Best Nitrate Test Kit Findings

[Neo Jeo]

Hello my Reefers!

Over the past month I have been dealing with high Nitrates. I have tested and tested only to find out that some test kit's are hard to read and can be frustrating! Depending on the light, different way's to look at it, up or sideways or the divide the number to your color finding, only to find out it might be wrong.

That being said, I bought 2 additional Nitrate test kits. Now I'm a owner of 3. Here are my findings.

I first had the Salifert Nitrate test kit. The colors are all over the place. When you get down to 2,5,10 they all look the same. Then when you look sideways and divide by 10 then it's ether 5 or 10 for me. No real answer. Who knows?

I then went out and bought the cheap API Nitrate test kit. It's just easier to read but when you put the glass against the white paper it changes its color. The instructions says to put it against the paper but then it just turns darker. Then if you lift it up and hover over the white paper its lighter. Then if the light is the wrong color (outside or inside) or the wrong angle it changes its color. So what's the real answer. Who Knows?

Then I ordered Nyos Nitrate test kit! WOW!!! Problem solved. Super easy, compares with your tank water to the color it might be (you have to experience it to believe it). ALL guessing aside and just the real answer! I know!

I'm a NITRATE NYOS TEST KIT BELIEVER!

-When buying test kits some are better than others for different things you are testing. It's all in personal preference and this is my person experience!

 

[SPR1968]

I agree I’m also a NYOS Believer! Lol

I’ve also changed to NYOS for Calcium and Magnesium this week as well, there that good

 

[Neo Jeo]

I agree I’m also a NYOS Believer! Lol

I’ve also changed to NYOS for Calcium and Magnesium this week as well, there that good

Thanks for the tip. I liked the Red Sea test kit for Calc and Salifert for Mag. Hanna for Alk & Phos

I’ll have to try out Nyos other kits next.

 

[kles]

I use salifert guess used that brand so many years I'm use to reading it but nice to know about nyos just like find out how accurate are they ?

 

[Reef Jedi]

I use Hanna Checkers for Alk, Ca and Phos. Red Sea kits for MG, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, ph. For me testing is super fast and easy. I’ve been doing it so long it just comes second nature. I was looking at the Nyos kit for UL nitrate but I saw it doesn’t go below 1. I’m still in the market for a test kit that’ll test to .25 nitrate as I can never get a reading above 1 on any test.

 

[EMeyer]

After exploring a bunch of nitrate tests I am convinced the NO3 numbers people quote for their tanks are complete nonsense.

API -- I have never seen any reading other than 0 with this test. I've even directly added calcium nitrate directly to the test tube. I am not convinced this "test" is anything more than a yellow dye.

Salifert -- the human eye cannot tell a difference between 2 and 10. A person can pretend they see a difference, buts its pretend. I can pretend for much cheaper than the cost of this kit.

Seachem - like the NYOS test you show above, this one actually has different colors for the different levels. And the fact that it includes a standard is amazing -- you can demonstrate the test is actually doing something. (Looks like seachem and NYOS are about equivalent)

Still never seen any reading that was convincingly other than zero with any of these kits. I am convinced NO3 testing with hobbyist kits is nonsense, and am genuinely wondering what people are doing in their tanks that gives them positive "NO3" readings. I dose 2 ppm nitrate daily and have never seen a positive NO3 reading, but other people are reading >20 ppm while trying to scrub NO3 from their tanks? ... somethings fishy here.

 

[Neo Jeo]

I use salifert guess used that brand so many years I'm use to reading it but nice to know about nyos just like find out how accurate are they ?

I think they are accurate

 

[DivingTheWorld]

I've been a NYOS Nitrate user for some time. I like that it's very easy to distinguish the colors. I don't run sub 1ppm, so that isn't an issue for me. Since I liked the Nitrate test kit so much, I bought the NYOS Calcium kit to see if it was equally good. It sucks. ;Spitoutdummy It has the classic Red Sea "look for the blue color change", but it's impossible to distinguish when you've transitioned from purple to blue. I'll stick with my Salifert for Cal!

 

[Susan Edwards]

I know this is old, but using API I was getting no3 off the color chart. 160 or worse. AFter a tank redo, I got it to 40 but can't keep it there or lower. So the op who thinks they don't measure, they do. I may try the nyos for comparisson.