Water tests?? Which kit??

Just starting the cycling process and I am wanting to know which test kits are the best to use. I see in posts people have exact numbers example 4.56 or .087, I have test strips(they were cheap), and in the freshwater world I used liquid, but all you had was a color chart to compare to. I have a PH tester which is digital from my job(free I might add) but the other test i'm not clear on. Thanks

 

I would start off with the API master saltwater test kit and add on from there. its a really cheap setup and always seems to be on sale around me for $20. Anything is better than the test strips IMO.

~Will.

 

For the basics, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and pH the API liquid master test kit is great. For more advanced testing like calcium, alkalinity, phosphates, magnesium and others I use only Salifert kits.

 

Correct me if i'm wrong, but those kits mentioned are liquid kits which are color comparsion, how do you get the exact numbers that I have been seeing in posts??

 

American Marine Pinpoint Calcium Monitor Information

something like that?

~Will.

 

Salifert kits are usually drop count titration like used in a lab so can be very accurate. With API kits you just add the 5 or whatever number of drops they tell you and are not as accurate but fine for the basics.

 

Those exact numbers you are referring to usually come from electronic testers/monitors, the kind with probes, not liquid tests. Or maybe the Salifert tests I have never used those.

 

I would need to see some examples of what you're talking about...

my pH pen monitor gives an exact number like 8.3.

My Salifert Mg isn't a color compare, it's just wait for the color to change from this to that. Same thing w/my API calcium and Alk test. For these, you count drops and use a table to correlate the number of drops to a value.

My other API tests, like nitrate, ammonia, phosphate, nitrite, these are color compare to get a value.



Sometimes people will test something like Alk in one scale like dKH but then use math to convert it to another scale... giving them a non whole number... maybe that's what you are referring to?