Salifert Test Kits:
- Thread starter rs1831
- Start date
candycane
Active Member
Originally Posted by rs1831
http:///forum/post/2608657
Has anyone else heard that salifert is going out of business? What are some other good brands? Does anyone have any info on Elos?
WOW! I haven't heard anything like that, the only test kits I have are salifert. I have been slowly trying to order electronic testers though. This should be an interesting thread.
http:///forum/post/2608657
Has anyone else heard that salifert is going out of business? What are some other good brands? Does anyone have any info on Elos?
WOW! I haven't heard anything like that, the only test kits I have are salifert. I have been slowly trying to order electronic testers though. This should be an interesting thread.
soldier0117
Member
API is good and simple.
alohami
Member
I previously used Salifert but didn't replace them when I ran out. I don't know what is going on with Salifert, but I have heard a lot of rumors of people having some problems with newer tests and Salifert basically being unreachable. So take that for what it's worth.
Seachem is definitely not expensive, especially when compared to Salifert. You can get the Seachem MultiTest Marine Basic which includes Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, PH, and Alk for around $25.00. I haven't been using Seachem long, but so far all of my readings have been normal.
I have also been thinking about trying Instant Ocean's test kit. It looks to be similar to the old Fastest brand, so I wonder if they bought them out or something. What I like about that one is they have a colored plastic sample that is placed right next to the test sample. I hate trying to compare color to a little piece of paper, so I'm seriously considering giving them a try.
Seachem is definitely not expensive, especially when compared to Salifert. You can get the Seachem MultiTest Marine Basic which includes Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, PH, and Alk for around $25.00. I haven't been using Seachem long, but so far all of my readings have been normal.
I have also been thinking about trying Instant Ocean's test kit. It looks to be similar to the old Fastest brand, so I wonder if they bought them out or something. What I like about that one is they have a colored plastic sample that is placed right next to the test sample. I hate trying to compare color to a little piece of paper, so I'm seriously considering giving them a try.
frankthetank
Active Member
Originally Posted by Soldier0117
http:///forum/post/2608717
API is good and simple.
Agreed. API makes very good test kits. Get a reef master kit and an Elos Mg test kit. Should cover your reef test kit basics.
http:///forum/post/2608717
API is good and simple.
Agreed. API makes very good test kits. Get a reef master kit and an Elos Mg test kit. Should cover your reef test kit basics.
espkh9
Member
api is terrible in my opinion....those strips are bad...seachem is not cheap yes $25 for the basics..but $30 for calcium and $30 for magnisium...very accurate but thats expensive..im talking only non digital testing here...i use red sea alot its simple accurate and works good they are not cheap like api but not as expensive as seachem. trust me if you will i test 14 tests daily.
alohami
Member
Well, if you test 14 tests daily, any test kit will get expensive. I am curious as to why you test so much, Espkh9.
I will admit that I did not take into consideration calcium or magnesium tests. I don't test for those very often and still have my Salifert tests on hand for that, so I haven't looked into replacing those yet.
I will admit that I did not take into consideration calcium or magnesium tests. I don't test for those very often and still have my Salifert tests on hand for that, so I haven't looked into replacing those yet.
espkh9
Member
i have expert level fish and corals the slightest change in any param can lead to death. i spend hours a day taking great crae of my livestock in 3 tanks office 210 fowlr,home 65 fowlr,and home 125 rt...because of my testing and small but often water changes i dont rely on -- that i use so i test alot..maybe everyday is a bit of an exxageration...but i do a full scale test every 4 weeks after a 25% w/c and i do small water changes every few days and sometimes do some testing as well..if i see a fish breathing heavy..the ph could have dropped .1 so i test.. the truth is i have kept in 3 tanks 99% of my live stock for 3 years...i have difficult to expert level fish inverts and corals...i take pride that none of them die. you never know and you can nver be to careful the other night i noticed something was wrong i could not point it out but i told my wife something is off lets test ammonia in the fowlr for some odd reason i dont know why it was 3.0 if i did not stay up all night changing 90 % percent of the water 5 fish would have died they would have been dead on the SB when i woke up the next day in stead i worked hours and hours alone from 11pm to 8 am to ensure their safety..wierd things happen sometimes but if my tank crashes i would feel terrible for the poor fish...i had a very important meeting at 10 am the next day and slept 2 hours on the couch...and was 30 min late...but i saved my tank. and i'm proud of myself..i had a feeling something was wrong the fish were eating swimming fine i just had a hunch i dont know what it was and thats why i test often...in the fowlr i only test for the 5 basics and calcium...
the reef must be the same temp salinity 5 basics calcium strontium magnesium silicone phoshates...and in -- there just is not enough of those trace elements to make my corals thrive and live for the longest that they can. i'm sorry this was so long but i felt compelled to explain myself and my methods. i'm sorry if anyone read this since it was long but if it gets you to test more often and you can save your tank from something that we can never predict would happen like a 1 in a million thing its worth me writing all this...
the reef must be the same temp salinity 5 basics calcium strontium magnesium silicone phoshates...and in -- there just is not enough of those trace elements to make my corals thrive and live for the longest that they can. i'm sorry this was so long but i felt compelled to explain myself and my methods. i'm sorry if anyone read this since it was long but if it gets you to test more often and you can save your tank from something that we can never predict would happen like a 1 in a million thing its worth me writing all this...
alohami
Member
Thank you for explaining. I was curious.
I only have one small tank at the moment, and I have to admit that I have been a bit lax on testing. However, it has been established for three years, so like you, I can tell if something is wrong just by observation. I have been trying to test on a more regular basis though.
I only have one small tank at the moment, and I have to admit that I have been a bit lax on testing. However, it has been established for three years, so like you, I can tell if something is wrong just by observation. I have been trying to test on a more regular basis though.
gmann1139
Active Member
Originally Posted by AlohaMI
http:///forum/post/2608722
I have also been thinking about trying Instant Ocean's test kit. It looks to be similar to the old Fastest brand, so I wonder if they bought them out or something. What I like about that one is they have a colored plastic sample that is placed right next to the test sample. I hate trying to compare color to a little piece of paper, so I'm seriously considering giving them a try.
I love the IO Nitrogen set. The only negative is that the Ammonia takes 18 - 20 minutes to work, and the Nitrite 10. I'm using Salifert now and while the Nitrogen set is fine, I'm having all types of trouble with their pH test.
http:///forum/post/2608722
I have also been thinking about trying Instant Ocean's test kit. It looks to be similar to the old Fastest brand, so I wonder if they bought them out or something. What I like about that one is they have a colored plastic sample that is placed right next to the test sample. I hate trying to compare color to a little piece of paper, so I'm seriously considering giving them a try.
I love the IO Nitrogen set. The only negative is that the Ammonia takes 18 - 20 minutes to work, and the Nitrite 10. I'm using Salifert now and while the Nitrogen set is fine, I'm having all types of trouble with their pH test.
metweezer
Active Member
Originally Posted by Espkh9
http:///forum/post/2611868
red sea is still prety good accurate and the easiest imo to use.. i bought a bunch of seachem.. but still use red sea..
Why do you feel that red sea is the easiest to use
http:///forum/post/2611868
red sea is still prety good accurate and the easiest imo to use.. i bought a bunch of seachem.. but still use red sea..
Why do you feel that red sea is the easiest to use
rs1831
Active Member
Has anyone found out any info about Salifert. I talked with 2 LFS and they both said that they wouldn't not be able to get these test kits anymore. I really like using them but now it looks like I'm going to go with Elos. I plan on doing some test tomorrow and I'll let you know what I think of them.