too many Test kit options

[beginnerreefer04]

So I had a fruval test kit and I hate it. Not once did I test ammonia and have a color match up. So after breaking both the test tubes I have decided I am no longer going to use their brand. That leads me to my question of what test kit to get. I have heard a lot of people say ammonia testing is only necessary while cycling. I am unsure if i believe this or not but that has led me to the choice of either red seas complete test kit including ammonia nitrite nitrate ph and kh. Or the brs master test kit that includes a Hanna checker for alk Hanna checker for phosphate and nyos nitrate tests. As well as a magnesium and calcium which I’m not concerned about as I already have tests for those two. I am leaning towards the brs test kit as the included Hanna’s checkers would be very nice to have on hand

 

[CasperOe]

Here's what I test for- and what I use!

Alkalinity (Hanna) - Daily
Calcium (Red Sea) - Weekly
Magnesium (Red Sea) - Weekly
Nitrate (Hanna) - Weekly
Phosphate (Hanna) - Weekly
pH (Hanna) - Monthly
Salinity (Milwaukee) - Monthly

Once you're cycle is done and your tank starts to mature, ammonia will be of no concern to you under normal circumstances.

 

[brandon429]

Ammonia isn’t even required to be tested during the cycle. I have a forty page testless cycle thread with a hundred cycles done in it

you don’t need to own ammonia kits or nitrite kits to reef. When you have a question about ammonia just post it here and we will determine levels using things not from a test kit, there are other rules that govern ammonia levels such as degree of surface area, how many days the tank has been running etc

read this, we were applying testless cycling rules earlier today:

Salifert Ammonia test

Hello, I started my tank on Saturdays and added Dr. Tims One and Only. I have been monitoring the tank for ammonia using a Salifert ammonia test kit, which has been reading 0. So today I went back to the fish store to get some Dr. Tims Ammonium Chloride. My tank is a 40g AIO (30g water...

www.reef2reef.com

ammonia Is important in cycling, it can’t be ignored at all. We aren’t ignoring it; we are predicting it’s levels that’s different. If ammonia wasn’t predictable, common cycling charts would have wildly varying ammonia compliance dates / they don’t

 

[beginnerreefer04]

Here's what I test for- and what I use!

Alkalinity (Hanna) - Daily
Calcium (Red Sea) - Weekly
Magnesium (Red Sea) - Weekly
Nitrate (Hanna) - Weekly
Phosphate (Hanna) - Weekly
pH (Hanna) - Monthly
Salinity (Milwaukee) - Monthly

Once you're cycle is done and your tank starts to mature, ammonia will be of no concern to you under normal circumstances.

Thank you so much this completely answers my question on what I should be testing for and what kit I will be spending my money on… have spent so much unnecessary money learning about this hobby but it is still extremely exciting to learn about caring for these fish and growing corals. Just want to make sure they are as healthy as possible.

 

[CasperOe]

Thank you so much this completely answers my question on what I should be testing for and what kit I will be spending my money on… have spent so much unnecessary money learning about this hobby but it is still extremely exciting to learn about caring for these fish and growing corals. Just want to make sure they are as healthy as possible.

Glad to help Ultimately, it comes down to which kit suits you better- and which ones you can use consistently. Nothing right or wrong here.

 

[CasperOe]

Thank you so much this completely answers my question on what I should be testing for and what kit I will be spending my money on… have spent so much unnecessary money learning about this hobby but it is still extremely exciting to learn about caring for these fish and growing corals. Just want to make sure they are as healthy as possible.

Glad to help Ultimately, it comes down to which kit suits you better- and which ones you can use consistently. Nothing right or wrong here.

 

[CasperOe]

Thank you so much this completely answers my question on what I should be testing for and what kit I will be spending my money on… have spent so much unnecessary money learning about this hobby but it is still extremely exciting to learn about caring for these fish and growing corals. Just want to make sure they are as healthy as possible.

Glad to help Ultimately, it comes down to which kit suits you better- and which ones you can use consistently. Nothing right or wrong here.

 

[Srfnhooker]

Calc - Red sea
Alk - Hanna
Phos - Hanna ULR
Nitrate - Nyos
Mag - Aqua Forest

These are the BRS recommended kits and cheaper to buy in the bundle. I like them and all are easy to use. CasperOe said it. Whatever kits you choose and use consistently are the ones for you.

 

[jda]

When in doubt, Salifert always works. They are cheap, reliable and accurate. Hannah Ultra Low Checker for phosphorous is the only kit besides Salifert that I use.

Most test kits just he same methods and chemicals. Some of the high dollar kits like Hach and LaMotte have more sophisticated and accurate methods, but these kits can be many hundreds of dollars and the difference in accuracy is not significant for most reefers.

I would at least recommend having Salifer alk, calcium and mag around to double check any kinds of checkers, probes, alktronic or triton type of deals.

 

[temphermitcrab]

My experience with Salifert is that they are accurate and inexpensive. Whatever kit you decide on you will eventually run out of reagent and so you can easily change to another kit based on what you decide you like or don't like.

Over the years I have found that I prefer kits that don't rely on matching the color of the results to a card. I also don't love holding a test tube in one hand and adding drops with the other while lightly swirling the test tube to mix the solution. I like kits with a plastic instruction card and a good sample color patch to compare with if I have to look for a color change. I want test kits that are easy to get the same results if I retest.

Below is what I use now. I used to use Salifert for CA, Alk, and Mg. The only thing I didn't like was the swirling and the paper instructions.

Red Sea Calcium Pro Test Kit (replaced Salifert Calcium Test Kit) - The Red Sea kit has a cool one-handed titration system that I like and is supposed to be an accurate test kit based on some tests I've seen. The tools in the kit all look high end. I plan to keep using this test kit.
Hanna Alkalinity (dKH) Checker HC - HI772 (replaced Salifert KH/Alkalinity Test Kit) - the test is easy to do, quick, and hard to make a mistake. I plan to keep using this test kit.
Hanna Magnesium Checker - HI783 (replaced Salifert Magnesium Test Kit) - Hanna Mg is more involved and I'm not yet certain how accurate it is, and if I will keep using it.
Hanna Phosphate Ultra Low Range Checker HI774 - I plan to keep using this test kit.
Hanna High Range Nitrate Checker - HI782I - I plan to keep using this test kit.
Hanna Copper HR checker HI702 - I was told this was the only choice accurate enough.
Salifert Nitrite tester - inexpensive and accurate enough for cycling my tank - uses color matching.
Salifert Ammonia tester - inexpensive and accurate enough for cycling my tank - uses color matching. I'm not certain of the accuracy when testing Ammonia with Copper in a QT tank.

 

[DCR]

I would start with Salifert in general (Alk, Ca and Mg) except Phosphate/Phosphorous (Hanna ULR) and Copper (HR). The Salifert kits are inexpensive and reliable. I also think they are very simple to use - easier than the Hanna Checkers.

 

[El Toro]

So I had a fruval test kit and I hate it. Not once did I test ammonia and have a color match up. So after breaking both the test tubes I have decided I am no longer going to use

My tests for Ammonia are every day or more often because I have a 3 month old 60g tank and I am adding stock slowly. My rate of testing increases when I add or change something, but generally every 2 days:

Salinity @1.025 - Refractometer
pH 8.2 - API High pH
Alkalinity 9.2-9.5 - Hanna
Calcium 450-480 - Monitor Aquaculture
Magnesium 1350 - Monitor Aquaculture
Nitrite 0.0 - API
Nitrate 0-5ppm - API
Ammonia 0.0 - API
Phosphate .01 - Hanna ULR

Once the tank is 8-9 months old I will likely cut back testing to twice a week. But titration fluids and a logbook are cheap insurance.