Reef Chemistry test kit?

[Nanorock1970]

I am currently using API Saltwater Master test kit for about a year...It feels frustrating when I test then take a sample to my LFS and have them test. My tests always seem higher than what they get and I feel more confident with their test then mine. I have primarily a FOWLR and one small zoa colony at the moment but I want to start dipping my toe into the next level and I would like to know what brand of test kit would be more accurate but not quite to the point of the electronic ones.

 

[Dan_P]

Which chemical species do you wish to measure more accurately? For a fish only system, do you really need higher accuracy? Is it a peace of mind thing? I ask because of the increased cost and the impulse to test less..

 

[Nanorock1970]

Which chemical species do you wish to measure more accurately? For a fish only system, do you really need higher accuracy? Is it a peace of mind thing? I ask because of the increased cost and the impulse to test less..

So I feel my Nitrates are the biggest thing for me. My API version does not appear to be very accurate, or as accurate as the LFS test kit...I am not sure which one that they use red sea.
I currently have a high nitrate situation that killed off a lot of my snails, my emerald crab, a peppermint shrimp and a chalk bass and I have a 56 gal tank that I have been changing out about 10 gal a week since I realized that was potentially the cause of the die off. ( I slacked off on testing and water changes). I tried to scoop out as many empty shells as I could find around my rock work hoping to reduce the bio load. The past 2 weeks I have been changing out 10gal 2x a week. Monday I added a bag of purigen to my filter and added in a Chem pure elite to it today. I also changed my regular chem pure last week as I was at my 3 month mark to change it out.
I feel like even with all this water changes and adding in media that I am not seeing a decline in Nitrates and I know that last time that I had high nitrates at about the 3 month mark of my build, my LFS was showing a decrease before I could see it with the API kit.
So,,,,I am looking for something better then API to test my nitrates and potentially change all my test stuff to that brand. I do plan on kicking my tank up a notch with some coral soon.

 

[Dan_P]

So I feel my Nitrates are the biggest thing for me. My API version does not appear to be very accurate, or as accurate as the LFS test kit...I am not sure which one that they use red sea.
I currently have a high nitrate situation that killed off a lot of my snails, my emerald crab, a peppermint shrimp and a chalk bass and I have a 56 gal tank that I have been changing out about 10 gal a week since I realized that was potentially the cause of the die off. ( I slacked off on testing and water changes). I tried to scoop out as many empty shells as I could find around my rock work hoping to reduce the bio load. The past 2 weeks I have been changing out 10gal 2x a week. Monday I added a bag of purigen to my filter and added in a Chem pure elite to it today. I also changed my regular chem pure last week as I was at my 3 month mark to change it out.
I feel like even with all this water changes and adding in media that I am not seeing a decline in Nitrates and I know that last time that I had high nitrates at about the 3 month mark of my build, my LFS was showing a decrease before I could see it with the API kit.
So,,,,I am looking for something better then API to test my nitrates and potentially change all my test stuff to that brand. I do plan on kicking my tank up a notch with some coral soon.

I follow you. Salifert and Red Sea sell kits that will give you higher sensitivity. As for improved accuracy, I would say “possibly“ because once the test color becomes intense at higher nitrate levels, judging color matches to the chart becomes difficult. If you need to dilute the sample to get the nitrate level into the testing range, you are potentially dealing with dilution errors. With care, these two kits will give you test results closer to your LFS.