New to the hobby and need test kit advice.

B

Bryanmc1988

New member
Hi everyone,

My name is Bryan and I'm new to the hobby. Wanted to see if anyone can recommend some Hanna digital test kits that would be valuable to a reef keeper tanks. What are the types of test kits that are most important to have on hand when starting a tank for reefing, phosphate, calcium, alkalinity, pH? And does anyone have or know of anyone letting go of some for cheap as I would need littitally the whole set 😂
 
For a coral tank you want
Salinity (recfractometer)
temperature
nitrate
phosphate
alkalinity
calcium
magnesium

When starting/cycling you typically want ammonia and nitrite too but thats the only time you will use them.. After cycle is rare to ever measure those..

Red sea makes some nice test kits
Salifert too..
My favorite nitrate kit is from Nyos
Hanna stuff is good to but can get pricey..

When starting out API master/reef master kits aren't even a bad idea.. They get a bad rap but in general work just fine and are quite easy to use.. And cheap to get those sets..
 
I agree on the API test to start. In the beginning you either have ammonia or you don't, the exact level is less important.

I never found a nitrate test I liked, they are pretty hard to read imo but I'll have to give that one a go.

Also the red Sea tests for alk/Cal/mag are pretty spot on and simple.

Mcgyvr as usual gave you some good advice.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
ryeguyy84 said:
I never found a nitrate test I liked, they are pretty hard to read imo but I'll have to give that one a go.
Click to expand...

Thats the reason I like the nyos.. Its the only one where the color differences are far enough apart that you can actually tell what the reading is..

Salifert is the worst IMO for that.. Its pink.. a little more pink.. a tad more pink and all are nearly impossible to differentiate..
 
as far as Hannah digital test kits, i love my alkalinity and calcium tests. a lot more convenient than doing titration tests.

i don't really consider phosphate tests to be all that critical, unless there's some real specific things you're trying to do with your tank. so i wouldn't worry about that one now.

i do highly recommend a salinity refractometer. that is my other "must have" instrument.

for cycling, API tests are good enough, but i've had issues with them an accuracy before, so i tend to trust other tests (Red Sea, SeaChem, Salifert, etc..) more
 
Hanna for Alk (cause that one I do a lot and want to know the difference between 8 and 9)
Red Sea for Mag (cause that's the only one that I found reasonably accurate)
The rest, All API, (cause they are less expensive and work well)
A digital thermometer (so I can actually read the thing)
A refractometer (so I know salinity)

Good luck!
The person who "masters" water chemistry is a big winning in this hobby.
 
I can't speak highly enough of Hanna for Alk, NYOS for nitrate, and Red Sea for Mag and Calc. I've got the Hanna phosphate checker as well.

The only thing I can't wait for is the Trident for Apex. It's going to be a game changer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
For me it's:
CA: Salifert, but Red Sea is fine
Mg: Salifert. I HATE the Red Sea Mg test kit, you need to swirl 15 seconds between drops of the reagent and not doing so makes a big difference in the results. Salifert is much easier to me, add the reagent and swirl one time for 30 seconds.
Alkalinity: Salifert, Red Sea or Hanna. I would go with the Hanna except that they do not have a good record with their reagents, too many bad batches IMHO.
 
Salinity (refractometer) - I have this...
temperature (Digital) - I have this...
nitrate - I have this... (Red Sea Brand)
phosphate - I have this... (Red Sea Brand)
alkalinity - might have to order the Hanna one as I like the digital stuff with less guessing work...
calcium - would need to look into this and order some
magnesium - need to order some.


What would you guys recommend the range for soft/sps coral parameters be at?
 
Newbie here Take with grain of salt

Newbie here Take with grain of salt

I have the Red Sea Marine Master Care kit https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/m...FMfirMNzZmNhe6k_u7X1ppRb2VqEeN08aAlKjEALw_wcB

Seems to work okay. Not a big fan of colorimetric tests, but that's what most the reasonable priced ones are I also have the Hana Alkalinity digital test which is much easier to use and doesn't need to count a bunch of drops.

I have API Calc test. I'm not sure of the accuracy. My Triton ICP test says 365ppm, whereas my API said 420ppm. More inclined to think Triton is accurate.
 
mcgyvr said:
Thats the reason I like the nyos.. Its the only one where the color differences are far enough apart that you can actually tell what the reading is..

Salifert is the worst IMO for that.. Its pink.. a little more pink.. a tad more pink and all are nearly impossible to differentiate..
Click to expand...

I could search, but I'm feeling lazy today, but how low nitrates does Nyos measrue? I like Red Sea Por as it goes as low as .25 and as high as 64. I try to stay at < 5 for NO3
 
hkgar said:
I could search, but I'm feeling lazy today, but how low nitrates does Nyos measrue? I like Red Sea Por as it goes as low as .25 and as high as 64. I try to stay at < 5 for NO3
Click to expand...

It is not suitable for differentiating ranged below 1ppm (0,1,3,5,etc..)
Range: 1 - 160 mg / l (ppm) NO3

But its great if you want to hover between 1 and 3 or 5,etc...
 
for what its worth
PO4 better than Hanna checker 736 (ULR)
NO4 I use Red Sea Pro
ALK Love the Hanna checker
Mag and Ca Salifert
CA reactor Effluent Salifert low level for dKH
 
With just soft coral about the only parameter to be concerned about is ammonia and nitrite. And of course salinity.
 
mcgyvr said:
It is not suitable for differentiating ranged below 1ppm (0,1,3,5,etc..)
Range: 1 - 160 mg / l (ppm) NO3

But its great if you want to hover between 1 and 3 or 5,etc...
Click to expand...
I think I might try it when my Red Sea needs to be replaced.
 
Bryanmc1988 said:
THanks for the advice.

What would you guys say the best parameter for a reef tank for spa and soft corals be in?
Click to expand...

Personally I would not reccomend SPS with Softies, the environmental needs are much different. I would recommend an LPS and softies. These like low to moderate flow and light in contrast to many SPS like Acros which love high light and fast flow.

That being said my parameters are:
Temp 77.7
Salinity 1.0255
Alk 8.5
CA 420
Mag 1360
Nitrate 2-5ppm
Phosphate .02-.04
Iodide .03-.06

10-15% water change each and every week starting with RODI water with TDS <10, RED SEA PRO, made mixed and all used within 48 hours, dosing RED SEA NoPox and ROWA here and there for keeping phosphate in check.

Hope that helps, good luck and have fun....
 
That does help. Thank you. I will try and have a tank setup and running within the next week or two and hopefully get the cycling process started. Scared to add any live rocks as they may carry things I do not want
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Cycling Questions
Replies
7
Views
322
SantaMonica
S
C
RSM Max Nano XL Plan / Build
2
Replies
21
Views
386
griss
griss
T
Returning to the hobby
Replies
13
Views
235
griss
griss
J
Calcium very elevated
Replies
3
Views
113
jcarlilesiu
J
B
New-ish to the hobby!
Replies
4
Views
398
burntricer
B
Back
Top