Alk Test Kits

bdare

bdare

Salty Dude
Premium Member
Can someone reccomend a solid KH / Alk test kit for me? My old Salifert kit ran out. I just recieved my new one last week and it is WAY off.

According to the new kit I recieved both my tank and a freshly mixed bucket of RC mixed at 1.026 has a dkh of 16. According to my old kit it's around 12.

I thought I'd be able to avoid all these salifert problems... guess not :(
 
Yes the API kit is very accurate for hobby grade kits. Easy to use and good color end point. The only drawback is you only get whole numbers. 1 drop equals 1 dkh. You wont get fractions. This is not important to most.

It disappoints me that you got a bad kit. I was one of the lucky ones that never got one. And I do a lot of testing. I'm a testing fool.

I even got a new style Salifert kit from Habib that he was testing that didn't need a color indicator. Much like the API, you just drip the titrant in the water until it changes color. It produces the same results as my old Salifert and my API. Except you got results in the tenths of dkh.

As far as Elos, I just purchased their calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and phosphate test kits as they are now available through Marine Depot.

I plan on doing some extensive testing in the next couple of weeks and will report my observations. :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11587612#post11587612 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Billybeau1
Yes the API kit is very accurate for hobby grade kits. Easy to use and good color end point. The only drawback is you only get whole numbers. 1 drop equals 1 dkh. You wont get fractions. This is not important to most.

It disappoints me that you got a bad kit. I was one of the lucky ones that never got one. And I do a lot of testing. I'm a testing fool.

I even got a new style Salifert kit from Habib that he was testing that didn't need a color indicator. Much like the API, you just drip the titrant in the water until it changes color. It produces the same results as my old Salifert and my API. Except you got results in the tenths of dkh.

As far as Elos, I just purchased their calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and phosphate test kits as they are now available through Marine Depot.

I plan on doing some extensive testing in the next couple of weeks and will report my observations. :)
Click to expand...

The kit I got is one of the new ones. It was a good idea, but unfortunately I don't think it works :(

Someone else mentioned how the color goes from blue to green to orange. Maybe I just need to stop when the color hits that werid green color even though the instructions say go to orange.
 
I agree the end point is more difficult to distinguish than the old Salifert kit. I stop as soon as I see a hint of red/orange after swirling for a few seconds and it doesn't turn back.
 
yeah... like I said, that doesn't happen for me until I get all the fluid out of the syringe... My old salifert kit gives me much different results :(

Anyone have experience with LaMotte Alk kits?
 
Last edited:
I went ahead and ordered a LaMotte kit from Marine Deopt. If anyone is interested I'll post my results after it shows up...
 
I bought a LaMotte kit. It is a PITA. :(

LaMotte apparently has hobby grade kits and better kits priced a lot higher.

I am in the process of testing a number of hobby grade test kits.

I will be posting my results in a couple of weeks.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11598673#post11598673 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Billybeau1
I bought a LaMotte kit. It is a PITA. :(

LaMotte apparently has hobby grade kits and better kits priced a lot higher.

I am in the process of testing a number of hobby grade test kits.

I will be posting my results in a couple of weeks.
Click to expand...

What's wrong with it? I read the instructions for the Alk kit on thier website and it appears to be just like the old school Salifert kits.
 
I have used Lamotte and Hach for years. The guy who owns Marine Technical Concepts which arguably makes the best calcium reactor said to use Tetra KH kit. I normally would not look to Tetra. Anyway, I tried it and got the same results as Lamotte without the fuss. Every drop of reagent you put int the tested water is 1 dkh. When the color changes from blue to yellow, you count the drops you put in and that is your alkalinity.
Ken
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11598673#post11598673 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Billybeau1
I bought a LaMotte kit. It is a PITA. :(

LaMotte apparently has hobby grade kits and better kits priced a lot higher.

I am in the process of testing a number of hobby grade test kits.

I will be posting my results in a couple of weeks.
Click to expand...

Really? I never had any problems with it. It cannot get much more easy than this.

  • Add 5ml of sample to vial
  • put in one tablet and swirl until disolved.
  • titrate to a purple color
  • read the scale on the syringe which is in ppm

The endpoint is sometimes difficult to determine but then we are talking about the difference between 8.0 - 8.5 dkH when converted from ppm. The precision of the test makes reading the endpoint not so critical. If you miss the endpoint with API your off by 1 or 2 dKH with Lamotte your off by 0.5 dkh.
 
Let me re-phrase it. Wouldn't you rather buy a kit where all you had to do is count the drops, and it is cheaper, than buy a kit where you have to do the titration method and is more expensive? No you do not have to be a rocket scientist to use Lamotte, but since water testing is something that most people would not do if they did not have to, I would think most people would pick the simplest test without sacrificing accuracy.
Ken
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11605968#post11605968 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ken6217
Let me re-phrase it. Wouldn't you rather buy a kit where all you had to do is count the drops, and it is cheaper, than buy a kit where you have to do the titration method and is more expensive? No you do not have to be a rocket scientist to use Lamotte, but since water testing is something that most people would not do if they did not have to, I would think most people would pick the simplest test without sacrificing accuracy.
Ken
Click to expand...

That's where personal preference comes in... I've been using Salifert so the titration doesn't bother me. I also like knowing a more exact level that just going up 1 dkh per drop. I think LaMotte is pretty expensive up front, but the fact you can buy refills is a pretty nice option.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11605968#post11605968 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ken6217
Let me re-phrase it. Wouldn't you rather buy a kit where all you had to do is count the drops, and it is cheaper, than buy a kit where you have to do the titration method and is more expensive? No you do not have to be a rocket scientist to use Lamotte, but since water testing is something that most people would not do if they did not have to, I would think most people would pick the simplest test without sacrificing accuracy.
Ken
Click to expand...

Agreed it is expensive but definitely more precise. I actually work as a technician in a soil lab so I do close to 100 titrations a day, hehe. I think API is good for a hobby test kit though and they are simple and cheap.
 
It is not more precise. Believe me I look down my nose at Tetra except that you get the same results from it as Lamotte. If there is a a difference it is not more than .5 dkh which does not matter.

I happen to own a Lamotte Colorimeter 2 which I use for other tests, so you can see i'm not afraid to spend money on precise things. I just think that the simplicity of Tetra combined with it's accuracy is good for me. Maybe not for you evidentally.
Ken
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11606376#post11606376 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ken6217
It is not more precise. Believe me I look down my nose at Tetra except that you get the same results from it as Lamotte. If there is a a difference it is not more than .5 dkh which does not matter.

I happen to own a Lamotte Colorimeter 2 which I use for other tests, so you can see i'm not afraid to spend money on precise things. I just think that the simplicity of Tetra combined with it's accuracy is good for me. Maybe not for you evidentally.
Ken
Click to expand...

I am not familiar with tetra so I cannot compare its accuracy. Is Tetra's results in ppm?

If I need more precise test I just take it to the lab :)
 
What I meant was I had trouble distinguishing the end point on the LaMotte. I had the same trouble with the new Salifert alk kit.

The old Salifert and my API are as clear as a bell.

I just ordered a bunch of Elos kits. They should be here on Friday.

I plan on comparing them to the other kits I have on hand.

We shall see. :)
 
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