Red Sea Test Kit

bumperbeetle · Jul 3, 2015

Hi All! So after reading many different threads I decided to upgrade from the api kit to the red sea test kit. I dont have any coral in my tank, but do have some button zoas. My zoas arent looking too hot and I read they do best in higher alkalinity so decided to test. I admit this was my first time testing my KH. So here is my problem..as I understood the instructions, one drop of the titrant should have brought my 5ml sample to the "start" color. It barely changed my water color. I actually had to add five drops. Now Im not quite sure how to read my results. Any assistance would be much appreciated, but Im going to assume right off the bat that my KH level must be off. Question is....is it too high or too low??

redfishbluefish · Jul 3, 2015

Are you sure this is a Red Sea Alkalinity test kit? My Red Sea test kit requires 10 mls of tank water and then a colorimetric titration until it goes from blue to a redish color.

HERE's a video that shows the use of Red Sea Alkalinity.

bumperbeetle · Jul 4, 2015

Here is a pic of the kit.

Mine is supposed to go from blue to green. Here is a shot of the instructions for this particular test

redfishbluefish · Jul 4, 2015

@bumperbeetle, most interesting. I have the Red Sea Pro test kit and it calls for 10 mls where the color changes from blue to red. Are you telling me Red Sea has two different kits for testing Alkalinity? Most interesting. Wonder if anyone could shed some light on this? Just wondering why?

bumperbeetle · Jul 4, 2015

redfishbluefish said:
@bumperbeetle, most interesting. I have the Red Sea Pro test kit and it calls for 10 mls where the color changes from blue to red. Are you telling me Red Sea has two different kits for testing Alkalinity? Most interesting. Wonder if anyone could shed some light on this? Just wondering why?

I would appreciate it as well. Anyone out there have any input?

Electrobes · Jul 4, 2015

I almost said the exact same as redfiahbluefish, weird that the non-pro version is that different. . maybe for higher accuracy?

I don't know what to say with the non-pro version as I've never tried it, sorry.

redfishbluefish · Jul 4, 2015

It appear to be a level of accuracy thing. The pro kit measures to an accuracy of 0.05 meq/l (0.14 dKH), while the "regular" measures to an accuracy of 0.36 meq/l (1 dkH). Here's the two descriptions from Red Sea

Red Sea Alkalinity

Red Sea Pro Alkalinity

Interestingly the "regular" kit comes with this instruction, "The Red Sea’s KH-Alkalinity test kit enables accurate dosing of Red Sea’s KH Coralline Gro or Reef Foundation B Buffer Supplements in fish-only systems." I read this as if you have a reef tank, use the Pro kit to measure and adjust alkalinity....."regular" kit for FO or FOWLR.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jul 4, 2015

I've not used any Red Sea kits, but in any ordinary alk titration I'd go all the way to the endpoint and count all drops, even those before the "start".

If you do that, what alk do you get?

Robink · Jul 4, 2015

I have both kits, it also barely changes color with the first drop. Very close to pro kit results. the water will turn bluer after each drop when it turns green thats your alk reading. I just get to 8 drops with regular test kit, last time I checked with pro it was 7.8

Carmen · Jul 4, 2015

Randy, what test kits do you use?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jul 4, 2015

I don't measure things much any more because I know my procedures work for my system without testing anything except salinity and temp. I also monitor pH.

A Triton test recently confirmed that potassium, magnesium and calcium were as expected.

When I've measured alk in the past 10 years, it's been with a DIY titration:

https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/a-diy-alkalinity-test-by-randy-holmes-farley/

bumperbeetle · Jul 4, 2015

Robink said:
I have both kits, it also barely changes color with the first drop. Very close to pro kit results. the water will turn bluer after each drop when it turns green thats your alk reading. I just get to 8 drops with regular test kit, last time I checked with pro it was 7.8

I got to the "start" color after 6 drops. By the time I got to the green end color I was at 16 drops which is off the chart....

Robink · Jul 4, 2015

Have you LFS test for you.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jul 4, 2015

bumperbeetle said:
I got to the "start" color after 6 drops. By the time I got to the green end color I was at 16 drops which is off the chart....

How high is the top of the chart?

bumperbeetle · Jul 5, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
How high is the top of the chart?

The chart only goes up to 14 drops.

Carmen · Jul 5, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
I don't measure things much any more because I know my procedures work for my system without testing anything except salinity and temp. I also monitor pH.

A Triton test recently confirmed that potassium, magnesium and calcium were as expected.

When I've measured alk in the past 10 years, it's been with a DIY titration:

https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/a-diy-alkalinity-test-by-randy-holmes-farley/

Okay. That looks hard to a person who went through high school, and basically 2 years of college with no chemistry, or biology. Blame the California public school system of the 60s. HA! I just ordered Hannah Checkers for Alka, calcium and phosphates. I will need to find a good way to do mag and nitrate. I still need to check things because I'm still too new and learning things--sometimes the hard way.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jul 5, 2015

bumperbeetle said:
The chart only goes up to 14 drops.

My question is what is the highest dKH the chart reads so I can assess whether a reading above that is reasonably possible, or incredibly unlikely.

Also, the chart is linear. If 10 drops = x dKH then 20 drops = 2x dKH.

bumperbeetle · Jul 5, 2015

Ok...
Here is a pic of the test kit box, instruction page for KH test, and front/back of index card...

Here is what my 5ml sample looks after one drop...significantly lighter than the start color..

It takes me 4 drops to get to the start color.

And then another 10 drops to get to the end color of green.

With having to add additional drops in the beginning to reach start color, and reaching the 14 drop max on the card because of this, how should I read this?? My LFS is closed for the holiday wknd, but if you can help me make sense of this that would be much appreciated!