What test kit do you guys use?
- Thread starter ILikeFish!
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trevorhiller
Reefing Nurse
i have red sea for calcium and salifert magnesium and potassium kits. I like the salifert kits. I don't think you can go wrong with Salifert for any of them from what I've read. I use the Hanna testers though, these are all backup kits.
If you're into non-digital testing, pickup an auto aqua smart stirrer. It'll make life so much better.
If you're into non-digital testing, pickup an auto aqua smart stirrer. It'll make life so much better.
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ScionFRSguy
Active Member
I use Salifert for Alk, Cal, and Magnesium. I use API for nitrate and phos.
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ScionFRSguy
Active Member
I hear the Hanna's test kit is not accurate for Alk and Cal. Just a heads up.
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Katherine Corals
Active Member
No one else uses the Exact iDip?? I use this test kit, and Salifert for Alkalinity
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DanyL
Valuable Member
Salifert is fairly consistent and easy to use, been using it forever at this point.
Red Sea are good as well, but their calculation is somewhat cumbersome to my taste.
Many recommend Aqua Forest as well as Tropic Marine, but I never tried them before.
I did switch to using Hanna Phosphate ULR in the last year or so, regular tests for PO4 are just too vague and have low resolution compared to colorimeters, although I was still able to manage without one for quite a long time.
I also installed GHL KH Director recently, it doesn't replace my weekly tests of kh with Salifert though, it's just there to alert me if an emergency test needs to be done and any decisions I made will be based on it rather than the automated result.
Red Sea are good as well, but their calculation is somewhat cumbersome to my taste.
Many recommend Aqua Forest as well as Tropic Marine, but I never tried them before.
I did switch to using Hanna Phosphate ULR in the last year or so, regular tests for PO4 are just too vague and have low resolution compared to colorimeters, although I was still able to manage without one for quite a long time.
I also installed GHL KH Director recently, it doesn't replace my weekly tests of kh with Salifert though, it's just there to alert me if an emergency test needs to be done and any decisions I made will be based on it rather than the automated result.
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ILikeFish!
Active Member
Why does salifert have such bad reviews everywhere if everyone uses it?
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The exact Idip was hammered mercilessly in the forum and quit responding to all threads. misreads were a big issue for them
not responding was easier than directly discussing misreads while trying to maintain sales status/retention of current units I'm guessing.
not responding was easier than directly discussing misreads while trying to maintain sales status/retention of current units I'm guessing.
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DanyL
Valuable Member
tbh I never stumbled upon any bad reviews about them, I never looked for them either though.
But I've been using their test kits for 15 years, and sure, they had a few problems here and there - mostly wrong localized instructions in Hebrew that I recall (and it was probably more upon the importer than the company itself) - but others had their fair share of problems too at that time period, probably even more than Salifert had.
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dzeleski
Community Member
100%. Hanna should improve some of their instructions but most people are not even following the ones included already.
I exclusively use Hanna testers for everything, Alk, Cal, Mag, Phos, Nitrate and Salinity. Not having to be the judge of a shade of pink or when a color changes from purple to slightly less purple is the reason why I like them. If you work as sterile as possible and do the same steps consistently they work perfectly. In fact generally I find them more accurate and consistent then some of the other test kits ive tested them against using the left over trident calibration fluid. I have had an occasional issue with the Alk regent but a quick call to Hanna had that issue resolved.
There was a poll a while back where a massive number of folks were using a syringe incorrectly and pulling liquid not to the rubber stopper but to the fluid level.... How many people complain about "bad" test kits when they are just making mistakes during the test procedure.
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PatW
2500 Club Member
For just about the cheapest quality test for most parameters, that would be Salifert.
Red Sea Pro makes good tests also. I have tried most of these, but the Mg test drives me nuts.
The Hanna ULR phosphate and ULR phosphorous tests are the only tests sensitive enough to be useful for phosphates. The Hanna HR nitrate tests has high reviews as does their ALK test.
Here is what I use:
Nitrate - Red Sea Pro but Salifert is good too.
Phosphates - Hanna ULR phosphate (my ULR phosphorous tester dies after long use and a replacement was not available).
ALK - I use Red Sea Pro, Salifert, and Hanna. They all seem to have the same variance.
Mg - Salifert
Ca - Red Sea Pro.
Red Sea Pro makes good tests also. I have tried most of these, but the Mg test drives me nuts.
The Hanna ULR phosphate and ULR phosphorous tests are the only tests sensitive enough to be useful for phosphates. The Hanna HR nitrate tests has high reviews as does their ALK test.
Here is what I use:
Nitrate - Red Sea Pro but Salifert is good too.
Phosphates - Hanna ULR phosphate (my ULR phosphorous tester dies after long use and a replacement was not available).
ALK - I use Red Sea Pro, Salifert, and Hanna. They all seem to have the same variance.
Mg - Salifert
Ca - Red Sea Pro.
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