Red Sea Magnesium test kit

[Myka]

So the Red Sea Magnesium test kit (is annoying and) tells you to do the following (not directly off the instructions):

- 2 mL tank water

- 1 drop Reagent A (clear liquid)
- Swirl for 15 secs
- REPEAT 5 TIMES

- 5 drops Reagent B (pink/purple liquid)
- Swirl for 60 seconds

- Use 1 mL syringe to add Reagent C until color changes from pink to blue

TEST 1 RESULT: 1280 ppm (used 0.64 mL Reagent C)

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What's up with the split swirling for Reagent A and the super long swirl for Reagent B that other test kits don't have? Dang that's annoying.

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I decided to experiment today and did the testing as above, then did it this way:

- 2 mL tank water
- 5 drops Reagent A
- Swirl for 75 seconds (15x5)
- 5 drops Reagent B
- Swirl 60 seconds
- Use 1 mL syringe to add Reagent C until color changes from pink to blue

TEST 2 RESULT: 1280 ppm (used 0.64 mL Reagent C)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then I did it this way:

- 2 mL tank water
- 5 drops Reagent A
- Swirl for 15 seconds
- 5 drops Reagent B
- Swirl 15 seconds
- Use 1 mL syringe to add Reagent C until color changes from pink to blue

TEST 3 RESULT: 1340 ppm (used 0.67 mL Reagent C)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then I did it this way (to mimic Salifert's instructions):

- 2 mL tank water
- 5 drops Reagent A
- Swirl for 60 seconds
- 5 drops Reagent B
- Swirl 15 seconds
- Use 1 mL syringe to add Reagent C until color changes from pink to blue

TEST 4 RESULT: 1300 ppm (used 0.65 mL Reagent C)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keeping in mind that I only did each test once, test 4 results are only 0.01 mL different than Test 1 and Test 2 which leads me to believe that possibly all three of these testing variations will work accurately. Test 3 result is significantly different, and probably not a good option.

Sooo... with other brands of test kits, swirling the clear Reagent A for about 60 seconds is pretty typical. Splitting the swirling between drops of Reagent A is annoying and maybe not necessary. Is there some situations in tanks where there may be a stronger bond that needs to be broken?

I'm going to test this further in future testings and see if I have repeatable results.

 

[Sabellafella]

So the Red Sea Magnesium test kit (is annoying and) tells you to do the following (not directly off the instructions):

- 2 mL tank water

- 1 drop Reagent A (clear liquid)
- Swirl for 15 secs
- REPEAT 5 TIMES

- 5 drops Reagent B (pink/purple liquid)
- Swirl for 60 seconds

- Use 1 mL syringe to add Reagent C until color changes from pink to blue

TEST 1 RESULT: 1280 ppm (used 0.64 mL Reagent C)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What's up with the split swirling for Reagent A and the super long swirl for Reagent B that other test kits don't have? Dang that's annoying.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I decided to experiment today and did the testing as above, then did it this way:

- 2 mL tank water
- 5 drops Reagent A
- Swirl for 75 seconds (15x5)
- 5 drops Reagent B
- Swirl 60 seconds
- Use 1 mL syringe to add Reagent C until color changes from pink to blue

TEST 2 RESULT: 1280 ppm (used 0.64 mL Reagent C)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then I did it this way:

- 2 mL tank water
- 5 drops Reagent A
- Swirl for 15 seconds
- 5 drops Reagent B
- Swirl 15 seconds
- Use 1 mL syringe to add Reagent C until color changes from pink to blue

TEST 3 RESULT: 1340 ppm (used 0.67 mL Reagent C)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then I did it this way (to mimic Salifert's instructions):

- 2 mL tank water
- 5 drops Reagent A
- Swirl for 60 seconds
- 5 drops Reagent B
- Swirl 15 seconds
- Use 1 mL syringe to add Reagent C until color changes from pink to blue

TEST 4 RESULT: 1300 ppm (used 0.65 mL Reagent C)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keeping in mind that I only did each test once, test 4 results are only 0.01 mL different than Test 1 and Test 2 which leads me to believe that possibly all three of these testing variations will work accurately. Test 3 result is significantly different, and probably not a good option.

Sooo... with other brands of test kits, swirling the clear Reagent A for about 60 seconds is pretty typical. Splitting the swirling between drops of Reagent A is annoying and maybe not necessary. Is there some situations in tanks where there may be a stronger bond that needs to be broken?

I'm going to test this further in future testings and see if I have repeatable results.

Haha trust me i hate it also, but its ment to totally disolve the reagent between drops for max accuracy but i think we all cheated one way or another

 

[PatW]

The reagent is already dissolved. It is in a liquid and the solvent pretty much has to be water. So the only reason to swirl it would seem to be to insure mixing.

On the other hand, the reagent is being added to saltwater. The reagent might react to something in the seawater to form a precipitate if it is too concentrated like at the interface of the reagent - saltwater boundary. The notion of mixing after each drop might be to minimize that chance.

But the results shown by the op strongly suggests that as long as the reagent is throughly mixed, the test results are pretty much the same.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I would just caution that a lot of people have problems with this kit when they do not follow the directions exactly (and some still seem to have reproducibility problems) so I wouldn't suggest that folks try to simplify the directions.

I also doubt they intentionally make it more complicated than necessary.

 

[AdamNC]

Yes it's annoying but this is how the manufacturer intended the test to be carried out. If something were to go wrong in the tank you really can't blame the tests for inaccuracy.

 

[TD13]

 

[jsker]

here is the Red Sea Video I always make sure I do my testing around happy hour

 

[bknapp]

I read somewhere (how true or accurate this is is unknown to me) but the delay between each drop of reagent is to help remove the calcium from the source water.

(If this is even possible I don't know.)

 

[Myka]

I would just caution that a lot of people have problems with this kit when they do not follow the directions exactly (and some still seem to have reproducibility problems) so I wouldn't suggest that folks try to simplify the directions.

I also doubt they intentionally make it more complicated than necessary.

I've heard the reproducibility issues, but I haven't had this trouble at all. I'm not sure what people are doing (or not doing) to have this issue. It's just such an annoying test kit that I wish I would have just stuck with the Salifert Magnesium kit. It also leaves me wondering exactly what is going on in this test kit which presumably requires the thorough mixing. My attention wanders during this split mixing of the 5 drops of Reagent A, and more often than I'd like to admit I end up having to restart because I forget which drop I'm on. What is this kit doing that others aren't? I can tell you that the Red Sea Magnesium kit leaves quite the white film on the test glass which I have been wiping away between tests which is also annoying because of the small opening I can't get in there very easily. Maybe this white film is calcium precipitation as an above poster heard. Oh, and why do they give you a 5 mL syringe to measure 2 mL of test water? I use my own 2 mL syringe for more accuracy. Oh, and the silly gadget that holds the 1 mL syringe...really? Then on top of all that the chart is backwards...you have to do the math between how much titrant you used by how much is left. Why not make the chart like Salifert's which is based on, "How much is left in the syringe?" Sooo much easier.

I'm a glass half full person though, so I was quite happy to go along with the thought process of, "More steps makes it more accurate, and that is good." But alas, I am fooled because I get the exact same reading on the Salifert kit! So yeah, I like nothing about the Red Sea Magnesium kit.

The Red Sea Nitrate kit is also seemingly more complicated (and 3x longer color development time), but in my experience it is worth the extra effort and has taken over as my nitrate kit of choice. Using a Sodium nitrate solution, my calculations (and test kit use) suggest the Red Sea is more accurate than Salifert at least with my eyes reading the color match charts.

 

[jsker]

I kind of what test you like, both test are good test kits. Until the day comes along that all you have to do is stick and probe in the water to get all of our readings, we are now stuck being mad scientist