red sea test kits

[justinl]

I currently use red sea to test my nitrates and they have 2 different methods- one with a powder and one with liquids. Does anyone have any experience with this kit and can anyone reccommend a good kit for nitrates? I know salifert seems to be popular, but it;s not readilly available (besides here).

 

[kris walker]

Don't know about your test kit, but I think aquarium pharm. nitrate kits are okay. They seem to be pretty easy to use as well.
I have "red sea calcium mini lab" test kit, and it is not very good compared with my new salifert Sr/Ca kit.
kris

 

[luke]

Kris Walker - Can you define "...not very good compared..." I don't mean to sound at all rude Just wondering, in your opinion, what makes a good test kit good and a bad (or better) test kit different??
Luke

 

[kris walker]

Good question. IMO, a good test kit is one that is accurate and precise.
IMO, accuracy to me means that when the measure says 550 ppm, it is truely 550 ppm. I found that my red sea kit is giving me 550 ppm. Then I bought a Salifert kit, and tested the water 15 minutes later and got 460 ppm.
IMO, precision for test kits means that the measurment increment is small. With red sea's calcium kit, it is a titration kit, and each drop means 50 ppm. So, you will only ever come up with something like 400, 450, 500, etc. With my new salifert kit, the increment is 12 ppm, so you can get 400, 412, 424, etc.
So you can see that you will get a more precise answer with the salifert kit. However, I am only assuming the 460 ppm salifert measure is more accurate than the 550 ppm red sea measure.
cheers,
kris

 

[luke]

Kris - That seems like a logical reason to like Salifert more (I realize that Salifert is the prefered brand by most, although I personally have never used it... f not available in the area). I have to agree the RedSea CA lab (not the PRO version) is a little on the chunky side when it comes to accuracy. RedSea does offer a testkit that uses a syringe to administer the titrant, that one is more accurate. But it is still the same titration so "IF" the RedSea CA lab was off 90ppm, this obe would be too (or at least off some incrament of...)
Luke

 

[toadbaby]

I bought the Red Sea kit for nitrates and I hate it! If I use the version without the powder my water ALWAYS turns out clear. Does that correspond to the gray color box for the test or not? Who knows! And no matter what I do, the stupid test always comes out the same - even if I do a 20% water change - not possible!
If I use the powder version - is the residue on the bottom what you are supposed to match colors to or the solution above it?
AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!

 

[justinl]

I've had it with red sea. I went and got an AP test kit today and according to it, my red sea tests were way off.
I had the same trouble. One test with the powder would give me pink, and the liquids would give me clear (which means no nitrates.)

 

[catherine]

Hi. I am new, so take this for what it is worth, which may not be much. I got the dip stick type tests from my lfs, because that is what they had. Then I started reading that the dip stick type of test is not accurate. I don't know why that should be. I was a working nurse for years, and dip sticks were used to test urine (also for nitrates)and blood sugar, that sort of thing. Labs used them. I always got accurate results--if someone had positive nitrates you could be sure they had a UTI--so why shouldn't they be accurate in an aquarium?
I am really enjoying this tank, but by golly it is expensive.

 

[ksujason]

Great, I just bought a Red Sea test kit. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[broomer5]

I've never used the Red Sea test kits either, but they seem to be very popular.
Just my 2 cents on test kits while at it.
Accuracy: What is it's actual inaccuracy or degree of error. We almost have to assume we are getting accurate results, unless we run side by side tests against a "known" standard.
Resolution: To what degree can you read it, or as Kris referred to this as "precision". Better kits allow you lower resolution.
Repeatable: Does the kit give you same results when doing multiple tests on the same sample.
Does the kit work well day to day, and do the reagents last long before becoming contaminated or going bad.
Personally I like test kit that allows you to compare the colors by looking through the transparent color chips, as opposed to doing a color comparison off a paper chart. It's easier for me to distinguish the subtle differences in color this way.
When titrating for alkalinity or calcium - for me the Salifert test kits leave little guesswork on my part. I get an immediate color change with the addition of the last drop required. SeaTest kits always seemed to slowly start changing color as you approached the point - but never gave me a "one drop" final result. I like this feature about the Salifert kits.
A lot also has to do with the person doing the test, their own degree of color vision so to speak, and if they follow the same procedure each time they run a test. If you are standing there, holding the test results up to various light sources, and saying to yourself .... hmmm is this 8.0 or 8.3 - you may want to get a second opinion.
Another couple of points of interest - IMO if you are able to get a 12 or 50 ppm reading resolution, that in itself is pretty amazing for a $12.00 test kit. 12 parts per million.
Measuring pH is one test where error or inaccuracy will make a larger difference. Being that the pH scale is not linear, but logarithmic, and that for each change of 1 pH unit on the scale represents a factor of 10.
Lastly, many of the tests we run require both high range and low range values, depending on the stage/maturity of the tank.
Cycling a tank vs. measurememts of an established tank will require different ranges for most of the nitrogen compounds. This gets back to the resolution of the kit.
I like kits that offer high range, medium range, and low range testing.