New to the hobby and need test kit advice.

[Timfish]

For starters the best test kit lwill be the one you find easy to use frequently but in my maintenance business I use:

API - pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrate
Elos - Phosphate
Nyos - Phosphate, Nitrate
Red Sea - Magnesium, low range Nitrate

Depending on what's happening I may tst everything frequently but normally:

Weekly I usually test for pH and Alkalinity and what I look for are long term trends. Some will say pH is not important and it does change throughout the day but it is the best indicator of CO2 we have and long term downward trends indicate increased eutrophication.

Monthly I test for calcium and magnesium.

As needed I test for phosphate and nitrate.

Whenever I buy a new test kit I will compare it to the old test kit to see if reagents have started going bad. I have found reagents can go bad faster than the "use by" dates and replace my test kits at least yearly.

Regarding Alkalinity test kits I've found API to be more consistant from one kit to another. I have a Hanna Alkalinty and compared it with a friends and using both reagent with both test kits gave us four different results that varied by 1 dKH. API comparisons were more cosnistant and using a test sample X2 or X3 larger then dividing by 2 or by 3 gives a more precise reading. But since reaearchers are using meq/l it's rare I feel the need to try to be more prcise than the standard API alkalinity reading.

 

[homer1475]

I would never recommend a NYOS nitrate kit, EVER!


When I started nitrate dosing I was using the NYOS kit. It always told me I only had 0 to 1ppm nitrates, so I kept adding daily. When the algae started and my monti cap's started loosing flesh I bought a Red Sea kit. Not only was I not at 1 ppm(according to NYOS), I was at 10ppm.



I even bought a second NYOS kit thinking the kit may be off, both kits only gave me a 0 to 1ppm.



All other recommendations I would agree with.

 

[hkgar]

I would never recommend a NYOS nitrate kit, EVER!


When I started nitrate dosing I was using the NYOS kit. It always told me I only had 0 to 1ppm nitrates, so I kept adding daily. When the algae started and my monti cap's started loosing flesh I bought a Red Sea kit. Not only was I not at 1 ppm(according to NYOS), I was at 10ppm.



I even bought a second NYOS kit thinking the kit may be off, both kits only gave me a 0 to 1ppm.

How do you know, with any certainty, that the Red Sea was not wrong?

it always seems when we test our standard kit - Nyos in your case - against another kit we tend to believe the second test. I can never understand that.


All other recommendations I would agree with.

 

[homer1475]

The fact I was getting a ton of nuisance algae, and my monti's were RTNed. They only regained flesh, and the algae subsided, after the Red Sea kit said the number dropped, would lead me to believe the red sea kit.



I totally agree with you though, which one would you trust?



2 of the same kit that returned a super low value when my own eye's could see different, or the one kit that the number I could agree with seeing how my tank was reacting.

 

[Steve175]

I own the Hanna checkers. They are gathering dust. I am a chemical engineer. I have, over the years, tried most brands (although admittedly not Nyos). I mostly check Alk and have always ended back at Salifert. The others are monthly: Ca (Salifert), Mg (Salifert), PO4 (Red Sea) and NO3 (Red Sea). I will sell you my Hanna checkers for cheap. . . make sure you pick up some DI water and be careful with the tiny powder packets. . . and, for goodness sakes, don't sneeze or put fingerprints on the vials. . . and whatever you do, don't run the test twice or you won't know which result to act upon. . . my $0.02. . .

 

[Bryanmc1988]

I own the Hanna checkers. They are gathering dust. I am a chemical engineer. I have, over the years, tried most brands (although admittedly not Nyos). I mostly check Alk and have always ended back at Salifert. The others are monthly: Ca (Salifert), Mg (Salifert), PO4 (Red Sea) and NO3 (Red Sea). I will sell you my Hanna checkers for cheap. . . make sure you pick up some DI water and be careful with the tiny powder packets. . . and, for goodness sakes, don't sneeze or put fingerprints on the vials. . . and whatever you do, don't run the test twice or you won't know which result to act upon. . . my $0.02. . .

What kind of checkers do you have Steve? Can you PM me with a list and price? I might be interested in some for a good deal

 

[homer1475]

I own the Hanna checkers. They are gathering dust. I am a chemical engineer. I have, over the years, tried most brands (although admittedly not Nyos). I mostly check Alk and have always ended back at Salifert. The others are monthly: Ca (Salifert), Mg (Salifert), PO4 (Red Sea) and NO3 (Red Sea). I will sell you my Hanna checkers for cheap. . . make sure you pick up some DI water and be careful with the tiny powder packets. . . and, for goodness sakes, don't sneeze or put fingerprints on the vials. . . and whatever you do, don't run the test twice or you won't know which result to act upon. . . my $0.02. . .

I use salifert and Hanna for ALK just to cross reference. Every time Hanna comes up the same number as salifert. My issue with salifert is your judging a color change which can lead to inaccuracy as we all see color differently.



Also show me where a salifert PO4 test can measure down to .001. The Hanna ULR PO4 checker is the gold standard in the hobby for PO4 at the super low ranges we try to keep. Yes there are some quirks with the Hanna meters(no fingerprints on the vials, use the same vial to 0 and test even though they supply 2), but they are very accurate is used correctly.

 

[PatW]

It depends on your needs. For fish only, API calcium, nitrate, alkalinity, will do pretty well. For specific gravity, a refractometer is best.

If you want to get into having hard corals, you should get more refined tests. Hard corals grow by enlarging their skeletons. The use alkalinity and calcium to make calcium carbonate skeletons. Also magnesium levels become important.

SPS corals are more demanding than LPS corals.

For them, most people measure alkalinity daily and dose to keep it constant. I use Red Sea Pro for ALK. Many people use Salifert with good results.

Calcium is also important. Sea water contains a bunch of calcium. I measure weekly with Red Sea Pro but Salifert is good also.

Magnesium is important. The Red Sea Mg test drives me crazy. I use Salifert. I have found that routine water changes with a high Mg salt mix keeps it at good levels so I rarely test it.

SPS corals are sensitive to high nutrient levels but you want some nutrients or they will die. I use Red Sea Pro for nitrate and I like it better than Salifert.

I use Hanna ULR phoshaphate tester for phosphate. It is the only hobby test that is sensitive enough on phosphate to be useful.

Of course, when you cycle a tank, you will want an ammonia test and a nitrite test. Ammonia is quite toxic at low levels. Many people report that the API test gives a low reading for ammonia when it is actually zero. I guess they are fine with that. It would drive me crazy and I use either Salifert or Red Sea. Once, your tank is cycled, you will rarely have any need to test ammonia or nitrite.

 

[Bryanmc1988]

After mixing my salt and setting up the tank, everything looks great besides for phosphate being .5 ppm. I am running a GFO reactor over this weekend and testing again on Monday to see if there is any change.

 

[Bruce51]

I use red sea and salifert test kits...hated testing. All the drop and swirl what a pain.
Until I found a little battery powered magnetic stirrer at a local pool supply store. Makes testing a breeze, and the glass viles in the test kits fit just fine on it. Best 20 bucks I've ever spent on my tank.

 

[hkgar]

Get these to go with your stirrer plate
https://www.amazon.com/magnetic-sti...pID=31GuPrrjf7L&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=srch