Test kits, which do you use and why?

[jsdancer]

I know the importance of testing our water. Yet I am only a product of what is available at my local fish stores.
I currently use the following TEST KITS:

AlkALINITY - Seanalysis by Natureef
Iodine - by Seachem Labs
Phosphate - by API
Ammonia,Nitrite,Nitrates,Ph, and Calcium - by API

The more I get into the hobby, the more exotic corals I buy. I want to maintain the best in water quality and protect them. Are these good reliable test kits?
I don't mind paying for quality as long as I am going to be relying on accurate results.
Can you all advise on what you use, how much, and where I may order it via the web?

Thank you

 

[eros]

I use the cheapo API test kits for Cal, Alk and Nitrate because they are cheap and readily available. They are just as accurate as others I've tried and very easy to use. For Mg I use Salifert. I don't test anything else.

 

[glennr1978]

Same here, I use API for alk, ca, etc. I use Elos for Mg.

 

[stlrams88]

Switched to Salifert for everything, apparently I had a bad batch of API kits, the readings I were getting were completely different than the Salifert readings. I also tested API kits against API kits and got different readings the majority of the time.

 

[sps1-2-b]

LaMotte for alk, Elos for Ca, Salifert for Mg
All because of ease of use and accuracy

 

[Billybeau1]

I would not test for iodine.

The phosphate kit by API is pretty much useless for our purposes as it does not detect low enough for our purposes.

I have never heard of your alkalinity kit. But API makes a good one as well, as does Salifert and Elos.

You can order all of the best test kits from either Drs Foster & Smith or Marine Depot. I use them both.

 

[flyyyguy]

I, sure I am not the only person who has went through this at some point, but I have went through alkalinity test kit hell in the last couple of years. A couple bad from the get go which I shouldnt have trusted, and acouple to go in the middle of usage due to poor storage or soemthing and as a result of which I was all over the board which isnt good when you keep primarily sps

I currently run lamotte, salifert and elos for alk. lol Dont test all that often but when i do I test it with all three

api and salifert for calcium

elos and salifert for mag

dont test anything else