Need A Phosphate Test Kit

[reeftankdude]

I am currently using a API that is showing zero phosphate. I need a kit that can measure between 0.25 to zero. It is my understanding that a reef tank needs a little phosphate for corals to thrive. My budget is tight. Thanks all

 

[dakoop]

Hanna

 

[thedon986]

Get the Hanna Phosphorus ULR (HI 736), it measures up to .613ppm but is sensitive pretty much down to zero with great accuracy.

 

[jcolliii]

Elos. Super simple, VERY easy to read. One of the best kits I've ever used. Got rid of all my hanas years ago.

 

[MaxTremors]

Tropic Marin has cheap and accurate phosphate test kit with resolution down to 0.01. It’s $24, and had better resolution than any of the other lower priced test kits, Red Sea and Hanna have as low a resolution, but they’re both around $50.

Pro Phosphate PO4 Test Kit

For Determining the Phosphate Concentration Phosphates (PO43–) are important nutrients for all plants and are vital for the energy metabolism of every living cell. Phosphates are released into the aquarium water via food and the decomposition process of organic matter. However, an unregulated...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[jcolliii]

I have heard good things about the TM pro PO4 kits.

 

[Chrisv.]

Hanna. They are SO easy. All of the other po4 kits rely on comparing your vial to very similar colors on a color card. I LOVE my Hanna checkers and I'm never going back.

 

[DE FISH]

Hanna url no contest besides that Elos, api is trash for low readings and so is salifert

 

[ColoredRock]

Do you want to guess at colors.. or numbers.. nothing is going to be100% accurate.. Looking for trends.. I will stick with numbers (Hanna)

 

[randalli]

Don't want to crash the Hanna-Party but I lately came to kind of dislike the Hanna P ULR. Even though the Checker itself states it is accurate to +/- 5ppb the pamphlet coming with the reference solution states that your Checker is fine if it clocks in at +/- 10ppb which is a whopping difference of 0.06ppm PO4. I got the reference because I had around 20 ppb in my tank (according to Hanna) for weeks on end and didn't know what to do here. I stimulated growth of my coral and all it got me was cyanos and some STN at a millepora because P and PO4 was really 0 all the time. My Hanna is always within the +/-10ppb range of the reference. More often then not even spot on. So it is fine according to Hanna. But still the values are highly doubtable. Especially when I do a measurement which shows 20 and I do another one right after that showing 0. Also when I take one of the "old" vials and compare it with the C1 vial from the reference the diff is still 0 which it should be because the "old" vial is as clear as it can possibly be. So imho there is no PO4 test that is really great at the moment. And the Hanna P ULR seems to be a waste of money. I also can NOT recommend the Red Sea PO4 test. It never showed any color that is even on the wheel when the PO4 value is really low but in the range of the test. There is a new Hanna Phosphate ULR HC774 which shows PO4 again. But it has an accuracy of +/- 0.02ppm and a resolution of 0.01ppm. So it might show too much or too little anyway.

I will use the TM Pro in the meantime and check out the ATI PO4 pro once it is available in Germany again.

 

[LeftyReefer]

Hanna 774 for me. love that thing.

 

[BYU]

i have both elos and hanna phosphorus
i have tested them side by side and are both spot on for me
the elos takes a lot longer to do
the hanna PHOSPHORUS takes 3 minutes so now i use that one the most
the only drawback is you have to multiple the number by 3.066 the divide by 1000
there was a brs video about the phosphate test kits and accuracy
both of these are great test kits

 

[LeftyReefer]

i have both elos and hanna phosphorus
i have tested them side by side and are both spot on for me
the elos takes a lot longer to do
the hanna PHOSPHORUS takes 3 minutes so now i use that one the most
the only drawback is you have to multiple the number by 3.066 the divide by 1000
there was a brs video about the phosphate test kits and accuracy
both of these are great test kits

Not if you get the newer HI774 which already gives results in PPM.

 

[ColoredRock]

Accuracy or consistency.. that is the big unknown ...

me personally I look at testing as trends. Perfect example for me.. I have a refractometer and a cheap swing arm hydrometer.. both I thought were dead on

took a sample to the LFS and I was at 30 PPM salinity according to their hanna checker.. ordered one and correct.. it showed 30 (calibrated) also.. did Randy Holmes-Farley DYI calibration and I was way off on my refractometer.

I personally will only use Titration or solid numbers (digital.. hanna) sad to say my eye sight is not what it use to be.

I test.. and then once in awhile I test my tests... need to do that more often.