Test kits

[Jesterrace]

+1 to Red Sea. Everything is waterproof. Sounds silly but is a huge help after many tests. Also they break it down more precisely than API, IMHO.


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It's not silly, outside of the nitrate test being ridiculously inaccurate the leaky vials are my biggest gripe with API. Oh and having the color chart on the back of the instruction manual was a bone headed idea since the vials leak. I like having the separate cards for each test and having dry hands and vials when I test.

 

[nereefpat]

Oh, how quickly an RO unit would pay for itself if a 5gal water change costed 1.25$ instead of 12$.

 

[Bent]

I'd have to buy distilled water then the salt

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You need an RO unit bud.

 

[T_L]

Or I could not. I'm gonna buy saltwater from my lfs in the future

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[Bent]

Or I could not. I'm gonna buy saltwater from my lfs in the future

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Why would you want to do it the hard and expensive way, I don’t understand.

Anyways, I use a variety of test kits depending on which one I like.

 

[ramseynb]

Buy a used RO/DI unit if you plan on staying in this hobby for long or unless you have a tiny tank. Replace the filters (I like Buckeye Hydro A LOT and they're a sponsor) and mix your own salt. You can thank us later. ;P If you can't find one used, you can good a great unit for decent price (again, I like Buckeye Hydro, great support!). It's totally worth it!

EDIT: Plus, you can buy a refractometer on Amazon for like $20 nowadays.

 

[Djbeasley05]

I buy saltwater from my lfs for 1.00/gallon. I use my ro unite for top-off water. I like my lfs saltwater mix better than bagged salt.


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[ramseynb]

I buy saltwater from my lfs for 1.00/gallon. I use my ro unite for top-off water. I like my lfs saltwater mix better than bagged salt.


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You do realize that they're using bagged salt as well, right? I mean, unless they have a way to get it from the ocean. They're probably using the cheapest salt available too (likely good ole IO).

 

[ramseynb]

One more thing, a salt mixing station doesn't have to be complicated. Since I sold my 185 and only have about 50G now, I bought a 14G Rubbermaid Brute tote thing. I just dump 5-10G of water from my Brute that's hooked up in the garage to my RO unit and mix my salt. I have two old cheap pumps and a cheap heater in there. It's right next to the tank too so I just use a 5G container to drain my old water and a gallon pitcher to scoop NSW back into the tank. It's worked well so far and hasn't made me hate life.

With regards to test kits, I like Salifreit for the money. I've used them all pretty much and they all work. I don't care for the Hanna meters (I own many) because I don't like having to dump the tiny regent packet into the small vial. I have shaky hands so I find myself frustrated. I recently bought two Nyos kits to try them out - a nirate and phos kit. Both are easy to use but the phosphate kit's very hard to read at low levels. The nitrate kit is great though.

 

[T_L]

Yeah my tank is only 14g, its simply not needed. I can get water from a lfs for .75c a gallon to 1.25 a gallon so that's good enough. I also already have a refractometer

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[T_L]

Thanks for the test kit advice though!

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[ramseynb]

Yeah my tank is only 14g, its simply not needed. I can get water from a lfs for .75c a gallon to 1.25 a gallon so that's good enough. I also already have a refractometer

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Yeah, I hear ya. I started with a 12G tank and didn't have an RO unit. Personally, having to go somewhere once a week to buy water would be enough to annoy me enough to buy the things I need to make my own water, but if you're fine doing it, it's not a big deal. One thing to watch out for is their RO water. I've known LFSs that won't ever replace filters so they're using high TDS water. It might be worth buying a cheap TDS meter and testing the RO water you get from them. If the TDS is not 0 or very close to it (1 or 2), I would ask them why it's not.

 

[T_L]

Yeah, I hear ya. I started with a 12G tank and didn't have an RO unit. Personally, having to go somewhere once a week to buy water would be enough to annoy me enough to buy the things I need to make my own water, but if you're fine doing it, it's not a big deal. One thing to watch out for is their RO water. I've known LFSs that won't ever replace filters so they're using high TDS water. It might be worth buying a cheap TDS meter and testing the RO water you get from them. If the TDS is not 0 or very close to it (1 or 2), I would ask them why it's not.

Will do, thanks. Also I don't go ouy every week I just get a lot at once

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[Antegon]

We started using ro water (and it's waste line water, don't want to be too wasteful) for other things in the house. Plants/gardening, humidifiers/irons/anything that runs off water and has build up, and it doesn't taste bad. No persuasion either way, just what we're up to!


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[Jesterrace]

Why would you want to do it the hard and expensive way, I don't understand.

It's all a matter of perspective. If you have a reliable LFS that mixes RODI properly and you can buy it pre-mixed for $1 per gallon you actually have to question what is more of a hassle. The cost of a $150-$200 RODI unit that needs to be hooked up, a rolling garbage can (or two), place/use for waste water and in many cases a unit that will need to be hooked up and then disconnected since most people don't have a dedicated faucet that they could keep it hooked up. You then have to buy the salt to mix it and periodically purchase and change out the resins for the unit. You also may or may not have room for a big garbage can where you live. You also generally have to plan well in advance to make sure you have the salt mixed right and enough water for your use. In the case of a person who has a whopping 14 gallon tank such as this guy, he only needs to purchase 3-4 5 gallon jugs at most (about a $28 cost) and stock up every few weeks. That way he has enough water for an emergency change and 5 gallons of top off water for his tank. All you need to do is bring the water to temp and you are good to go. Unless the store is more than 30 minutes away, I just fail to see the burden doing this once every few weeks as opposed to the mess that I posted above to say nothing of the fact that it would take years to recover the cost of all the equipment required above.

In my case I have a 90 gallon tank and still fill my tank with bought premix from my LFS. Why? They are a dedicated saltwater LFS (they don't do anything else) and RODI water is free and RODI/Saltwater mix is a whopping 75 cents per gallon. I also don't have the room to store a big rolling garbage can with RODI or RODI/Salt pre-mix, nor a good place to keep an RODI unit or go through the hassle of setting it up and tearing it down when needed. For some people it's just simply less hassle to haul a few 5 gallon jugs around then it is to go through all of the aforementioned.

 

[Bent]

It's all a matter of perspective. If you have a reliable LFS that mixes RODI properly and you can buy it pre-mixed for $1 per gallon you actually have to question what is more of a hassle. The cost of a $150-$200 RODI unit that needs to be hooked up, a rolling garbage can (or two), place/use for waste water and in many cases a unit that will need to be hooked up and then disconnected since most people don't have a dedicated faucet that they could keep it hooked up. You then have to buy the salt to mix it and periodically purchase and change out the resins for the unit. You also may or may not have room for a big garbage can where you live. You also generally have to plan well in advance to make sure you have the salt mixed right and enough water for your use. In the case of a person who has a whopping 14 gallon tank such as this guy, he only needs to purchase 3-4 5 gallon jugs at most (about a $28 cost) and stock up every few weeks. That way he has enough water for an emergency change and 5 gallons of top off water for his tank. All you need to do is bring the water to temp and you are good to go. Unless the store is more than 30 minutes away, I just fail to see the burden doing this once every few weeks as opposed to the mess that I posted above to say nothing of the fact that it would take years to recover the cost of all the equipment required above.

In my case I have a 90 gallon tank and still fill my tank with bought premix from my LFS. Why? They are a dedicated saltwater LFS (they don't do anything else) and RODI water is free and RODI/Saltwater mix is a whopping 75 cents per gallon. I also don't have the room to store a big rolling garbage can with RODI or RODI/Salt pre-mix, nor a good place to keep an RODI unit or go through the hassle of setting it up and tearing it down when needed. For some people it's just simply less hassle to haul a few 5 gallon jugs around then it is to go through all of the aforementioned.

If that works for you great. Seems like a gigantic expensive pain to me. .75 a gallon adds up.

 

[Jesterrace]

If that works for you great. Seems like a gigantic expensive pain to me. .75 a gallon adds up.

It does add up but the initial investment on an RODI system is also not cheap either. Figure the following:

$150 RODI system
$10-$15 misc hookup for a standard faucet
$40 for a pair of garbage cans on rollers (one for pre-mix/one for RODI if you want to have a bunch of water ready to go)
$40 for the cost of something like Instant Ocean Salt (makes 200lbs)
$40 for the cost of a pair of tank heaters to keep the pre-mix/RODI water at temp
Periodic Replacements of the Resins
Cost of a couple of siphon pumps ($40-$50)
Have tubes going every which way and either finding a use for or disposing of 3 to 4 gallons of wastewater for every good gallon of RODI water that you get.
Need to make sure the salt is mixed well in advance

Conversely the buying method involves the following in the case of the guy with the 14 gallon tank:

Buy (4) 5 gallon jugs (3 for the tank and one for RODI top off) at between $6-$7 a piece for ones that have caps and handles for easy transport
Drive to the store and Buy premix at 75 cents to a dollar per gallon.
Bring water to temp
Buy an $8-$13 simple manual siphon hose and place the jug up higher than the tank and let it drain in or simply hold the jug up and pour it in the tank and eliminate that cost

I guess I just fail to see where the hassle factor is so much more in that situation and it is going to take a couple of years to recover the cost vs simply buying it.

 

[Troublekitty]

Except phosphate. But yourself a Hannah if you really need accuracy often there.


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+1 on the Hannah Checker. I've been using Red Sea and my cal was reading 410ppm bought the checker that day to see what I really was at. It read 500ppm. Now I just need mag and alk.

 

[Antegon]

+1 on the Hannah Checker. I've been using Red Sea and my cal was reading 410ppm bought the checker that day to see what I really was at. It read 500ppm. Now I just need mag and alk.

They also, especially in phosphate tests, are very difficult to hone in, because the color shades. This is an issue across the board (or "˜spectrum', if you will) wit test kits. Hannah is all like "œI got you just read the number"
The price point is there, but hey, if I had cash, I'd be running constant probes and all digital readout testers. Hashtag one day.


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[Bent]

It does add up but the initial investment on an RODI system is also not cheap either. Figure the following:

$150 RODI system
$10-$15 misc hookup for a standard faucet
$40 for a pair of garbage cans on rollers (one for pre-mix/one for RODI if you want to have a bunch of water ready to go)
$40 for the cost of something like Instant Ocean Salt (makes 200lbs)
$40 for the cost of a pair of tank heaters to keep the pre-mix/RODI water at temp
Periodic Replacements of the Resins
Cost of a couple of siphon pumps ($40-$50)
Have tubes going every which way and either finding a use for or disposing of 3 to 4 gallons of wastewater for every good gallon of RODI water that you get.
Need to make sure the salt is mixed well in advance

Conversely the buying method involves the following in the case of the guy with the 14 gallon tank:

Buy (4) 5 gallon jugs (3 for the tank and one for RODI top off) at between $6-$7 a piece for ones that have caps and handles for easy transport
Drive to the store and Buy premix at 75 cents to a dollar per gallon.
Bring water to temp
Buy an $8-$13 simple manual siphon hose and place the jug up higher than the tank and let it drain in or simply hold the jug up and pour it in the tank and eliminate that cost

I guess I just fail to see where the hassle factor is so much more in that situation and it is going to take a couple of years to recover the cost vs simply buying it.

I simply disagree sir. :beer: