What are the common water tests.

[tired_boy_mike]

Hi everybody,
As you can see I am asking a lot of questions lately. I've had my reef tank over a year now and have been really lazy and now it's starting to catch up to me. But I'm going to change that, I'm going to be a responsible reef tank owner.

So here is my next question: I just did a water test for my tank and here are the results:
Hagen test kit
Calcium: Pink = no matter how many more drops of regent #3 I add. 1 drop X 20 =mg/L. I added 20 drops and the color is still damn pink. It is suppose to turn violet. So this mean I have over 400 mg/L? Is that possible?
Ammonia: Purple which suggest it's over 6.1 ( very bad ). Nothing has died in this tank. Maybe a few snail and hermit crabs.
Nitrate: Dark Pink.. This also is very bad, beyond the 110mg/L. Need to do a water change.
PH High Range: Light Green, color looks below 7.5.
These are all the tests I have taken and my tank failed miserably on all.
What should I do from here?
Help!!

 

[nm reef]

Hmmm...sounds like your Hagen test kits may be expired. They do have a experation on them I think.
I'd suggest Salifert test kits for calcium/alkalinity/ph/magnesium...and Salifert for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate also.
Thats the basics for most reefers I believe...and in my opinion Salifert makes a very reliable group of test kits.

NMREEF website
“Whiskey for my men...beer for my horses.”
nmreef@cox.net

 

[bang guy]

I'll just say ditto to NM reef.
In addition I believe you should use a test kit for every additive you use: Iodine, Strontium, etc.
Test kits are usually good for about a year, but it's hard to know how long they were on the shelf before you bought them.

 

[elan]

i agree with the above. I always get salifert kits now, ecept for Ca, Sr, and Mg. I use Sea Chem for those. A little more expensive but i think they are easier to use and yeild better results. Also, with Mg, the test kit includes Alk tests too.

 

[tired_boy_mike]

My hagen test kit is a little over a year old. When I first got it, it worked and the measurement work correct. My ph, nitrate, calcium, and ammonia looked good.
I'll get a new test kit like you suggested, and see what happens. Plus, I'll do a water change.
thanks,
Mike N.