Salifert vs. Seachem - Shocking Differences
- Thread starter jcom
- Start date
- Tagged users None
OP
OP
jcom
Active Member
Update
So I went to my LFS and had them test my water...guess who the winner is? SeaChem is accurate. They tested my water with Reef Status and Red Sea and both were in the high 400s. Then I got out my Salifert test to show them....sure enough the results were in the mid-700s and they started laughing and said "That's why we don't carry Salifert anymore"
My apologies to SeaChem. I've gone astray once but I'm back for good.
So I went to my LFS and had them test my water...guess who the winner is? SeaChem is accurate. They tested my water with Reef Status and Red Sea and both were in the high 400s. Then I got out my Salifert test to show them....sure enough the results were in the mid-700s and they started laughing and said "That's why we don't carry Salifert anymore"
My apologies to SeaChem. I've gone astray once but I'm back for good.
Dylan
Well-Known Member
My Salifert nitrate kit read 15... I had two API nitrate kits also. One read 5-10, one read 25. I had my water tested at *2* different fish stores and they said zero.
But they used the same test kits I do. I've given up.
But they used the same test kits I do. I've given up.
cloakerpoked
Well-Known Member
Yeah...reefcrystals being at 250ppm would be nothing short of a total shock to me, unless your entire bucket is just really really low. Test kits in general are not going to be 100% accurate unless you're buying lab-grade kits and using super precise measurement instruments. Still, with such widely divergent results, it seems strange to me. Is it possible that seachem and the other test kits aren't linear titrations, and that maybe they're only capable of reading up to a certain threshold before you get off-the-wall results. It seems to me that no matter what, you should be reading closer to 400-500ppm when talking about freshly mixed reefcrystals saltwater. Something here still doesn't add up, and I would continue investigating.
cloakerpoked
Well-Known Member
This is strictly anecdotal, but I use salifert calcium test kits...and when I add Calcium Cloride from bulkreefsupply's 2 part system, I measure the results that I expect when using their reef calculator. In other words, if I measure x as my calcium, and am told to add y in order to get to my target calcium, and check it the next day, my reading is what I expect it to be. At the very least, this seems to point to the idea that my experience with salifert is consistent. I experience good growth (and shouldn't if I was at 200-300ppm) and so I trust that when salifert tells me my calcium is in my targetted 420-450 range, that it's actually there. That's just my experience.
OP
OP
jcom
Active Member
In addition to the tests I had done at the LFS, I also got two, separate reference samples of 413 mg/l calcium that were still factory sealed. I performed 2 tests with each kit on each of the two samples - 4 tests total. Results:
SeaChem: +/- 420 on both samples
Salifert: +/- 540 on both samples
Nothing in my tank, sump, refugium, or algae scrubber is telling me that calcium is anywhere close to 750. There would at least be some precipitation on heater, sump pumps, etc., even with elevated Mag levels of approx. 1750. Everything is clean as can be. Tank inhabitants all look good.
I agree that no over the counter tests will be perfect, but as I look back at the results of multiple tests, it seems very clear to me that the Salifert is reading high, very high. When it comes to Alk, Cal, and Mag and if it's going to be off one way or the other, I'd rather have a reading that is on the shy side of the actual amount rather than over. i.e. if my Calcium's true actual is 380, I'd rather have a test tell me it's 340 rather than 420. For nitrate, ammonia, phosphate, etc, I'd prefer the opposite.
FWIW, the Salifert Calcium kit has an expiration date of 6/2014.
Last edited:
FWIW I would tend to believe the Sea-Chem test over the Sailifert. I have used Sea-Chem for years and always had consistant results. I quit using sailifert when tyey had the troubles with their alk. test and i almost killed a lot of stuff.
Red Sea and Seachem are probably the two worst brands of test kits on the market. The fact that your LFS uses and believes in them should make you very leary of anything they have to say.
Salifert has had some issues and I have lost a lot of faith in them. However, most of those issues revolve around their alkalinity kits. That said, you wouldn't be the first person with a bad calcium test kit from them either.
Like I said, get a cheap API calcium. I uses to bash them back when the dry tab was their most populat test kit type. In the last 5 years I've started using them more and more as I've lost faith in Salifert and got tired of using Lamotte kits. I have yet to have a single issue and have gone through several kits. The calcium may read a tad high (maybe 20ppm), but will be very close to accurate; which is all you need with calcium. With the amount of noise involved with calcium test kits you can't expect any of them to be dead on every time.
OP
OP
jcom
Active Member
What experiences have you had to make the statement that Seachem is one of the worst test kits on the market? (not meant rudely, just curious) Their crew was in attendance at a recent, local reef fest and they gave a workshop. I found them to be very knowledgeable and they were performing their tests on the water that was being used at the reef fest itself and results were coming back very similar to what the company that donated the water for the fest said they should be.
I've been in the hobby/industry for over 25 years... I've used several Seachem test kits and have found many of them to be quite inaccurate, in addition to that I've spoken to others with the same problems and issues. They're not as bad as Red SEa IMO, but they're still not a test kit I'd buy in their current state. Seachem is great at seeming like they know what they're talking about but in general they have some odd practices and products. For instance, many of their products contain high levels of boron. There's just no good reason to have those high levels and there could be harmful effects from it. However, if you're not knowledgable on the topic Seachems explanation for why all the boron is there sounds great... Sadly, there is a lot of false marketing nonsense with additive companies. Chris Brightwell in particular has become king of the nonsense.
OP
OP
jcom
Active Member
Bad Salifert test kit confirmed. Just tested my water at a friend's with his Salifert Calcium test kit and it read in the high 400s. Re-tested with my Salifert - 690. Guess I just wasted $34.99
Acroholic
There is no substitute.
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2008
- Messages
- 827
- Reaction score
- 11
I'd get a replacement or return from the point of purchase. Can you do this?
Outside the Alkalinity issues Salifert had (I've not had issues with this kit), I get consistent results with Salifert for calcium, KH, magnesium, and nitrate.
I bought an Elos KH kit to compare to my Salifert, and there is about a
.5 dKH difference between the two, but that is all.
One con to Elos, they have an accuracy level of no more than .5 dKH (7.0, 7.5, 8.0. 8.5), whereas Salifert measures to the .00 units dKH.
Dave
OP
OP
jcom
Active Member
I just emailed the online retailer (very well known) and told them the story and asked if I could get a credit or a refund. We'll see....
I'll probably give Salifert the benefit of the doubt and figure that I got a random bad seed and actually buy another one assuming that lightning won't strike twice. I'd always like to have 2 tests of each to compare and average. The 0.5 increments of Elos tend to make me not too excited about trying their product.
I wouldn't worry about the .5 increments. I just bought 5 new DKH kits because I was getting a 7.5 dkh reading on newly mixed IO salt. Between the 5 kits I got readings between 8.5 and 11.5 in my tank. Turns out I must of bought a bad batch of IO, but then again, I'm still just guessing.....
Similar threads
