What's the best water test kit out there?
- Thread starter spammie5
- Start date
mx mr bean
Member
red sea makes a good one. I use it for my reef.
gmann1139
Active Member
I go kit by kit. They never run out at the same time, and I hate certain tests from certain manufacturers, so I run a mish-mash.
BTW, recent advice I heard and think bears repeating: You don't need good ammonia and nitrite test kits. After all, any reading is bad. Save your money, and if you're going to splurge, splurge on alkalinity and calcium, test kits where minor shifts are important.
BTW, recent advice I heard and think bears repeating: You don't need good ammonia and nitrite test kits. After all, any reading is bad. Save your money, and if you're going to splurge, splurge on alkalinity and calcium, test kits where minor shifts are important.
bcollett
Member
I started with Red Sea test kits, but after a while i started noticing something strange. If i tested my pH and got a reading of 8.2, if i were to leave the test tube alone and come back to it later it would be down to 7.0. I even started to notice this with my other tests. Nitrate would maybe read at 10ppm, and later that day the tube would turn as bright red as possible. I wasn't sure which reading to beleive so i tried a new brand. I switched to API. They have remained fairly consistent regardless of the ammount of time they sit. I did a heads up comparison between ammonia, nitrate, and pH. and they didn't read the same between the two brands. I feel i trust the API results a little more than the Red Sea ones.
mx mr bean
Member
Originally Posted by BCollett
http:///forum/post/2958100
I started with Red Sea test kits, but after a while i started noticing something strange. If i tested my pH and got a reading of 8.2, if i were to leave the test tube alone and come back to it later it would be down to 7.0. I even started to notice this with my other tests. Nitrate would maybe read at 10ppm, and later that day the tube would turn as bright red as possible. I wasn't sure which reading to beleive so i tried a new brand. I switched to API. They have remained fairly consistent regardless of the ammount of time they sit. I did a heads up comparison between ammonia, nitrate, and pH. and they didn't read the same between the two brands. I feel i trust the API results a little more than the Red Sea ones.
Red seas kits tell you specific times to check back after their tests are finished. I would naturally expect that waiting longer than those times would lead to inaccurate results. They tell you those times for a reason i guess. Plus if someone is not checking their tests within a few minutes of starting them then I would have to say that you should unless the directions state otherwise. I like to get them done as quick as possible lol and have had no problems with the red sea brand. Either way, you won't go wrong with API or Red Sea find out which ones cheaper.
http:///forum/post/2958100
I started with Red Sea test kits, but after a while i started noticing something strange. If i tested my pH and got a reading of 8.2, if i were to leave the test tube alone and come back to it later it would be down to 7.0. I even started to notice this with my other tests. Nitrate would maybe read at 10ppm, and later that day the tube would turn as bright red as possible. I wasn't sure which reading to beleive so i tried a new brand. I switched to API. They have remained fairly consistent regardless of the ammount of time they sit. I did a heads up comparison between ammonia, nitrate, and pH. and they didn't read the same between the two brands. I feel i trust the API results a little more than the Red Sea ones.
Red seas kits tell you specific times to check back after their tests are finished. I would naturally expect that waiting longer than those times would lead to inaccurate results. They tell you those times for a reason i guess. Plus if someone is not checking their tests within a few minutes of starting them then I would have to say that you should unless the directions state otherwise. I like to get them done as quick as possible lol and have had no problems with the red sea brand. Either way, you won't go wrong with API or Red Sea find out which ones cheaper.
C
cust11
Guest
Originally Posted by GeoJ
http:///forum/post/2957237
What's the best water test kit out there? One that gets used...
This ^
http:///forum/post/2957237
What's the best water test kit out there? One that gets used...
This ^
bizzmoneyb
Member
ive heard alot of people recommend salifert.
stanlalee
Active Member
okay I might as well use your thread to get this off my chest.
for those it doesn't really matter (API, seatest,red sea, seachem all fine).
those arent test that require high resolution:
ammonia: all you need to know is you dont have any. not a difficult measurable parameter from what I understand to worry about having an elite test kit
pH: isn't a parameter you ever adjust directly and to me WAY overated for testing (other than verifying your salt mix has a decent starting pH or how a planted fuge light cycle is affecting it). for example if you have good water circulation and skimmer for oxyenation and gas exchange, export co2 every now and again thru water changes and monitor/maintain alkalinity there is virtually no point in testing pH because there is probably nothing you can do that will give you any more than a temperary short lived spike. if its 7.9 live with it. you can probably count on 2 fingers how often pH testing would have saved someone from a pH crash. to prevent a pH crash you test alkalinity.
nitrite: useless, its a test that gets used during the cycle to see how fast things are moving then never opened again. you can basically test for A (ammonia) and C (nitrate) and deduct B (nitrite production) has taken place. buy the cheapest kit you can find, it will collect dust after about one or two test anyway.
nitrates: not a critical enough parameter to need absolute resolution. knowing wether your nitrates are 5ppm vs 10ppm, 20ppm vs 30ppm, 50ppm vs 65ppm is of no consequence. you basically only need to know if its excellent, good, fair or terrible and it pretty much goes like this (API and Tetra kit reference): any shade of yellow=excellent, any shade of light orange=good, medium orange=fair (action warranted) and ANYTHING else=terrible. not worth spending extra on an elite test kit
down the line if and when you are testing for phosphates, magnesium, alkalinity and calcium and/or more specific elements you can be a more discerning shopper. of those ELOS, LaMotte, Salifert, Hanna or Martini photo/color meters are top of the line (I still dont use any of those, by the time you need those your eyes are your best tool. for example my phosphate and nutrient test is looking at the glass and rocks for changes in algae growth. it could be bristle worm or pod population for somebody else. coralline algae growth is my indicator calcium/mg arent deficient. for someone else could be coral growth).
ps: I realize I sound very pessimistic about testing. dont mean to. it is very important especially early on and with changes/growth since needs always change. I'm just suggesting after a while you get your mojo going about your tank. you already know what its going to test at before you test at which point they become a verification tool of what you already know more than anything.
for those it doesn't really matter (API, seatest,red sea, seachem all fine).
those arent test that require high resolution:
ammonia: all you need to know is you dont have any. not a difficult measurable parameter from what I understand to worry about having an elite test kit
pH: isn't a parameter you ever adjust directly and to me WAY overated for testing (other than verifying your salt mix has a decent starting pH or how a planted fuge light cycle is affecting it). for example if you have good water circulation and skimmer for oxyenation and gas exchange, export co2 every now and again thru water changes and monitor/maintain alkalinity there is virtually no point in testing pH because there is probably nothing you can do that will give you any more than a temperary short lived spike. if its 7.9 live with it. you can probably count on 2 fingers how often pH testing would have saved someone from a pH crash. to prevent a pH crash you test alkalinity.
nitrite: useless, its a test that gets used during the cycle to see how fast things are moving then never opened again. you can basically test for A (ammonia) and C (nitrate) and deduct B (nitrite production) has taken place. buy the cheapest kit you can find, it will collect dust after about one or two test anyway.
nitrates: not a critical enough parameter to need absolute resolution. knowing wether your nitrates are 5ppm vs 10ppm, 20ppm vs 30ppm, 50ppm vs 65ppm is of no consequence. you basically only need to know if its excellent, good, fair or terrible and it pretty much goes like this (API and Tetra kit reference): any shade of yellow=excellent, any shade of light orange=good, medium orange=fair (action warranted) and ANYTHING else=terrible. not worth spending extra on an elite test kit
down the line if and when you are testing for phosphates, magnesium, alkalinity and calcium and/or more specific elements you can be a more discerning shopper. of those ELOS, LaMotte, Salifert, Hanna or Martini photo/color meters are top of the line (I still dont use any of those, by the time you need those your eyes are your best tool. for example my phosphate and nutrient test is looking at the glass and rocks for changes in algae growth. it could be bristle worm or pod population for somebody else. coralline algae growth is my indicator calcium/mg arent deficient. for someone else could be coral growth).
ps: I realize I sound very pessimistic about testing. dont mean to. it is very important especially early on and with changes/growth since needs always change. I'm just suggesting after a while you get your mojo going about your tank. you already know what its going to test at before you test at which point they become a verification tool of what you already know more than anything.
gmann1139
Active Member
Stan, I agree with you 99%. The one percent is for nitrite.
Ammonia tends to break down fairly quickly, nitrite takes a little longer. Therefore, if you had an 'incident', you're more likely to see a nitrite spike than ammonia.
But you're right, that's the only time I use nitrite, other than when I have a tank in hypo.
Ammonia tends to break down fairly quickly, nitrite takes a little longer. Therefore, if you had an 'incident', you're more likely to see a nitrite spike than ammonia.
But you're right, that's the only time I use nitrite, other than when I have a tank in hypo.
stanlalee
Active Member
Originally Posted by gmann1139
http:///forum/post/2959187
Stan, I agree with you 99%. The one percent is for nitrite.
Ammonia tends to break down fairly quickly, nitrite takes a little longer. Therefore, if you had an 'incident', you're more likely to see a nitrite spike than ammonia.
But you're right, that's the only time I use nitrite, other than when I have a tank in hypo.
I agree with your statement too. I'm pretty sure nitrites hang around a bit longer before the system really establishes itself, I'm just not sure it bothers livestock. from what I've read it has to be unsually high before it becomes harmful short term (hopefully it doesn't become a long term issue). hopefully by the time you are talking adding corals all this is well behind you.
http:///forum/post/2959187
Stan, I agree with you 99%. The one percent is for nitrite.
Ammonia tends to break down fairly quickly, nitrite takes a little longer. Therefore, if you had an 'incident', you're more likely to see a nitrite spike than ammonia.
But you're right, that's the only time I use nitrite, other than when I have a tank in hypo.
I agree with your statement too. I'm pretty sure nitrites hang around a bit longer before the system really establishes itself, I'm just not sure it bothers livestock. from what I've read it has to be unsually high before it becomes harmful short term (hopefully it doesn't become a long term issue). hopefully by the time you are talking adding corals all this is well behind you.