Red Sea Pro Alkalinity Test Kit

[aikenreefkeeper]

I recently purchased a Red Sea Alkalinity Test Kit. I never got the blue start point since I purchased the kit. I got on YouTube and watched a video and they got the blue/green start and end point. It is a pretty simple test. I tried it on both of my tanks and got the same results. It ends up with the yellowish end point. I though maybe my Alk was too low so I cut the amount of water in half as a trial and got the same results.

Could I have gotten a bad reagent?

Thanks,

 

[bertoni]

I assume that this is the Red Sea Pro version that is supposed to give a pink end point? Has the tank gotten a lot of pH buffer or a pH adjuster dosed into it? If not, I agree that the reagent might have failed.

 

[bertoni]

I think testing some freshly-mixed saltwater might be a good sanity test, come to think of it.

 

[aikenreefkeeper]

Jonathan,

No, I have not added any Ph booster. I have been added a few drops of Red Sea Kh additive......maybe 6 - 10 drops a day. this is in a 20 gallon tank. I did another test, I added a drop of the Kh Addative to the vile before I ran the test again. I finally did get a bluish color at the very end. I sent an email to Red Sea and Bulk Reef.

Thanks,

Dean

 

[Alex114]

So I've used this test kit for awhile. One of the refill kits I bought wouldn't show up blue at all. But it would show up green consistently at the level I was expecting. Like bertoni said I would look up the level of alkalinity your salt mixes at and test that to see if you get any green at that level. Holding up a paper towel or white piece of paper sometimes helps to make it show up too

 

[aikenreefkeeper]

This weekend was time for another water change. After I had my water mixed, I ran a test on my tank water and the newly mixed water. I got about the same results. I put together a summary and sent to Red Sea.

Thanks,

Dean

 

[aikenreefkeeper]

Here are photos of the results I got.....

This is at .2 Ml of Reagent added to my tank water.

This is at .4 Ml of Reagent added to my tank water.

This is at .6 Ml of Reagent added to my tank water.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=11921&pictureid=81327

This is at .8 Ml of Reagent added to my tank water.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=11921&pictureid=81328

This is at 1.0 Ml of Reagent added to my tank water.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=11921&pictureid=81329

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dean

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

IF & I say IF you are used to a Salifert Kit they read opposite.

 

[clevername]

Like others have said, test your freshly mixed water. Then i would just buy a refill kit (call red sea).

Unless your missing some obvious steps then, these results are not right.

 

[aikenreefkeeper]

All,

So I emailed Red Sea and sent them the pictures I had taken. They sent me a new bottle of reagent. It was from Lot 330. This is the results I got with this lot.

This picture is with .4 Ml of the new reagent.

This picture is with .5 Ml of the new reagent.

This picture is with .55 Ml of the new reagent.

This picture is with 1.0 Ml of the new reagent.

Red Sea sent me the new reagent two days after I sent them the photos.

Thank you Red Sea.

Dean

 

[ausndani]

Thats very kind of red sea