Water Test Kits!

[kj23502]

I use Salifert for everything...except phosphate. It's a stupid test really. You could have a tank with algae, test for it and it won't show up...why? Because it's being taken up by the algae! Just run gfo instead of doing a phosphate test. If you really want a good tool for measuring phosphate, get a photometer.

Anyway, I have ph, mag, calcium, alk, and nitrate. Don't currently have an ammonia test and I won't buy a nitrite.

 

[woody88]

I use Salifert for everything...except phosphate. It's a stupid test really. You could have a tank with algae, test for it and it won't show up...why? Because it's being taken up by the algae! Just run gfo instead of doing a phosphate test. If you really want a good tool for measuring phosphate, get a photometer.

Anyway, I have ph, mag, calcium, alk, and nitrate. Don't currently have an ammonia test and I won't buy a nitrite.

Hi, I've ended up buying 8 salifert test kits as I got a good deal on them (amm,nitrate,nitrate,ph,kh,phos,cal,mag) will try these out on sun 24 hrs after my 40% change.

 

[SensesFail]

I use Salifert for everything...except phosphate. It's a stupid test really. You could have a tank with algae, test for it and it won't show up...why? Because it's being taken up by the algae! Just run gfo instead of doing a phosphate test. If you really want a good tool for measuring phosphate, get a photometer.

Anyway, I have ph, mag, calcium, alk, and nitrate. Don't currently have an ammonia test and I won't buy a nitrite.

Hi, I've ended up buying 8 salifert test kits as I got a good deal on them (amm,nitrate,nitrate,ph,kh,phos,cal,mag) will try these out on sun 24 hrs after my 40% change.

let us know what you think of the kits etc give a iittle review comparing to what you have used in the past

may be worth a look!

 

[woody88]

I use Salifert for everything...except phosphate. It's a stupid test really. You could have a tank with algae, test for it and it won't show up...why? Because it's being taken up by the algae! Just run gfo instead of doing a phosphate test. If you really want a good tool for measuring phosphate, get a photometer.

Anyway, I have ph, mag, calcium, alk, and nitrate. Don't currently have an ammonia test and I won't buy a nitrite.

Hi, I've ended up buying 8 salifert test kits as I got a good deal on them (amm,nitrate,nitrate,ph,kh,phos,cal,mag) will try these out on sun 24 hrs after my 40% change.

let us know what you think of the kits etc give a iittle review comparing to what you have used in the past

may be worth a look!

Will do mate. If I get time on Sunday, I will carry out each test with the salifert kit and my 1 year old tropic Marin kit
I'll #101## myself if they both give the same readings. Salifert will be going back to lfs if they are. Lol

 

[Donya]

Make sure the reagents used are the same and/or that the states of each chemical being tested are the same before making comparisons. For ammonia, different reagents (usually nessler vs. salicylate - I don't know if there are others) can mean testing different states of the chemical. So, it would be possible to have different readings from different reagents that are actually both correct for what they're measuring.

 

[woody88]

Make sure the reagents used are the same and/or that the states of each chemical being tested are the same before making comparisons. For ammonia, different reagents (usually nessler vs. salicylate - I don't know if there are others) can mean testing different states of the chemical. So, it would be possible to have different readings from different reagents that are actually both correct for what they're measuring.

Hi Donya. Well, you've pretty much rapped up this topic. [Different reagents of chemicals to test the same thing, yet results could both be accurate].

Cheers Darling!.............End of Topic I guess!.........Where were you earlier!..........Could have saved a lot of typing! LOL

 

[Donya]

Hold on now - after a couple more google searches it actually looks like Salifert and API might use the same reagent for ammonia at least (no idea on the other tests). Test kit companies are always obnoxious and either don't put the reagent name on anything or hide it where it's hard to find, but the giveaway on the Ammonia at least is whether the reading is for both NH3+ and NH4. That it should say somewhere in the text inside the box. Although I'm not home right now to crack open my API boxes, I'm pretty sure API is the combined reading. I've read that for Salifert as well but have never used one of their kits, so someone else will have to confirm or correct that.

If it did turn out that there are reading differences despite reagent matches, then assuming the kits were never abused in some way (stored at proper temperature since manufacturing, not contaminated, etc.), the better question might be which one is more consistent in some way (between bottles, over time for the same bottle, etc.). A reagent is a reagent when considering the chemical by itself, so in some sense if two products use the same chemical to test the same thing, there should be no significant difference between the two. However, if there is ever an issue of making it in a certain concentration of that chemical or creating a mechanism to dispense it accurately, it starts to introduce potential for variation in results. Of course, it would take a lot of testing to narrow variation down to something like differing quality control standards between two companies rather than differences in how LFSs are storing/shipping/etc. the products.