Test strips or not testing...which is worse

[Reefer Brent]

Ordered some IOAOI test strips ($4.99) that I will be trying out in the new year for comparison.

This will just be how does it compare to normal testing of course.

 

[rtparty]

Not testing is worse IMO.

I actually did check a test strip against my home kits and Neptune Trident. I used Salifert and Hanna to check Alk, Cal, and Nitrate. The Trident measured Alk, Cal, and Magnesium. The test strips don’t do magnesium but it doesn’t need to either.

I used the strips from Aqua Vital and here’s the review I made for them:

“While some may criticize these strips, they shouldn’t. They just don’t understand their use and how good they really are.

They are NOT advertised as super precise test strips that will give you dkh within .1 or calcium within 10ppm. So stop judging it as such.

What these WILL tell you is if something is seriously off that needs your immediate attention and they are an absolute must if you use an automated tester like Trident, Alkatronic, Mastertronic, etc. It takes 1 minute and you can instantly tell if the tester is working. It’s easy enough to see your calcium is between 4-500ppm and then cross check the Trident. Trident shows 440ppm. Perfect. I don’t need to know any more than that. There is no difference between 420 and 480ppm calcium. Your tank literally doesn’t care.

I’ve been using these for close to 6 months now to spot check things. Here is each test reviewed:

Nitrate: Grade A. Hanna told me 32 and these say between 25-40. Spot on and I don’t need any more than that.

Nitrite: N/A. It should always be 0 in a cycled tank.

Calcium: Grade A. Trident says 440ppm. Salifert says 450ppm. This strip says between 4-500ppm. Again, great spot check.

Alkalinity: Grade B. A 4dkh jump between 6 and 10dkh is rough. But if you’re good with colors, you can see if it’s closer to 6 or 10dkh. Trident says 7dkh. Salifert says 8dkh. Test strips shows slightly closer to 6 than 10. Again, spot on for my quick check.

pH: Pointless. Spot checking pH is a futile practice. Also, the pad is more yellow than the example so it’s hard to guess. I don’t care for this one.

So $25 and you get a year’s worth of testing. Sure beats pulling out 3 other kits and spending 20 minutes testing. I now do that once a month instead.“

 

[Reefer Brent]

Not testing is worse IMO.

I actually did check a test strip against my home kits and Neptune Trident. I used Salifert and Hanna to check Alk, Cal, and Nitrate. The Trident measured Alk, Cal, and Magnesium. The test strips don’t do magnesium but it doesn’t need to either.

I used the strips from Aqua Vital and here’s the review I made for them:

“While some may criticize these strips, they shouldn’t. They just don’t understand their use and how good they really are.

They are NOT advertised as super precise test strips that will give you dkh within .1 or calcium within 10ppm. So stop judging it as such.

What these WILL tell you is if something is seriously off that needs your immediate attention and they are an absolute must if you use an automated tester like Trident, Alkatronic, Mastertronic, etc. It takes 1 minute and you can instantly tell if the tester is working. It’s easy enough to see your calcium is between 4-500ppm and then cross check the Trident. Trident shows 440ppm. Perfect. I don’t need to know any more than that. There is no difference between 420 and 480ppm calcium. Your tank literally doesn’t care.

I’ve been using these for close to 6 months now to spot check things. Here is each test reviewed:

Nitrate: Grade A. Hanna told me 32 and these say between 25-40. Spot on and I don’t need any more than that.

Nitrite: N/A. It should always be 0 in a cycled tank.

Calcium: Grade A. Trident says 440ppm. Salifert says 450ppm. This strip says between 4-500ppm. Again, great spot check.

Alkalinity: Grade B. A 4dkh jump between 6 and 10dkh is rough. But if you’re good with colors, you can see if it’s closer to 6 or 10dkh. Trident says 7dkh. Salifert says 8dkh. Test strips shows slightly closer to 6 than 10. Again, spot on for my quick check.

pH: Pointless. Spot checking pH is a futile practice. Also, the pad is more yellow than the example so it’s hard to guess. I don’t care for this one.

So $25 and you get a year’s worth of testing. Sure beats pulling out 3 other kits and spending 20 minutes testing. I now do that once a month instead.“

This is exactly what I was hoping it could accomplish. In between testing as a safe-ish guard.

Between this and the way corals look it would be a good supplement to a "normal" testing schedule

 

[rtparty]

This is exactly what I was hoping it could accomplish. In between testing as a safe-ish guard.

Between this and the way corals look it would be a good supplement to a "normal" testing schedule

It worked for me. I also have 20 years in the hobby and dozens of setups over the years but once I understood how to use them, worked out fine for me.

Again, when I used them I wasn’t looking for exacts but close enough and trends. One time my alkalinity kept dropping on my Trident and I figured it was because it was getting low on reagent. Checked the reagent and plenty left. So I increased my dosage. Alk continued to drop. So I grabbed a test strip and in less than a minute I saw alkalinity really was dropping. To be extra extra sure, I tested with Hanna. Same thing. Alkalinity was dropping despite me increasing my dosage. Checked my kalkwasser setup and sure enough it was clogged.

I just used the test strips as a very quick glance to see if the bigger tests needed to come out.

I think they worked well enough.

 

[drbrivers]

General hardness is not useful in seawater. It's a weird mix of calcium, magnesium and strontium that does not allow any useful response to a value.

Is total hardness kit like the Hach total hardness a reasonable test kit for Ca and Mg for marine aquaria?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Is total hardness kit like the Hach total hardness a reasonable test kit for Ca and Mg for marine aquaria?

It was how I measured magnesium and calcium years ago, but today I’d use a calcium only kit and likely would not try to measure mag at all (just dose it as in the RMM method).

 

[drbrivers]

Happy New Year and thanks for your reply ! Your thoughts on a good Calcium kit?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Happy New Year and thanks for your reply ! Your thoughts on a good Calcium kit?

Salifert seems useful. :)

 

[PotatoPig]

The only test strips I use are for chloramines every couple months to make sure the RODI is removing them from the water.

 

[Reefer Brent]

The only test strips I use are for chloramines every couple months to make sure the RODI is removing them from the water.

Not a popular approach but I know my city water has chloramines and I choose to ignore them. Wish me luck lol

 

[Reefer Brent]

It worked for me. I also have 20 years in the hobby and dozens of setups over the years but once I understood how to use them, worked out fine for me.

Again, when I used them I wasn’t looking for exacts but close enough and trends. One time my alkalinity kept dropping on my Trident and I figured it was because it was getting low on reagent. Checked the reagent and plenty left. So I increased my dosage. Alk continued to drop. So I grabbed a test strip and in less than a minute I saw alkalinity really was dropping. To be extra extra sure, I tested with Hanna. Same thing. Alkalinity was dropping despite me increasing my dosage. Checked my kalkwasser setup and sure enough it was clogged.

I just used the test strips as a very quick glance to see if the bigger tests needed to come out.

I think they worked well enough.

Do you have overflows on both ends of that tank. Is that considered a double peninsula or???

 

[rtparty]

Do you have overflows on both ends of that tank. Is that considered a double peninsula or???

There was only the one overflow on the one end

 

[Reefer Brent]

There was only the one overflow on the one end

Haha I see now it's both side of the tank.