Test Kit Recommendations

[starypotter]

Great question. Let me preface to say I am lazy... Hate testing, and anything else that takes away from me just staring at my tank..
I also keep an SPS dominant tank, and am very familiar with the trials and tribulations associated with SPS.
So... IMO, things like Nitrate are less important than things like Alk. Again, IMO, the Hanna is worth it for the ease and accuracy. All of the kits will give a value that can be used to make an informed decision as to the overall health of the tank. In how this relates to a softie tank, I stand by the Hanna. A much smarter person that me once said SPS= Stability Promotes Success. This is still absolutely true with LPS, softies, whatever.
I have found that regardless of the test kit being used, making the grand assumption that the kit is being used correctly, that consistency is key as to the results given.
As an example, if you were to get an"X" value on whatever kit, and the following week, got a similar result, then the "average" is more important than the actual number. Conversely, if your results were "X" plus 100, then something is definitely wrong, and steps need to be taken.

I also do not like testing. I have API right now, so testing nitrate means shaking the reagent and test tube for 2 minutes. And then I still have to worry if I shook it vigorously enough and retest shaking it even harder than before just to be sure because that result can't possibly be right is it??? I just have some inverts in there now, and I've seen that some people say as long as everything 'looks healthy' then you're good and if that's the case well all of my corals are growing, even my LPS but I just checked my alk the other day and it was around 6.5.

I don't have infinite money to buy all of the hanna testers now, I just set up my whole tank so I'm a bit low on funds, so in your opinion in which order would you get the Hanna testers? I was thinking to start with 1 Hanna and go with the other brands for the others, then as those run out get the Hanna testers for the others? Or would you say I should just bite the bullet now on the things that I really ought to have Hanna for?

 

[ndrwater]

I also do not like testing. I have API right now, so testing nitrate means shaking the reagent and test tube for 2 minutes. And then I still have to worry if I shook it vigorously enough and retest shaking it even harder than before just to be sure because that result can't possibly be right is it??? I just have some inverts in there now, and I've seen that some people say as long as everything 'looks healthy' then you're good and if that's the case well all of my corals are growing, even my LPS but I just checked my alk the other day and it was around 6.5.

I don't have infinite money to buy all of the hanna testers now, I just set up my whole tank so I'm a bit low on funds, so in your opinion in which order would you get the Hanna testers? I was thinking to start with 1 Hanna and go with the other brands for the others, then as those run out get the Hanna testers for the others? Or would you say I should just bite the bullet now on the things that I really ought to have Hanna for?

Unfortunately, this is an expensive hobby. I doubt if anyone would argue that point. As for where I would spend my money right off the bat knowing I had just spent a boatload getting started, would probably be either the RedSea or Salifert master kits. Honestly, with a new tank, Titration is perfectly acceptable even for things like Alk. A new tank will have things bouncing all over the place anyway.
Now if it had been a couple months, and I was now looking at my "forever" test kits, I would go with the Phosphate. Sounds counter intuitive, but Phosphate is a direct contributor to nusance algae, one of the common reasons people quit the hobby early.
By being able to get a handle on Phosphate early, potential pitfalls can be avoided.
I would then follow that up with an ALK tester. Consistant Alk, is one other the next things that newbie reefers struggle with. Having an accurate tester allows for correct dosing to maintain a stable Alkalinity level

 

[CODE3EMT]

Ugh.... sounds like a pee pee contest going on.... to the OP, I’ve never used Hanna so I cannot speak nor will I speak about it. Now back to your question, I have used Salifert and Red Sea. I find Salifert to be a good sound test platform for all test and pretty affordable. I recently used Red Sea and found their test kits to be very nice compared to Salifert. Red Sea colors are also spot on. My only gripe with Red Sea, is I swear the post man opens up all the test kits and then repackages them before delivery. Either way, you can’t go wrong with either Red Sea or Salifert. I would not trust API..... and Hanna is just a bit pricey for me personally. Good luck in your choice. Post your parameters and how you like the test kits when you decide.

 

[starypotter]

Unfortunately, this is an expensive hobby. I doubt if anyone would argue that point. As for where I would spend my money right off the bat knowing I had just spent a boatload getting started, would probably be either the RedSea or Salifert master kits. Honestly, with a new tank, Titration is perfectly acceptable even for things like Alk. A new tank will have things bouncing all over the place anyway.
Now if it had been a couple months, and I was now looking at my "forever" test kits, I would go with the Phosphate. Sounds counter intuitive, but Phosphate is a direct contributor to nusance algae, one of the common reasons people quit the hobby early.
By being able to get a handle on Phosphate early, potential pitfalls can be avoided.
I would then follow that up with an ALK tester. Consistant Alk, is one other the next things that newbie reefers struggle with. Having an accurate tester allows for correct dosing to maintain a stable Alkalinity level

Oh I know it'll be $$$$ I'm just wondering if it's something I can reasonably put off within reason. I'm not trying to cheap out or anything, I was just curious at what point in the game the high level tests are, and at what level I could get away with saving a little in the short term since each test from the other brands does cost less than a test from one of the other brands. The tank has been running in some way since May, I upgraded about a month and a half ago, then some of the rock and sand is 8+ years old that I got from a local reefer so I'm never quite sure what to answer when asked how old my system is.

 

[ndrwater]

As many have stated, Red Sea or Salifert.
There is no real answer as to when it's time to "drop the big bucks" on one kit or another, but for me at least, knowing what money I had spent on tank inhabitants, far outweighed the price of a tester.
If I had the ability to go back and do it over, I would have done what I suggested in post #22. Trust me when I say I have made just about all the mistakes a new reefers can make. The money lost is small compared to the heartbreak of losing a fish or coral that we just spent probably more money than we should have to a simple mistake.
By asking questions here or elsewhere, we hope to get answers that can help long term. I know that I personally try to be helpful to any and all new reefers in their decision making. Fortunately, there are many others who feel the same way.

 

[starypotter]

As many have stated, Red Sea or Salifert.
There is no real answer as to when it's time to "drop the big bucks" on one kit or another, but for me at least, knowing what money I had spent on tank inhabitants, far outweighed the price of a tester.
If I had the ability to go back and do it over, I would have done what I suggested in post #22. Trust me when I say I have made just about all the mistakes a new reefers can make. The money lost is small compared to the heartbreak of losing a fish or coral that we just spent probably more money than we should have to a simple mistake.
By asking questions here or elsewhere, we hope to get answers that can help long term. I know that I personally try to be helpful to any and all new reefers in their decision making. Fortunately, there are many others who feel the same way.

I really appreciate the advice, I'm checking out the different testers now. You're right, I always like to forget the day I dropped $400 at LFS and it's only part of my stocking. That's something I always forget to keep in mind so it's good to have the reminder, a test kit isn't much compared to the lives (and money spent) of my fish and corals.

 

[Oshengems]

I used Elos for Kh And Ca, Salifert for Mg, Potassium and Nitrates, Hanna for Phosphate, Red Sea for Iodine and Iron

 

[starypotter]

I notice that most people aren't listing off PH test kits, is that because you're all using probes or is it something not to be as concerned about? I've heard not to chase numbers and that if everything else is in line then it should fall into line too.

 

[ndrwater]

I notice that most people aren't listing off PH test kits, is that because you're all using probes or is it something not to be as concerned about? I've heard not to chase numbers and that if everything else is in line then it should fall into line too.

That pretty much nails it. But for comparison sake, PH is really easy to do and doesn't require any if the more expensive kits

 

[Rakie]

Salifert for everything, except Hanna for Phosphate/Phosphorus.

People are too lazy for me to recommend hanna. You gotta clean the hell out of it religiously, or it'll be drastically off in terms of readings. You gotta clean it inside and out with RODI water, and a smudged finger print can mess up the readings. I had a friend who kept getting bad readings, turned out he didn't believe me when I said he had to clean it.

Skip ALL that bs that you probably won't do anyways. Get salifert. Rinse with tap water after use. Rinse with tank water before use. fool proof.

 

[Oshengems]

I notice that most people aren't listing off PH test kits, is that because you're all using probes or is it something not to be as concerned about? I've heard not to chase numbers and that if everything else is in line then it should fall into line too.

PH is very important I feel and probes make it easy, I have an Apex to monitor my PH been also considering a salinity probe as well, had a bad experience with a hydrometer

 

[DivingTheWorld]

I've tried pretty much all of the various test kits over the years and this is what I've ended up trusting the most:

I use Hanna for Alk and Phosphate (ULR736). I test Alk daily, so Hanna is the only way to go for me. I use Salifert for Calcium and Magnesium. I use NYOS for Nitrate. I rarely test pH (use an Apex probe), but when I do, I use a Red Sea Marine Care kit. I also occasionally use this kit to test Ammonia and Nitrite as well as a backup Nitrate test. For Temp & Salinity, I also use Apex probes. When I do double checks of my salinity, the only tester I trust is the Tropic Marin High Precision Hydrometer.

 

[starypotter]

So in terms of phosphate/phosphorous for a Hanna... I've seen to go with the UL Phosphorous over the phosphate but some of the threads are a bit old. What's the modern take?

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Yeah the only way it's worth it is if you pay $5 a test. People find what's easiest and stick to it.

here is an idea.. if you don't know what the heck you are talking about then don't give your opinion.

a alk refill is $9 for 25 tests. sooo that is 36 cents a test. so yeah.. real close to $5 a test.

anyways.. whatever.

the beauty of the hanna alk checker is its ease. put water in, press button, inject solution, press button. it literally takes like 1 minute and there is no margin for error like there is titration.

I used red sea titration and loved it, then they changed the solution color and it was next to impossible to read correctly. is that pink... purple..pinkish purple.

for an sps tank, I would almost say the hannah is a requirement unless you are retired or live alone or something.

 

[OMGitsManBearPig]

https://www.amazon.com/Hanna-Instru...qid=1537140219&sr=8-1&keywords=hannah+reagent

thanks for your mediocre opinion though.

There’s no room in this forum for that kind of bs. Jeez dude chill out. It’s a test kit...

EDIT: got ticked and didn’t keep reading before replying. I’ve read on. Thanks for the civility.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

So in terms of phosphate/phosphorous for a Hanna... I've seen to go with the UL Phosphorous over the phosphate but some of the threads are a bit old. What's the modern take?

From personal experience, I couldn’t get a reading on the Phosphate checker under 0.03. With the Phosphorous checker I can get readings under 0.01. There is of course a margin of error, but I’ve done back to back tests and found results vary by no more than 1 ppb.

So for an sps tank where you want to test for ULR, I only trust the HI736.

 

[HolisticBear]

I haven't seen the NYOS mentioned for NO3, it's a nice test kit. The Red Sea Pro NO3 is clearly superior and has the ability to get accurate measurements < 2ppm.

But if you just want to know if it's 3ppm, 8ppm, 15ppm, then you might be happier with the NYOS. It's faster and easier to use. It's my recommendation for people trying trying to keep it around 10, if you aiming for < 4, Red Sea wins.

 

[starypotter]

@merguevo

 

[ChrisW]

When should copper start to be monitored? Tank is only about 6 months old w 5 fish and 5 small frags in a 100gal

 

[ndrwater]

Copper should be monitored if you are using as a treatment to maintain therapeutic levels.
Unless you have added copper to a system there is very little reason to test for it.