Best test kit
- Thread starter onepoorreefer
- Start date
jrpark22000
Premium member
"Best" well I prefer Hach, but it's well over the top.
For everyday testing API ALK and CA work great. Salifert MG is hard to beat for accuracy at a low price. Nitrate the best I found was Lamotte 3110-01.
For everyday testing API ALK and CA work great. Salifert MG is hard to beat for accuracy at a low price. Nitrate the best I found was Lamotte 3110-01.
William Lutman
Active member
Hanna all the way
Spartanman22
Well-known member
I've got a Hach DR3900 in my lab it is pretty nice
jrpark22000
Premium member
I've got a DR2000 at home, old but still great. It'd be awesome to have access to the newest spectrophotometers like the 3900.
www.chicagoreefs.com/forums/showthread.php/18251-Are-you-serious-about-water-testing-accuracy-Hach-DR-2000
Spartanman22
Well-known member
I wish I had one at home...someday when I have a nice big fish room! The 3900s are pretty nice. The new TNT test kits are so simple a monkey could do it and each different test vial has a bar code so you don't even have to setup parameters in the spectrophotometer. You just put the vial in, it scans the barcode, and then selects the appropriate parameters and boom result!
jrpark22000
Premium member
Sounds great. $4k for the meter alone, then matched glass prices puts it far too expensive for home aquarium testing. Factoring in the reagents cost too, it's almost a break even with long term use of mail in labs, http://uniquecorals.com/triton/triton-labs-reef-aquarium-water-test-single-test-vials-with-return-shipping.html. The main negative I see is the large use of cadmium (nitrate reduction) used at home. I'd likely not perform the test if I had kids.
sorry for the tangent [MENTION=162]onepoorreefer[/MENTION] These really aren't test kits we're discussing.
Spartanman22
Well-known member
Yes you're totally correct very impractical for a home based testing routine and the use of cadmium reagents poses a safety concern. All of the reagents require a significant pH adjustment prior to disposal.
Anyways back to affordable test kits...I personally use mostly salifert Test kits
Anyways back to affordable test kits...I personally use mostly salifert Test kits
redline10000
New member
I wish that I could even thing about spending 4k on something like a spectrophotometer, but a middle class boy like myself is satisfied with my red sea test kits
rhymechizel
New member
I use Red sea. Its easy to use. My next test kit purchase will be hanna
Spartanman22
Well-known member
I do too! I don't have one for personal use I just have one in my lab at work. someday when I win the lotto my fish room will have something fancy like this
EricTheRed
No, I'm not a communist..
I use inexpensive API for calcium because I'm not that concerned about precise Ca readings. I'll also use API for a quick nitrate check but will use the Red Sea nitrate when I want accurate low measurement. I use Hanna for phosphate and Salifert for both Alk and Mg. Salifert is easy and accurate, imo.
dfee
Premium member
Anybody here read the long threads other places bashing Hanna Calcium checkers?? The people complaining seem to have numbers way too high or way too low. Well, for me, Im getting API=340, HANNA=445. Numbers arent crazy like other peoples but still would like to know which one to believe. Wish there was a better way to be certain.