Vote for better test kits...

[airforceb2]

I am needing more test kits and am jumping between two different kits :thinking: . I have heard nothing but good things about Salifert but LaMotte has pretty good feedback as well. Please vote on what you have found effective and state why. Thanks!!

 

[oceanist]

i have no feedback for either , as i use marinelab.
but i did want to mention , that this is the first time ive seen the poll option used for something useful
Nice thread ill be anxious to see how people reply and what they vote for

:happyfish

 

[soo high]

LaMotte a computer water Analyzer??? If soo good for that one

 

[airforceb2]

They are both liquid testers I believe. Same price.

 

[reefnut]

I really like Salifert but have never used LaMotte.

 

[diane4]

Personally, I hate liquid test kits, I can't stand the color determination....is it this shad of yellow or this one. For anything I test, I look to buy the digital meters - yes, they are pricey, but when you consider how much money you spend on all of the other fish equipment and fish, and when you consider how often you test water params, the digital meters are so much worth it to me. I love a number to use, not a color and guessing game. And counting drops is a pain in the you know what.
Milwaukee carries a nice line of meters and so does pin-point.
My Milwaukee smart meter that tests ph, etc, and TDS is my favorite, I use that machine ALL the time and if it broke tomorrow, I would be on the internet ordering a replacement.
I swear by digital meters and I wish they had a digitial meter for all water testing.

 

[reefnut]

Personally, I hate liquid test kits, I can't stand the color determination
I agree... the Salifert calcium, alkalinity and magnesium are color "changing" so you do not have to determine a shade of color. Pretty easy for those.
Digital meters are nice when kept calibrated!!

 

[marsilly]

Totally agreed with the stupid liquid testing. My eyes can fool me with colors and it .....getting old.
I will probably send for a digital today. Thanks, nice to know their are others that have this problem.

 

[airforceb2]

Well, I went with the Salifert Ca, trates and pH. The LFS owner said that if the Aquarium Pharm wasn't acurate with the ammonia and trites, he would give me the Salifert for free. We will see how well his word holds.

 

[mudplayerx]

I'll give my 2 cents.
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals are inexpensive and average quality
Aquarium Systems is moderately priced and moderate quality, but the design is clunky.
Red Sea is inexpensive and total garbage.
Those the the only ones I've used.

 

[airforceb2]

bump
Any test input is appreciated.

 

[escape2thewater]

I like the saliferts overall. Some of them take a little longer to do then other brands but I have a lot of confidence in thier accuracy. I have used tetra kits which are inexpensive, and work pretty decent too for basic stuff like during a cycle. I also have used Aquarium pharm., and fast test but for anything where accuracy is important I prefer the saliferts.
Escape

 

[babel fish]

Originally Posted by airforceb2
bump
Any test input is appreciated.
I havn't used either. I have a seachem basic marine kit that includes that standard stuff. It's a liquid test but extremely easy to use. Out of ammonia, trites, trates, Alk and Ph...Alk is the only color "changing", count the drops till color changes from one to another, test in the kit the others are all color shifting.
hth
~

 

[birdy]

I have only use LaMotte kits for freshwater when I worked on a 5,000 gallon tank at the zoo, not sure how different the fresh are fromt the salt, but the fresh were a bit more complicated than my salifert salt tests and you have to wait longer for results.
The thing I love about Salifert is that they are easy to use, you don't have to put on part in then wait 5min put another part in then wait 10min. You typically put the reagents in quickly and results are pretty quick 5min is about the longest you have to wait and they are pretty acurate also.