I have owned a number of reef tanks since 1986 and currently maintain a 125 gallon mixed reef system. When I first got involved in this hobby there did not seem to be much in the way of test kits available to the average reefer. I remember test kits for ph, hydrometers for salinity and maybe kits for water hardness. Can anyone (Randy) tell me when the more advanced (Ca, Mg, P04 etc) test kits began to arrive in the hobby? Maybe they were available in the mid to late 80's, but I just don't recall seeing them. The reason I ask is, on another forum, the question came up regarding when we were able to keep SPS coral in our aquariums. I feel that the technology available to us at that time (mid eighties) was just not sufficient enough to maintain SPS corals very long. And, I feel that the available testing equipment played a part in this inability to maintain these corals. I would like to hear other opinions on the matter.

