Which test kits is everyone liking?

spscrackhead · Sep 3, 2025

I am about to start adding coral to the tank and figgure it's about time I get some test kits. Which brands is everyone liking for each specific tests? I know i used to have hanna for all and ran red sea for ca and nitrate.

Thanks in advance.

Science/G · Sep 3, 2025

All my kits are Hanna, alkalinity, nitrate calcium, URL Phosphate and magnesium, which I rarely use. I do have a Salfert potassium kit that I use occasionally.

spscrackhead · Sep 3, 2025

Science/G said:
All my kits are Hanna, alkalinity, nitrate calcium, URL Phosphate and magnesium, which I rarely use. I do have a Salfert potassium kit that I use occasionally.

How do you like the hanna ca? Have you ever used something like a red sea? How did it compare?

JonoH · Sep 3, 2025

Hanna for Alk, Phosphate and Nitrate
Red Sea for Calcium
Salfert for Magnesium

The Hanna checkers are very in-accurate for Calcium and Magnesium.

Fish Fan · Sep 3, 2025

I like and mostly use the Hanna Checkers for everything, but I also like and use the Salifert brand test kits since they are cheaper. I like to use the Salifert tests when I’m testing a lot, like recently I’ve was dealing with near-zero phosphate, and I was testing near daily, and it’s just a lot cheaper to use the Salifert test in that situation. For typical, routine testing I use the Hanna Checkers.

eggie · Sep 3, 2025

If your starting I would go with Salifert test kits or Aquaforest has a nice kit for Alakalinity, Calcium and Magnesium all great
Hanna Nitrate High Range and Hanna Phosphate Ultra Low Range

Science/G · Sep 3, 2025

spscrackhead said:
How do you like the hanna ca? Have you ever used something like a red sea? How did it compare?

I have used the Red Sea calcium kit, but find the titration method is too subjective. Is it blue, or bluish purple... Meh. Hanna is far superior IMHO.

rishma · Sep 3, 2025

I only test alkalinity, phosphate, and nitrate at home. Been using only those kits for years.

For alkalinity there are many good kits. I use a Hanna checker because it’s fast, easy, accurate enough. I have used salifert and Red Sea and probably some others. All good. The kits are simple enough. I am not great at seeing color change titrations so the Hanna checker gets my vote.

For phospate is recommend the Hanna ULR. I’ve been using it for about 10 years. It’s the only phosphate test I would do.

For nitrate I have used quite a few kits including Red Sea, Nyos, Salifert. All good. I recently purchased a Hanna high range checker and I like it a lot. Simple and consistent. I’ll stick with it.

I never test calcium anymore. If you use combined alkalinity/calcium supplements like All-for-reef or kalkwasser, and do an occasional water change, there is no need to test calcium except rarely. I send an ICP in a couple times per year that is good enough. Calcium kits are not super accurate and not worth it to me.

I suggest you do not buy a magnesium kit. Read this.

Just say NO to magnesium testing: RMM is born

OK, this thread has been many years in the making, and I'm posting it here since folks in the chem forum are probably already tired of all the threads relating to problematic magnesium testing. I'm going to propose a method, let's call it the Randy Magnesium Method, or RMM for short. All good...

www.reef2reef.com

KrisReef · Sep 3, 2025

The only API kit that seems to compete with the big guns in their Calcium test. For Alk, I like either Salifert of Hanna, and use the latter because Im lazy counting drops.
Phosphate Hanna ULR, and those are the tests that get used most often.

Gumbies R Us · Sep 4, 2025

Salifert, Hanna and Red Sea are the ones I always recommend to people

Dread Pirate Dave · Sep 4, 2025

rishma said:
I only test alkalinity, phosphate, and nitrate at home. Been using only those kits for years.

For alkalinity there are many good kits. I use a Hanna checker because it’s fast, easy, accurate enough. I have used salifert and Red Sea and probably some others. All good. The kits are simple enough. I am not great at seeing color change titrations so the Hanna checker gets my vote.

For phospate is recommend the Hanna ULR. I’ve been using it for about 10 years. It’s the only phosphate test I would do.

For nitrate I have used quite a few kits including Red Sea, Nyos, Salifert. All good. I recently purchased a Hanna high range checker and I like it a lot. Simple and consistent. I’ll stick with it.

I never test calcium anymore. If you use combined alkalinity/calcium supplements like All-for-reef or kalkwasser, and do an occasional water change, there is no need to test calcium except rarely. I send an ICP in a couple times per year that is good enough. Calcium kits are not super accurate and not worth it to me.

I suggest you do not buy a magnesium kit. Read this.

Just say NO to magnesium testing: RMM is born

OK, this thread has been many years in the making, and I'm posting it here since folks in the chem forum are probably already tired of all the threads relating to problematic magnesium testing. I'm going to propose a method, let's call it the Randy Magnesium Method, or RMM for short. All good...

www.reef2reef.com

I've settled on these 3 only as well, with similar reasoning.

I just stick with Hanna. For me they are accurate enough and quick to use.

ColorMeGone · Sep 4, 2025

KH, Salifert
Nyos, N03 & P04

BrettMallette · Sep 4, 2025

Hanna across the board.
The Phosphate ULR and the dKh tester are the absolute go tos.
As others have stated the Calcium one isnt that accurate nor is the Magnesium. But if you do the tests the same every time you can still see the trend accurately. Im never chasing exact numbers so if my Calcium reads 440 im assuming its between 390 and 490 so still within range of good Calcium.
Have used RedSea and Salifert in the past but i absolutely hate the color change tests. The Hanna Checkers are just easier to use therefore im going to test more often.

fishyjoes · Sep 4, 2025

I use salifert for alkalinity, calcium, magensium, and nitrate because they work well and are not very expensive.
I use hanna for phosphate (ULR) because there's no other test kit I found that works as well.

ChrisfromBrick · Sep 4, 2025

Alk- salifert
Mag-salifert
No3- Hanna high
PO4- Hanna ULR
Ca- Salifert

Need to get a hanna copper soon

RajM · Sep 4, 2025

All test kits read within a percentage of each other. I have used Hanna, Salifert, Red Sea and API.
I would avoid API in most cases except ammonia or nitrite because with ammonia or nutrite I only care if it’s there or not and only need it when cycling or if I suspect a crash.
others it doesn’t matter as much as long as you use the same test kit. They will all be within standard error rate of each other. Hanna phosphorus ULR is probably the only one I would say to definitely use Hanna for.

I slowly added Hanna over time but recently got their standard solution for testing accuracy and even their solution has a standard error and if your checker reads within that they consider it good.
So I won’t really stress over accuracy as much as within range and all test kits read within that standard error range.
For accuracy go with ICP.

penfold2 · Sep 4, 2025

Alk: Salifert, it's cheap, quick, and has an easily discernible color change.
Ca: Aquaforest, easily discernible color change, though Salifert has also worked well in the past.
Mg: No need to test if you're doing regular water changes.
PO4: Seachem, it's way cheaper than a Hanna checker (75 tests for $20), comes with a reference solution that matches the test result for me, and is reasonably precise.
NO3: Nyos, the dual vial color matching system is so much easier to match than single vial, good precision (0,1,3,5,12,25ppm...)

Bonus tip: If you've ever had trouble with the printed markings wearing off on the syringes, just put a thin strip of packing tape over it. They'll be easily readable for the life of the test kit and beyond. I do this on my dosing syringes as well.