Test kits...

What brands do you guys trust/recommend? I'll be ordering some new test kits next week. Paying the LFS a couple dollars a week to test my water is getting old lol.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by racingtiger03
http:///forum/post/3184457
What brands do you guys trust/recommend? I'll be ordering some new test kits next week. Paying the LFS a couple dollars a week to test my water is getting old lol.

Instant ocean has a nice kit and it is easy to read, instead of a color chart on paper, it has little color coded chips to compare the test results to. Seachem is the best IMO, but more expensive. I also have used Redsea and Nutrafin.
As long as it is a test kit within the expiration date you will get a good reading. Outdated tests are a problem, stores don't watch and keep them on the shelf long past the date they should. So be sure to check.
 
thanks for the quick response once again flower! So you think its better to buy those locally rather than online so I can check the exp date first? The LFS carries seachem, and most all of their tests are between 10 and 20 each. I may just do PH, ALK, and calc considering that cost for now lol.
For dosing I have been using DIY stuff. I haven't had to dose calcium any though, our water here is pretty high in that to start with. Never dosed and it stays ~420ppm :)
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by racingtiger03
http:///forum/post/3184465
thanks for the quick response once again flower! So you think its better to buy those locally rather than online so I can check the exp date first? The LFS carries seachem, and most all of their tests are between 10 and 20 each. I may just do PH, ALK, and calc considering that cost for now lol.
For dosing I have been using DIY stuff. I haven't had to dose calcium any though, our water here is pretty high in that to start with. Never dosed and it stays ~420ppm :)

Can you get a master marine kit? It would be cheaper than buying each kit separately. I never bought online kits. They may not have the shelf problem LFS have, bigger turn over.
If you have a reef tank you need a phosphate test kit. A master marine will have all those tests and phosphate for about $60.00, much cheaper than $20.00 each.
 
yes, as I recall they had the master test kit for ~$50. I was thinking it didn't have the calcium test though. I'll check it again next time I'm out there! Of course as you pointed out, buying that + the calc test would still be cheaper. I don't know why I didn't think of that o_O
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by racingtiger03
http:///forum/post/3184475
yes, as I recall they had the master test kit for ~$50. I was thinking it didn't have the calcium test though. I'll check it again next time I'm out there! Of course as you pointed out, buying that + the calc test would still be cheaper. I don't know why I didn't think of that o_O

+1 I also had to buy the CAL and Posphate tests seperate with the red sea master kit. However there is a difference between a reef test kit and a regular marine. The reef has the phosphate and Cal. test.
My Instant ocean was a master reef kit, and the Redsea was just marine.
 
Top