Do Test kits really expire?

Atomins · May 23, 2023

I have a few salifert test kits from when i was in the hobby a couple years ago, do these things really expire? i got some new kits and did the same tests and still got accurate results. what do you guys think?

Goaway · May 23, 2023

Yes, they expire. Maybe not exactly the month /year they expect. But, they will lose their accuracy. My red sea tests all went bad. Alk was the first to go.

Atomins · May 23, 2023

Goaway said:
Yes, they expire. Maybe not exactly the month /year they expect. But, they will lose their accuracy. My red sea tests all went bad. Alk was the first to go.

good to know, the exparation dates are all different and some are even still in date. but i was just curious as to know everyone elses experience

saltcats · May 23, 2023

Yep - not Salifert but my old API GH/KH test went bad this year. I got suspicious when it hadn't changed colours after 25 drops... The actual reading was 9.

taricha · May 24, 2023

some are unlikely to actually expire (an alk titration test for instance), but others definitely do.
out of curiosity which tests specifically performed the same between expired and new?

Atomins · May 24, 2023

taricha said:
some are unlikely to actually expire (an alk titration test for instance), but others definitely do.
out of curiosity which tests specifically performed the same between expired and new?

alk, calcium, ph, nitrate and nitrite