Testing water parameters

[Voodoodauley]

I have a basic kit with test tubes for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and ph. I know the reef needs more parameters checked. What kind of kits do you use. Mine is an API and works off of a color scale. It doesn't seem like it is all that accurate when I am trying to judge from this color to that. Is there more accurate test kits or even better... digital testers available?

[hollister]

Calcium and phosphate readings. You will need 2 test kits to get all wanted readings.

[Ron Reefman]

Are you going to add corals? Then you will need Mag and alk as well as cal. To do phosphates you really need a meter, test kits for phosphates are almost useless except in extreme cases.

The API kits for ammonia, nitrate and nitrates are OK. You'll have stable readings soon and they will always be close to zero. API kits for cal and mag are color change rather than match to a chart so they are easier to read. If you feel the need to be more accurate (and most people on RC are crazy for accuracy) Salifert kits are all based on color change (no color chart matching) and therefore more accurate.

[IslandCrow]

It depends on what you're planning to keep. You have the essential tests. I've never really worried about testing for nitrite, though. You're generally only going to see that during the cycle. After that, if you're seeing nitrite, you're probably seeing ammonia as well, which is much more of a concern. Calcium, magnesium and alkalinity are a few other tests you may eventually want, especially if you start keeping stony corals. Some peole like to test for phosphate, but I put it in the same category as nitrite. Beyond the initial cycle, you generally only see phosphate when you already have a bigger problem. Opinions on that certainly vary, though. It can sometimes be a warning indicator of an impending issue.

I've never used API personally, but they're supposed to be a pretty decent test kit. Salifert is generally one of the favorites around here. They're more expensive, but tend to be more accurate and precise. As far as digital testers, the only one I'd go digital on is PH. Chemical PH tests from what I've been told by our resident chemists are traditionally inaccurate. PH monitors are also much more convenient, though you do need to calibrate them regularly.

[IslandCrow]

. . .Salifert kits are all based on color change (no color chart matching) and therefore more accurate.

Unless something has changed, not all Salifert kits are titration (i.e. color changing) tests. Their ammonia test kit, for example, uses a color chart. Fortunately, the ones I always used (calcium, magnesium alkalinity and nitrate) were all titration tests.

[Palting]

I had the IO Reefmaster kit and Seachem kit when I started. Had ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, pH, calcium and alk. After the cycle, ammonia, nitite and nitrate have consistently been zero, so I stopped using them. The alk and calcium were difficult to read and had too wide of a range. So I got Salifert for calcium, alk, and mag, all tested by titration and a sudden and easily seen color change. Excellent for testing. I still use the older kits for pH, though very rarely. I bought a Hanna for the phosphate, but that too has been too low to read anything from.