hope this is in the correct thread *FNG*

mmonkey

New member
I live north of Seattle and all the LFS within a thirty mile radius do not carry reef testing equipment. Nearly 100% of my purchases other then fish have been on-line or during business trips. I have found that Seattle has very small demand to support the hobby.

Im fairly new to the hobby and until recently I did not realize that I needed to address water parameters specifically to reef aquariums i.e. corals, invertebrates and other reef inhabitants. I guess my weekly water changes paid off.

Information within this forum sent me looking for Calcium, Magnesium, and alkalinity test kits and on my last business trip I found a reef specialty shop that carried Salkfert brand. The price was right, so I picked them up and brought them home in my carry-on bag.

I walk in the door from my trip and eagerly open one of the text kits and get busy. I follow directions and I get all the way to the point of where you compare the test vital color to the values on the color chart, but there is no color chart! ***.........I open the other two boxes and not one has a color chart.

I've called the store, but they are not being very helpful since I'm a few thousand miles away. I'm hoping someone on this forum may have extras they could forward me. I will send back some home brew for your efforts:thumbsup:
 
I live north of Seattle and all the LFS within a thirty mile radius do not carry reef testing equipment. Nearly 100% of my purchases other then fish have been on-line or during business trips. I have found that Seattle has very small demand to support the hobby.

Im fairly new to the hobby and until recently I did not realize that I needed to address water parameters specifically to reef aquariums i.e. corals, invertebrates and other reef inhabitants. I guess my weekly water changes paid off.

Information within this forum sent me looking for Calcium, Magnesium, and alkalinity test kits and on my last business trip I found a reef specialty shop that carried Salkfert brand. The price was right, so I picked them up and brought them home in my carry-on bag.

I walk in the door from my trip and eagerly open one of the text kits and get busy. I follow directions and I get all the way to the point of where you compare the test vital color to the values on the color chart, but there is no color chart! ***.........I open the other two boxes and not one has a color chart.

I've called the store, but they are not being very helpful since I'm a few thousand miles away. I'm hoping someone on this forum may have extras they could forward me. I will send back some home brew for your efforts:thumbsup:

Someone else may have to correct me on this but the Salifert alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium kits don't use a color chart.

My Salifert alkalinity kit uses a titration where you measure the amount of reagent left in a syringe to determine the alkalinity level of the sample water. I'm pretty sure the calcium and magnesium tests work the same way (I use the Red Sea tests for those).
 
Someone else may have to correct me on this but the Salifert alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium kits don't use a color chart.

My Salifert alkalinity kit uses a titration where you measure the amount of reagent left in a syringe to determine the alkalinity level of the sample water. I'm pretty sure the calcium and magnesium tests work the same way (I use the Red Sea tests for those).


I guess I need to reread the instructions!
I swear I do not live that far out in the sticks***FNG***
 
I guess I need to reread the instructions!
I swear I do not live that far out in the sticks***FNG***

No worries. Some of the test kits use a color chart, some have you count drops, etc. Personally, I've found that I'm partial to the ones where you count drops or figure out how much remains in a syringe - they seem more precise than checking a color disk or a chart with 4 or 5 different shades of red or blue.
 
LOL!!

Been there, done that. I have been told multiple times, RTFM!!

I like Salifert specifically because there is no color chart. The color change when you've added the right amount of reactant is definite, and the units precise.
 
LOL!!

Been there, done that. I have been told multiple times, RTFM!!

I like Salifert specifically because there is no color chart. The color change when you've added the right amount of reactant is definite, and the units precise.

To be fair, the Salifert instruction sheets I've got require a couple readings to get what they're telling you to do and they read like they were written in German and then translated to English.
 
Salifert goes ONLY by the numbers and therefore no subjective judgement. Freshly mixed salt water, dissolved for 24 hours, should be a good test for your accuracy: it will be close to the parameters in my sig line. Be sure to read the numbers with the syringe the right way up. Once you establish where you 'expect' your numbers to be (keep a log of your tests) you can make the process go faster (I wouldn't advise this on the mg test, which has a lot of shaking and mixing) by injecting a fair amount of the reagent at a go---on the logic that there's no way single drops matter at the gross end of the scale. It's when you get to single drops that are going to make a difference that you slow way down. If a test requires the thorough mixing of one ingredient before adding another, pay attention to that and go by the rules.

Also be sure to watch the expiration date on these tests, as an expired test gives bad results.
 
BTW, I'm also in WA. If you have trouble finding stuff (and we sometimes do) there are good online sources among our sponsors. As a mod I'm not in a position to recommend one over the other, but they are generally quite good and reasonable. Ask about products here on RC (yes, you are in a good area to ask basic questions) and people will be happy to give you their experiences. If you will provide us detailed info on your system size, etc, we can be even more helpful.
 
Extend your search down into Seattle itself, Kirkland, Bellevue, and Renton and you'll have your pick of several different shops that carry the test kits you need.
 
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