Frenchie87
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Who makes the best test kits for ca, alk, mag? I have always used salifert but I was at the Lfs and all they sell is redsea and swear by it. Anyone have any preferences?
Best test kits
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_sludgefactory
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Probably salifert over all. But i use api for cal and alk. Right now i have the elos mag kit and it will be the last one i buy. The salifert mag kit is way easier to use.
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Ron Reefman
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Our local club just did a test kit meeting where all 20+ people who brought test kits, tested the same water and we compared results. The water has been sent off to a lab for testing to see how accurate we were. The vast majority of results were all pretty close. It really didn't look like API, or Salifert, or Red Sea was any better than the others. API just has a slightly bigger spread in their scale than the others. The one result that was a bit of a surprise to me was the fact that 3 or 4 Hanna phosphate checks were all extremely close! Things like calcium tests had a spread from 380-440 and which brand you used didn't seem to matter. Sure the Salifert and Red Sea kits would give tighter numbers like 395, 415 and 425 compared to API at 400 and 420, but when the Salifert and Red Sea kits have just as big a spread as the API when you go from user to user, i.e. they had just as many at the edges of 380 and 440 as API did. So now I'm pretty convinced that API is just about as good as the others (if you can read the color charts) and they sure easier to use.
In the early days, when I switched from FW to SW, I continued using API as my primary test kits, I learned the hard way that I couldn't rely on them for consistency and/or accuracy. I switched to Salifert, they are a more accurate/consistent kit, but also more expensive. So, in an effort to find a kit that I felt I could rely on for consistently accurate results at a more affordable price point, I did a cost/accuracy analysis between the Red Sea Pro and Salifert last November over a three week period. I re-tested in July of this year. I did a copy/paste of the results below:
I re tested these two kits for continued accuracy yesterday(7/2/2012), the results are below.
From 11/21/2011:
My supply of Salifert test kits was getting low, so I decided to give the new Red Sea Pro test kits a try.
I bought the Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro kit, which includes tests for: Ca, Mg and Alk.
These test kits have been out there for a while, and I never like to buy the first boat load of anything. At this point I think there have been enough "field trials" that I'm willing to give them a try. For now I'm only going to try the Ca, Mg and Alk for comparison vs Salifert.
First consideration was the cost,. I used BRS since they sell both brands and used the "preferred customer" pricing. I did not consider the current 10% discount they are offering on the Red Sea Product.
Salifert, Ca, Mg and Alk kits total: $61.20
# of tests/cost
Ca = 50 @ $ 23.40/kit $.48 ea./per test
Mg = 50 @ $ 24.30/kit $.49 ea./per test
Alk = 100 @ $13.50/kit $.14 ea./per test
Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro Kit: $49.99
# of tests/cost (using refill costs)
Ca = 75 @ $13.00/refill $.17 ea./per test
Mg = 100 @ $12.00/refill $.12 ea./per test
Alk = 75 @ $12.00/refill $.16 ea./per test
There is a real cost savings with the Red Sea kits. But, how did they test out as far as accuracy?
I've done three sets of tests now over the last three weeks.
Salifert
Week 1 Ca = 410 Week 2 Ca = 400 Week 3 Ca = 420 7/7/2012 Ca = 410
Week 1 Mg = 1350 Week 2 Mg = 1340 Week 3 Mg = 1340 Mg = 1350
Week 1 Alk = 8.6 Week 2 Alk = 9.3 Week 3 Alk = 8.9 Alk = 8.6
Red Sea Pro
Week 1 Ca = 400 Week 2 Ca = 390 Week 3 Ca = 410 7/7/2012 Ca = 400
Week 1 Mg = 1360 Week 2 Mg = 1350 Week 3 Mg = 1350 Mg = 1350
Week 1 Alk = 8.4 Week 2 Alk = 9.0 Week 3 Alk = 8.7 Alk = 8.5
I think the numbers speak for themselves. I will continue to monitor these tests until my Salifert kits are used up.
The one caveat here is that the Red Sea kit calculation is determined by taking your end point reading from the plunger in the syringe and deducting it from the 1mL you started with, to determine how much of the titrant was used, i.e. if the reading on the syringe is .37 you used .63, which is the number you need to determine your reading. It isn't hard, but you have to do the math, and I see it as an area for potential human error. The Salifert kit just gives you the reading without the user having to do any additional calculations.
I re tested these two kits for continued accuracy yesterday(7/2/2012), the results are below.
From 11/21/2011:
My supply of Salifert test kits was getting low, so I decided to give the new Red Sea Pro test kits a try.
I bought the Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro kit, which includes tests for: Ca, Mg and Alk.
These test kits have been out there for a while, and I never like to buy the first boat load of anything. At this point I think there have been enough "field trials" that I'm willing to give them a try. For now I'm only going to try the Ca, Mg and Alk for comparison vs Salifert.
First consideration was the cost,. I used BRS since they sell both brands and used the "preferred customer" pricing. I did not consider the current 10% discount they are offering on the Red Sea Product.
Salifert, Ca, Mg and Alk kits total: $61.20
# of tests/cost
Ca = 50 @ $ 23.40/kit $.48 ea./per test
Mg = 50 @ $ 24.30/kit $.49 ea./per test
Alk = 100 @ $13.50/kit $.14 ea./per test
Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro Kit: $49.99
# of tests/cost (using refill costs)
Ca = 75 @ $13.00/refill $.17 ea./per test
Mg = 100 @ $12.00/refill $.12 ea./per test
Alk = 75 @ $12.00/refill $.16 ea./per test
There is a real cost savings with the Red Sea kits. But, how did they test out as far as accuracy?
I've done three sets of tests now over the last three weeks.
Salifert
Week 1 Ca = 410 Week 2 Ca = 400 Week 3 Ca = 420 7/7/2012 Ca = 410
Week 1 Mg = 1350 Week 2 Mg = 1340 Week 3 Mg = 1340 Mg = 1350
Week 1 Alk = 8.6 Week 2 Alk = 9.3 Week 3 Alk = 8.9 Alk = 8.6
Red Sea Pro
Week 1 Ca = 400 Week 2 Ca = 390 Week 3 Ca = 410 7/7/2012 Ca = 400
Week 1 Mg = 1360 Week 2 Mg = 1350 Week 3 Mg = 1350 Mg = 1350
Week 1 Alk = 8.4 Week 2 Alk = 9.0 Week 3 Alk = 8.7 Alk = 8.5
I think the numbers speak for themselves. I will continue to monitor these tests until my Salifert kits are used up.
The one caveat here is that the Red Sea kit calculation is determined by taking your end point reading from the plunger in the syringe and deducting it from the 1mL you started with, to determine how much of the titrant was used, i.e. if the reading on the syringe is .37 you used .63, which is the number you need to determine your reading. It isn't hard, but you have to do the math, and I see it as an area for potential human error. The Salifert kit just gives you the reading without the user having to do any additional calculations.
swannyson7
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Salifert and Red Sea Pro test kits (the new ones... the old ones were garbage) are great test kits for Ca/Alk/Mg and they're reasonably priced. For Alk, Lamotte makes a great kit and the Hanna calorimeter is nice as well. I've had good results with Elos for Calcium as well, but they aren't worth the extra money IMHO. I'm not a fan of API test kits, but several people have used them with good results. If you do go with API, be sure to use a syringe for measuring your sample water because I've found that the graduations on the test tubes are way off. I would suggest avoiding the Tropic Marin test kit for Calcium because the color change during titration is almost unnoticable. I had to test about a half dozen times to have any confidence in my results with the TM kit.
Chameleon
Valuable Member
anyone have any input for using red sea pro. Color change is a bit hard to determine where it actually changes. How do yall read it? I have to bring in my wife anyway being colorblind and all but even she tells me she isnt quite sure when its done titrating.
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I found this very interesting so I tested all 20 of my API test tubes. I have bought test kits from the LFS and gotten some from other reefers who where selling off their stuff and I got their API test kits. I measured every one and 3 other test tubes from another manufacturer and found every one to be right on the money. Every single one was perfect. So I'll agree you should test the 'fill to' line on all your test tubes. If they are right, use them, if they are wrong (I think probably a rare thing) scrape off the fill to line so you don't make the mistake. As for API in our test meeting (my above post), they appeared to have the same range of results and in the same amounts as Salifert and Red Sea Pro.
Tank2379
Well-Known Member
Hanna Checkers are the way to go, I've used Alk and Cal. both are pretty close to accurate. I am waiting for the Mag to come out but if I was to go with a Mag test kit it would have to be Sera. Easy to use and not looking at some syringe to figure out what my Mag reading might be.
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Perhaps I just had a bad string of luck, but I was getting whacky readings from API test kits compared to my salifert kits a few years back. Shortly afterward, I read something about the graduations being incorrect in their test kits. I checked mine against a graduated cyclinder and sure enough, they were off by about 15-20%. This may have just been a fluke that these made it through QC, but after my dealings with their pompous customer service to notify them of the issue, I vowed to never buy an API product again.
eddiecorrea
Active Member
I've always used API test kits. Cheap, easy to use, easy to read, and seem to be reliable. My LFS SWEARS by Elos kits. I swear they swear by them to get the huge markup. I'm not about to spend $20-$30 for individual kits. Especially when my API kit reads 0s all across the board on the basic tests and right on level with the other tests. Their Elos kit said my Nitrite was 0.05ppm which is impossible. I'd be having issues if it was that high.
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