate the results are and all you do is buy the test vial they send you,fill it with your tank water,throw it in the mail and in a few days you get an email with all the results..Triton testing actually showed my tank water to have lithium in it! It was almost undetectable but Triton showed it...You can Google "Unique Corals" who are the distributors for North America and you can purchase the test threw there web site...Its worth every penny..I have my triton test every 90 days...

 

[40B Knasty]

Yeah, that's the fish store guy...let's see what the rookie thinks[emoji6]

I am very meticulous, technical, and a tons of research kind of guy. Plus I watched him do it. Nothing to lose since no other test kit is accurate Why not use the only one that is certified.
Plus we talk for hours when I am there. I can text him or call him any day and he will get back to me if I have a question. So being a rookie is nothing when you have a person with 27 years of experience to help and reputable in the ole back pocket. I have bought 4 fish off him. A lot of my corals and inverts from him. Honestly the only LFS out of 30+ I have been to from ME to OH I would trust. He has some JF corals that I seen him buy off JF at the New England Farmers frag swap that I would love to get a hold of. Beautiful scolys he has.

 

[CoralNerd]

.

The test I have the most problem with is the nitrate test due to coloration. That's why I like using Red Sea for this test as it isolates the colors making it easier to concentrate on which color matches.

How's ELOS for being able to detect the color change for no3?

 

[40B Knasty]

The test I have the most problem with is the nitrate test due to coloration. That's why I like using Red Sea for this test as it isolates the colors making it easier to concentrate on which color matches.

How's ELOS for being able to detect the color change for no3?

Google Marinedepot.com, in the search bar type Elos, then you will see the nitrate test kit which is the second product to the right, click on that, and right below the pic of the test kit there is 2 very small pics. The second pic is a video on the test kits and how they use "real color" codings

 

[yellojello]

I try to rinse stuff with RODI when done. Also, the water sample syringe, I fill and empty several times in the tank before putting in test tube.

 

[mtraylor]

Watch the dates on the products. Some could be old.

 

[ThunderGoose]

I'm a molecular biologist by training, The Husband is a chemist. The test kits I've used are not going to be incredibly accurate or repeatable for several different reasons.

1) color matching - will not be accurate by eye because individuals vary in their color perception and changes in lighting will make a difference. If you want to color match you need a spectrophotometer ($$$$).

2) volume control - a drop is not a valid measurement, I need a syringe or pipette.

3) other, such as: I have the Salifert test kit for Magnesium. It uses a syringe for volume [yes!] and the instructions tell you that having air in the syringe will not affect the measurement [No!]. Air is compressible and an air bubble will definitely affect the results.

Now the important question is - how much accuracy do we really need for these tanks? Is 0.1 off on pH an issue? In my tank probably not. I'm still working with easy corals. That said, I am sending water off to Triton, mostly out of curiousity but also out of an overabundance of caution.

Do we know what the "correct" value should be or are we looking for changes? Tracking changes requires repeatability but not accuracy. A clock that is off by 20 minutes will tell you how much time has passed but it will never tell you what time it is now.

Interesting topic. Interesting rant. Lots to think about.

 

[reeftank220master]

I'm a molecular biologist by training, The Husband is a chemist. The test kits I've used are not going to be incredibly accurate or repeatable for several different reasons.

1) color matching - will not be accurate by eye because individuals vary in their color perception and changes in lighting will make a difference. If you want to color match you need a spectrophotometer ($$$$).

2) volume control - a drop is not a valid measurement, I need a syringe or pipette.

3) other, such as: I have the Salifert test kit for Magnesium. It uses a syringe for volume [yes!] and the instructions tell you that having air in the syringe will not affect the measurement [No!]. Air is compressible and an air bubble will definitely affect the results.

Now the important question is - how much accuracy do we really need for these tanks? Is 0.1 off on pH an issue? In my tank probably not. I'm still working with easy corals. That said, I am sending water off to Triton, mostly out of curiousity but also out of an overabundance of caution.

Do we know what the "correct" value should be or are we looking for changes? Tracking changes requires repeatability but not accuracy. A clock that is off by 20 minutes will tell you how much time has passed but it will never tell you what time it is now.

Interesting topic. Interesting rant. Lots to think about.

I agree with everything you just wrote.For me I like using the Triton tests because after the second test I then can compare the findings and see what is improving or vise versa..

 

[Bacon505]

Hope this statement doesnt offend anyone but in my opinion with TRITON testing. I agree that they are the best and acurate due to the fact that they're a lab i believed. However i dont think its productive if you rely on their testing to monitor your par unless you have the money to have them test on a regular basis. Alk and cal depletion occurred continuously base on the amount of habitant you host in your tank. So if you have TRITON run your test let say once a month, it kina defeat the idea of consistency. its good to know your other trace element level but its a minor that can supplemented by carx or wc.

 

[reeftank220master]

Hope this statement doesnt offend anyone but in my opinion with TRITON testing. I agree that they are the best and acurate due to the fact that they're a lab i believed. However i dont think its productive if you rely on their testing to monitor your par unless you have the money to have them test on a regular basis. Alk and cal depletion occurred continuously base on the amount of habitant you host in your tank. So if you have TRITON run your test let say once a month, it kina defeat the idea of consistency. its good to know your other trace element level but its a minor that can supplemented by carx or wc.

I agree..

 

[Sharvey103]

With the different test kits and labs I just look for consistency. When my tank looks good i test with the different kits and note the readings. When it needs tweaking i note the tests and difference from when it looks good and keep good records so you can clearly see the trends and what your eyes are telling you.

 

[40B Knasty]

Hey guys. I did 2 videos on the ELOS Nitrate and Pro phosphate kit. 40B Knasty on YouTube. I show what comes in the box and how to use it. Very easy to use especially since one of the videos I had to do one handed.

 

[shred5]

Hope this statement doesnt offend anyone but in my opinion with TRITON testing. I agree that they are the best and acurate due to the fact that they're a lab i believed. However i dont think its productive if you rely on their testing to monitor your par unless you have the money to have them test on a regular basis. Alk and cal depletion occurred continuously base on the amount of habitant you host in your tank. So if you have TRITON run your test let say once a month, it kina defeat the idea of consistency. its good to know your other trace element level but its a minor that can supplemented by carx or wc.

I do not think most people are doing them to find out about calcium, alk and the main things we usually test for, they are using them mainly to spot test for the harder things to measure and make sure there is nothing like heavy metals. I know JBNY just did a Triton test and it alerted him to rusting piece of equipmen. He found the shaft in his Vortech mp-40 was rusting after investigating.

 

[shred5]

I'm a molecular biologist by training, The Husband is a chemist. The test kits I've used are not going to be incredibly accurate or repeatable for several different reasons.

1) color matching - will not be accurate by eye because individuals vary in their color perception and changes in lighting will make a difference. If you want to color match you need a spectrophotometer ($$$$).

2) volume control - a drop is not a valid measurement, I need a syringe or pipette.

3) other, such as: I have the Salifert test kit for Magnesium. It uses a syringe for volume [yes!] and the instructions tell you that having air in the syringe will not affect the measurement [No!]. Air is compressible and an air bubble will definitely affect the results.

Now the important question is - how much accuracy do we really need for these tanks? Is 0.1 off on pH an issue? In my tank probably not. I'm still working with easy corals. That said, I am sending water off to Triton, mostly out of curiousity but also out of an overabundance of caution.

Do we know what the "correct" value should be or are we looking for changes? Tracking changes requires repeatability but not accuracy. A clock that is off by 20 minutes will tell you how much time has passed but it will never tell you what time it is now.

Interesting topic. Interesting rant. Lots to think about.

This is exactly right.. Hobby grade kits are not very accurate especially with drops. Elos is one I have had the hardest time with because they always use bottles and count the drips.
People say they are looking for consistency but it is hard to tell with most hobby grade kits.

 

[Saltine]

All I test is Alk, mainly because I don't trust any of the other drops/powder readings. If my Alk is consistent, I don't bother checking the rest. I check my Alk with a Hanna Checker and do so in the same manner every time, I'm hoping it's accurate. Corals are doing well, so I take that as it's working .

Now when I switch to two part I'll have to check the others frequently until I get the doser dialed in.

Salt

 

[RyanCSGO]

anyone use the LaMotte kit for alk ?
just started using it.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Found my RedSea and Hanna Checker ALK tests to be pretty spot on with one another. That's a relief.

 

[shred5]

Found my RedSea and Hanna Checker ALK tests to be pretty spot on with one another. That's a relief.

Mine were too... Salifert was always a issue for me.

 

[Dylan Grech]

Is it ok if I rant a little?

How can test kits give such different results? I'm talking a 100ppm calcium difference and a 2.0 DKH difference.

I want my sps to do well but it stinks when all these test kits give such different results!!

Rant off...for now....

I had the same thing happening to me last night. JBL dkh test kit was telling me it was 8dkh for the past 3-4 weeks. However when my lfs checked the water with the hanna checker he got a result of 11.6dkh needless to say I was ticked and surprised no wonder my ph is constantly sitting at 8.5... So I bought a Salifert dkh kit and checked again. The salifert gave me 11.6dkh repeatedly and this is where I decided that as from next week I'm throwing away all my JBL tests and get Salifert/Hanna.

This also happened with Calcium and Magnesium... SO FRUSTRATING! Trying to diagnose a problem and a few months later realize that all your efforts where in vein because the test kit was inaccurate.

Rant Over.