Salifert Calcium vs ICP

[Bakki]

Hi everyone,

For the past months my salifert calcium test ranges about 430 to 450 while fauna marin ranges around 470 to 490.

Do other people experience the same difference? And would you trust the salifert kit or the icp more?

Thanks!

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hi everyone,

For the past months my salifert calcium test ranges about 430 to 450 while fauna marin ranges around 470 to 490.

Do other people experience the same difference? And would you trust the salifert kit or the icp more?

Thanks!

Given the accuracy of hobby test kits is not that good at around +-20ppm , I'd say that they are both giving you pretty much the same reading.

Certainly close enough that it doesn't matter to anything in the tank.

If you did an ICP you could then write a correction factor on the test kit which may or may not be useful as the kit ages.

edit: Sorry if you meant that Fauna Marin is an ICP test result - I would probably trust that over the Salifert hobby kit.

 

[Bakki]

Given the accuracy of hobby test kits is not that good at around +-20ppm , I'd say that they are both giving you pretty much the same reading.

Certainly close enough that it doesn't matter to anything in the tank.

If you did an ICP you could then write a correction factor on the test kit which may or may not be useful as the kit ages.

edit: Sorry if you meant that Fauna Marin is an ICP test result - I would probably trust that over the Salifert hobby kit.

Thanks, I indeed meant the fauna marin icp.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don’t know which is more accurate in any given case, but that difference is small compared to the wide range of acceptable calcium (at least 400-550 ppm). If I had to pick, I lean to icp being more accurate than a test kit more times than not.