calcium questions

[shyland83]

what does everyone use for calcium testing? I've been using a salifert test kit but have been considering buying a pinpoint calcium monitor. anyone use one? if so is it accurate and worth the money?

Also, does anyone add calcium to their water change water before they add it? if so how? i was considering just dumping a few teaspoons of kalk in when i mix up the salt then letting it mix up over night. is it necessarry, is it a bad idea? thanks

 

[pecan2phat]

Most people that I know who purchased the PP Ca monitor ended up selling it shortly thereafter. They didn't say it wasn't accurate, just that you had to calibrate it with each use. So a 2 minute test with a Salifert kit sounds much easier. Don't know 1st hand, just what I've been hearing.

I use to dose my RO water with magnesium then mix the salt, then add calcium but this was a bad way IMO. sometimes if I was not careful, the Ca would precipatate due to the small volume of water.
What I recommend is that you do your water change on a Sat. then test on Sun and adjust.

 

[mcmxc17]

I use LaMotte and Salifert for testing my calcium. The LaMotte is a little higher end and better quality imo, but it is 2X as expensive as the salifert which will "do the job" and gets fairly close to what my LaMotte test kit reads. (I think that the LaMotte is a little bit more sensitive)