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Test Kit Review


Timfish

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These are links to several test kit reviews members have posted over the years, Robb in Austin posted the one for DFWMAS and I forget who posted the others (Sorry!). Questions about the reliability of kits and brands are always coming up and I thought I'd repost the links. There is also a post to Dr. Tim's youtube video on general testing procedures and some explanation why erronious readings are obtained.

http://dfwmas.org/files/TestKitAnalysis.pdf

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/6/chemistry

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/8/review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPiDRid_Km8

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only bummer about those reviews is that none of them use the Hanna HCs in their reviews. A huge source of deviation in sample results is simply user perception when it comes to reading colors!

When you step back and think about it, designing tests for non-chemists to get reasonably accurate results is a very challenging task.

I'd be interested in a test where a prepared sample of known values is subjected to a test similar to http://dfwmas.org/files/TestKitAnalysis.pdf. And then as a check for that, send the water to an actual analytical lab, not AWT.com. If you tried to use an ISE to analyze for calcium in a professional lab you'd get some raised eyebrows.

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I have Elos and Seachem for phosphate and have also used Salifert. API for pH, Alk and Calcium. I also use API for nitrate but be aware there are two different reagents used for testing, nitrate-nitrogen, NO3-N (brown colormetric chart) and nitrate ion, "total nitrate" (red colormetric chart) and the nitrate-nitrogen test needs to be multiplied times 4.4 to equal the nitrate ion test.

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. . . A huge source of deviation in sample results is simply user perception when it comes to reading colors!

When you step back and think about it, designing tests for non-chemists to get reasonably accurate results is a very challenging task . . .

Yes but for the most part this deviation is not large, quoting Fatheree "I personally find a variance of only 0.25meq/l to be very good for an easily affordable hobbyist test kit" And it seems for the most part the manufacturers do provide test kits that give reasonably accurate results.

. . .If you tried to use an ISE to analyze for calcium in a professional lab you'd get some raised eyebrows . . .

A couple of years ago when I delivered a coral to Texas State Aquarium I got a tour of their facilities and was amused to see that along side a very nice spectrographic tester with reagents for a dozen or more water parameters they had API as backups

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I use API. I was rather disappointed when I found out the "salt water" test kit was the same as my "freshwater" test kit with a different color card. I wish I would have just looked for the new card. Also, the FW, SW, and reef kits all have nitrate tests. So, now I have a lifetime supply of nitrate tests.

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I use the Red Sea Pro foundation kit for Alk, Ca, and Mg. I think if you have good lighting, and a good batch of reagents they're quite reliable. The only one that has some guess work involved is the Alk tester. But I think I've got it down. As long as its interpreted the same every time and you're within range, any margin of error will be acceptable in the presence of stability.

I've used API for nitrate and ph, but those are parameters I rarely check and will just borrow a test to check them. Never tested phosphate.

Timfish, is the API nitrate test kit one you need to multiply by 4.4? What about the Red Sea pro nitrate kit?

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Red Sea Pro for Fouindation + Nitrate + PO4

I find them as reliable as Salifert but less expensive to run. The Alk may have a little difficult of a color change to identify as it does tend to go thru a phased change instead of a true color flash like the Ca & Mg, but i have found that when you notice a slight change that 2 drops more will usually finish the color change. As Bpb says it is consistancy that matterts w/ this test. The NO3 & PO4 color wheels are easy to operate and match colors, but be sure to shake the heck out of reagent 1 on the NO3 to get a good result.

NEON REEFER crab.gif

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. . . I've used API for nitrate and ph, but those are parameters I rarely check and will just borrow a test to check them. Never tested phosphate.

Timfish, is the API nitrate test kit one you need to multiply by 4.4? What about the Red Sea pro nitrate kit?

The API is using the yellow to red colormetric chart (reagent) so it is testing nitrate ion or "total Nitrate". If you are comparing to a kit like Seatest that is using the brown colormetric chart or testing nitrate-nitrogen you would divide by 4.4. or to convert the nitrate-nitrogen to nitrate ion x 4.4.

I bought a nitrate test kit two years ago when I noticed my reagents for my old kit had expired in like 2004 or 2005 so that tells you how often I test for it. PH, Alk and Calcium are the three I really stress and even though I don't test for them very often in some of my tanks they are the ones I will tell people they need to test for frequently. I seen have reduced coral extension and growth associated with long term downward trends even though the readings were technically quite acceptable and not borderline. I view long term downward trends with those three as advance warning problems may be developing.

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I test alk. Ca, and Mg weekly. Every Tuesday mornin like clockwork. Have been doing that for 6 months now. Pretty much 99% of my testing and tank husbandry is aimed at maintaining stable calcium and alkalinity. 430 ppm and 8.0-8.5 area dkh is my target I'm always shooting for. Tested my ph once and it came out at 8.0 I believe.

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