Need advice on test kits!!! finally going to start testing my own!!!

Hey everybody, i am FINALLY going to start testing my own water as it is a must with sps's, i have been redoing my tank. Got rid of every coral and the LR is sitting in RO as i type, had some fairly bad pests get out of control. Bad luck turned out to be good fortune b/c i took out my sand bed as it was leaching some nasty things that started a few blooms... so i guess you could say im going bare-bottom! SOO anyways the reason for the post is, what is everyones trusted brand to test their water chemistry?? i would like to here everyones opinion as to maby some pros, cons, and how long their tests generally last them/accuracy of the tests. EVERYBODY should chime in please, i need the best of the best test kits!!!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

 

I forgot to say that i live in Wisconsin, and its pretty darn cold here, are there any risks with the test kits in freezing weather??? will the cold affect them in any way? b/c they will obviously be shipped, and might be sitting out for a bit.

 

I trust Elos mainly and have some Salifert kits also. Elos is a lab grade test kit and the price reflects it. Be ready to shell out about $25 on average for each kit. My personal preferences so far are:
Elos for:
Nitrate
PH
Phosphate
Salifert for:
Calcium
MG
KH
Ammonia
Nitrite

And a high quality refractometer is a must for SG. This is the one I have. It has automatic temperature compensation and is super easy to calibrate.

Sorry if I forgot anything. These are just my personal preferences from using both kits, I like to use the highest quality kits that are the most user friendly. Most won't argue Salifert and Elos are very high quality. Glad to hear you are going to start taking your water chemistry more seriously. Good luck!!

 

Go with Salifert for nitrate. Gives you both high and low range test capability. High range by looking through the top of the vile and low range by looking through the side. Here is an example:Paul's Reef: Reducing Nitrates
The other thing that is nice about this kit is that it is easy to resolve between the different colors. In the API nitrate kit the two lowest colors look identical to me. Not sure if you really need to worry about freezing but the Salifert nitrate kit uses two powders, not liquids.

As far as other test kits I use API for calcium, and Seachem for pH and Alkalinity (same kit). This kit works out well. I don't test ammonia anymore but I have used the API kit without issues.

 

thanks guys! anyone know if cold weather will affect the kits???

 

I don't think the cold weather will affect the kits as long as the liquid doesn't freeze. Salifert and Elos are to two best brands IMO. In addition to NH4, NO2, N03, pH, Ca, dKh, Mg and PO4 mentioned above. I would get test kits for K and Sr since you have SPS.

 

salifert for everything and this
(K) Potassium Test Kit*::*Zeovit Media & Misc.*::*ZEOvit USA

 

If you want BEST OF THE BEST, you need to look into a digital titrameter, namely by Hach, the 3 BIG names in testing are Hach, LaMotte, and Merck, they are all made for professionals by them, I mean, biologists or for the use in industries. There is no better kits you can buy... All the kits WE buy are hobbyist grade and no matter what you read(Elos) they are not of the same quality and accuracy as the three stated. If I remember correctly Elos uses "safe" chemicals in their reagents which some like and some dismiss as inaccurate.
If you want good HOBBYIST grade then Salifert is good, it has had some QC issues lately but I believe those are all hashed out, Tropic Marin is good(Thats what I use), Red Sea is used by many wholesalers and coral farms so that has some weight. I wouldn't put much faith in API as I have seen a fair amount of discrepencies with their kits.

The Tropic Marin Ca and their Ca&Mg combo test are the most precise tests I've used. The Ca goes in incriments of 2ppm, do we all NEED that much precision? Probably not but its better than increments of 20ppm!!
Good luck and congrats on the new found test regimen! Your tank will thank you!!

Look into Hach... They are probably easiest to come by! Merck might be the toughest!

 

For now, I use API and Salifert test kits, I have used Red Sea yrs ago and didnt like it. I like to use test kits that contain very little "color matching". I've heard good things about Elos and Lamotte, but have not used them yet. luna

 

I use salifert for most of everything. The only things that I will test with API kits are ammonia, nitrite, dKh.