Tropic Marin Alk is a decent testkit for Alkalinity?

[CaptNemo]

Hello everyone,

Going to add some more SPS into my tank, now that I just bought a new light. I just want to know if Tropic marine is an decent test for Alkalinity? I am not looking for something extremely accurate. I just want something that can give me an idea of my alkalinity and reliable.

I have salifer but it always give me some wierd number when I compare it with the test kit from LFS and my friend's

Thanks,

[Cultivatedcoral]

Hi CaptNemo,

When it comes to Alk I would suggest you go with a very reliable test kit. Alk problems (to high or to low) can play havoc with SPS.

We do not sell Tropic Marin Alk test kits so I cannot give advice on that brand but LaMotte is a very reliable and accurate test kit. I'm not just saying that because we sell them. We also sell Salifert but out of the Alk test kits right now.

Hope that helps.

Nick DeBellis
www.cultivatedcoral.com
Cultivated Coral Inc.

[Saldarya]

I use the TM kit and find it to be reliable and pretty easy to execute and read. Salifert was a great kit before all of the current concerns began.

HTH

[Maximus]

I like the Lamotte alk test kits as well.

[Icefire]

Elos API here!

[CaptNemo]

No other Tropic Marin user out there??

[Billybeau1]

I haven't tested that one yet Capt. I plan too though.

I have heard though that they are pretty accurate. Testing alkalinity is pretty straight forward.

I too recommend either Elos or API.

I tested the LaMotte and got lower numbers for alk than 5 other kits. I may have just got a bad one though.

API's are like 8 bucks or so. :)

[Michael]

i use tropic marin for kh tests, its very easy, you just drop the regent one drop at atime into the vial and the amount of drops calculates the kh, i think it is good however i dont for aminute doubt its not the best

[reefcrazy0821]

api and elos here...they have been most accurate for me.

[Reefer Steve]

Tropic Marin has worked well for me. I really like the ease of use...

[DaveJ]

Some of my friends in my club recently did a test kit analysis. Nothing fancy, but we managed to test a large number of manufacturers and multiples of most of the test kits using 5 different samples.

For whats its worth, the TM Alk was accurate, but we had varying results from the two we used. We found the tip (dropper) was problematic and did not dispense the same quantity consistently. I used it previously but stopped due to this factor.

We found the Elos was the best, due to its simple drop by drop and very visible color change. API was plenty accurate, but the color chart caused reading differences, still it was within reasonable accuracy either way. LaMotte (my own kit) consistently came up about 1dKH low. Salifert was fairly accurate but the different kits varied... and they have a history of problems. Red Sea was accurate enough, but was more involved.

So I have used TM, LaMotte, Salifert, Red Sea and Elos and found the Elos the most accurate and easiest to use due to the drop by drop and distinct color change.

[CaptNemo]

So last night, I bought a Tropic Marin Alk test kit. Found it to be pretty easy to use, just drop and count. My alk comes up to 10 with the TM kit and 10.6 with my old salifer kits. So I guess I can believe that my alk is somewhere around 10 since the both tests said so.

About the tip of the dropper (bottle) not dispense equal quantity, I am a bit confused. If you till the bottle upside down and squeeze the bottle, if you do it slowly and let the liquid come out. The gravity will do the work right? If there is enough liquid at the end of the tip, gravity will pull it down and Gravity will work the same everytime. Therefore the same amount of alk regent will fall down everytime (provided that you do not squeeze the bottle too hard and force the drop of regent out).
What do you guys think about this theory of gravity? Or I am completely wrong on this issue

thanks

[DaveJ]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12136228#post12136228 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CaptNemo
So last night, I bought a Tropic Marin Alk test kit. Found it to be pretty easy to use, just drop and count. My alk comes up to 10 with the TM kit and 10.6 with my old salifer kits. So I guess I can believe that my alk is somewhere around 10 since the both tests said so.

About the tip of the dropper (bottle) not dispense equal quantity, I am a bit confused. If you till the bottle upside down and squeeze the bottle, if you do it slowly and let the liquid come out. The gravity will do the work right? If there is enough liquid at the end of the tip, gravity will pull it down and Gravity will work the same everytime. Therefore the same amount of alk regent will fall down everytime (provided that you do not squeeze the bottle too hard and force the drop of regent out).
What do you guys think about this theory of gravity? Or I am completely wrong on this issue

thanks

The gravity will pull the drop and make it fall, but it does not determine the size of the drop itself (thus the amount of reagent). We found that holding it straight up and down or at an angle didn't change the volume much at all. Sometimes it took more to drop, sometimes less. We were not squeezing enough to squirt, just enough to get a drop out. The size of the drop varied quite a bit.

Don't over-think it though... if its consistent for you that is all that counts.

[plc001]

LaMotte here.

[NanoCube-boy]

What ever works best for you, use it. I use Sakifert.

[Michael]

personally i find salifert quite complicated, but thats just my opinion, its probably the way i use it, i like their nitrate kits though

[Billybeau1]

Mike, we are talking alkalinity right ?

Salifert has an extra step but thats what gets you to tenths of a dkh.

Once you use it for awhile, its pretty straight forward. :)

[Michael]

like i said its probably me

[Jeff]

I have been using the Tropic Marin alk test kit and really like it. It was inexpensive and very very easy to use. I have an API on order just because its cheap...

[NanoCube-boy]

hahah that's cool.