Test Kits Comparison

[mmkeeper]

Here is the big question. Elos, Salifert, La Motte, API if you get a different result from each of the test kits, which one is correct? We have answer that we like this one or that, this one is more consistant, but we still haven't answered which is the correct test reading.

 

[Scooterman]

LaMott is a lab grade kit. Boomer is the wealth on knowledge, he'll help clear some of this up. Let me find his thread on these!

 

[Scooterman]

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31262

That was tooo easy LOL

 

[nomercymike]

From what I know and have spoken to my LFS that sells Elos exclusively that they are also Lab grade and also all of there additives. Elos is a European company, which is some things the Europeans are ahead of us in reefing.

 

[Boomer]

Elos exclusively that they are also Lab grade

Nope, not a lab but hobby grade but a hobby grade done more to lab grade stds.

Results ?

You will never get any of them reading the same usually as kits are not exact there is always error factors and accuracy factors, like +/- 10 % of reading or Vol. errors. Some Alk kits for example do not titrate to seawater Alk but FW. Why, they just don't know this is needed. So, you can loose a small amount of the Alk, meaning it is actually slightly higher like maybe 5- 10 %. Same issue on pH test kits. Almost all pH test kit use a indicator, par the SeaTest, that has a "salt effect error", meaning the chloride in the water skews the kit reading. For example in LaMotte's high pH test kit they will tell you that if you are using it for seawater, to subtract 0.50 pH form the reading, 8.3 reading - 0.50 = real pH of 7.8.

One of my buddies has tested most hobby kits and the Elos and API seem to be right on. I also had Jesse, from Elos, sent all his kits to a certified seawater lab for verification. They did very well on the tests.

You all most remember that most kits, be they hobby grade or Lab grade are for the most part FW oriented. This is something Salifert has tried to do, set their kits to seawater stds. For some kits it makes no difference if the water is FW or SW. And the 2 most commonly errored are pH and Alk.

 

[Scooterman]

Boomer what is the difference between calcium hardness & Hardness & which one should we be testing? I was looking at the LaMotte kits & see both.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I just bought an API calcium and KH test kit. Tested my calcium with the API 500, Red Sea 450, Salifert 380. Which one would you trust?

To the original poster, I use both API and Salifert for calcium. When I've tested the same water with both tests, the two tests are always within 40ppm of each other - normally they're within 20ppm.

 

[Boomer]

Scoot

Hardness is Calcium and Mangesium for the most part. If you get the right kit then you measure the Hardness and Calcium Hardness and then subtract the Calcium Hardness from the Hardness and get Magnesium Hardness. You have to make sure it is a kit with a high enough level as many are to low and are more for FW. These are the typies of kits Randy and I use/ed.

 

[BobinCovington]

I would add that your test kits accuracy may also depend on the accuracy (and consistency) of your measure of salt water you are testing. How accurate are those white lines marked on the vial or those plastic syringes? I am going to buy a pipette to dispense for my test kits and throw all of those syringes away.
By the way, I just switched to the Elos kits from Salifert. I am happy with the ease of testing and the results seem to be very stable. I have also purchased a magnetic stirrer (with the small stir bars that rotate inside the vial) and use good lighting and a white background. This really helps me with seeing the color changes. (plus I get to pretend I am a lab scientist)

 

[Scooterman]

Scoot

Hardness is Calcium and Mangesium for the most part. If you get the right kit then you measure the Hardness and Calcium Hardness and then subtract the Calcium Hardness from the Hardness and get Magnesium Hardness. You have to make sure it is a kit with a high enough level as many are to low and are more for FW. These are the typies of kits Randy and I use/ed.

So right now I have a Calcium Hardness LaMott test kit, If I get the Hardness I can use that to figure out Magnesium. Then all I would need is the Alkalinity & that would cover the three correct?

 

[Boomer]

Not if you get a FW Hardness kit It needs to go high enough for SW. It has to go to 1000's of ppm. Usually, 1000 ppm Calcium Hardness = 400 ppm Ca++ and 4,700 ppm Magnesium Hardness = 1300 ppm Mg++, so 1000 + 4700 = 5700 ppm Hardness. So, the kit has to go to at least 6,000 ppm Hardness.

 

[Scooterman]

Geess, whatever happened to the days when you just dechlorinated water & later threw in the fish.:lol:

Thanks boomer!

 

[Gordonious]

"for sanity sake, you might want to take a water sample to a LFS and have them perform a Ca test. "

I know LFS that use dip strips to test salt water tanks... don't think that will help. Remember what comes with the notorious acronym "LFS". Every LFS is different and most are not going to be helpful with this at all.

I wish I had one LFS with one employee that even knew the name of one lab grade test kit and some of the "local" fish stores I go to are some of the bigger names in the industry.

I personally am losing faith in Salifert and I have always thought they were the hobby kit.

 

[g0rFz]

i picked up api a few weeks ago and tested my water and got 450-500 with 2 week old IO saltwater. not sure if my calcium is actually that high but i hope it was correct

 

[Gordonious]

450 to 500? Thats a large range.

 

[Boomer]

Something wrong with that test as IO only runs ~340- 360 ppm

 

[reefpro]

Seachem

I just bought an API calcium and KH test kit. Tested my calcium with the API 500, Red Sea 450, Salifert 380. Which one would you trust?

Hasnt anyone used the SEACHEM Calcium test kit? Thats what I always use. I hope its accurate. Its not cheap.