Red Sea KH test kit

[masgatigata]

Does anyone have the above mentioned test kit. I have a few Red Sea test kits, and most I've been happy with. However, the kh color change is so difficult to read for me. I have the one that turns from blue to orange, but I can't seem to determine which shade of orange is the ending color. Does anyone have any advice here?

[disc1]

There's no one particular hue of orange to look for. There are too many things that can affect the actual hue you get out of the test. You're looking for the first color change that persists on stirring.

[masgatigata]

Ok, thanks. I guess I was looking for a deeper color hue of orange rather than just the first orange that no longer had a blue tint to it.

[Duc1098]

I was in the same boat. Definitely doesn't match the hue that the instruction call for. I've been going off the first change in color which is more yellow then anything.

[Mpfaff77]

There's no one particular hue of orange to look for. There are too many things that can affect the actual hue you get out of the test. You're looking for the first color change that persists on stirring.

Does this rule follow the Red Sea pro kits as well? I always add little more to get to color of "finish color" there is always color in between that stays but not quite the finish color and would change numbers slightly.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[sleepydoc]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2251426

[Bugger]

Once the color change happens add one more drop and you are there

[masgatigata]

Thanks for the link sleepydoc. It's nice to know I'm not the only one confused. When I looked at your kh test results, your color change was much darker than mine. My color change is more like the poster before your post on that thread, mess7777. The color is so light that I can't discern when the color change has actually stopped. For now I think I will take a sample to my lfs, get a reading from them, then run the test at home and see what color the test is when it matches. At least then I will have something to go by.

[htinev]

Thanks for the link sleepydoc. It's nice to know I'm not the only one confused. When I looked at your kh test results, your color change was much darker than mine. My color change is more like the poster before your post on that thread, mess7777. The color is so light that I can't discern when the color change has actually stopped. For now I think I will take a sample to my lfs, get a reading from them, then run the test at home and see what color the test is when it matches. At least then I will have something to go by.

That would basically defeat the purpose of you using a test kit like Red Sea. I doubt your LFS uses Red Sea and what you would effectively do is calibrate your Red Sea to whatever they're using.

Like it was said above, keep adding until the first persisting color change (it's yellow, without any bluish hew in it - for the Red Sea Pro Test). :smurf:

[sleepydoc]

Thanks for the link sleepydoc. It's nice to know I'm not the only one confused. When I looked at your kh test results, your color change was much darker than mine. My color change is more like the poster before your post on that thread, mess7777. The color is so light that I can't discern when the color change has actually stopped. For now I think I will take a sample to my lfs, get a reading from them, then run the test at home and see what color the test is when it matches. At least then I will have something to go by.

My iphone could've made it seem a bit darker, but it was pretty close. Makes me wonder if you have a defective kit, or if you're using the kit correctly. The color change has never been subtle for me.

[masgatigata]

I could very well be using the kit incorrectly, but I'm pretty good at following directions, and I think I am in fact using it correctly. Could be a defective kit also. For now, I'm just going to go by the first change in color that stays the same once there is no more blue hint to it. Htinev, my thinking of taking a sample to the lfs was to see what they have as a reading to see if its close to mine. I was thinking if it's way off, then I'm obviously using the kit incorrectly or have a faulty kit. My last test readding was at 8.4 according to my test kit, so I'm hoping its accurate.

[dread240]

Here's how I did it...

mixed up 35ppt red sea regular salt... which I know the values of from the manufacturer...

Performed tests and compared to known values to make sure that I'm in the right range... and then noted specifics and the values i recorded...

from there out... I use that testing and that indication when testing my tank water (as I want to stay as close to new saltwater parameters as possible)

alk - when there is no blue left (much lighter then card)
cal - when it consistently stays blue and doesn't change back to purple
mag - changes blue and stays blue at the right value

The biggest thing with using these test is consistency with your interpretation. No parameter is so specific in the reef that it can't drift +/- a little bit, but stability is key

[htinev]

I was thinking if it's way off, then I'm obviously using the kit incorrectly or have a faulty kit.

Not necessarily :fun4:
Who knows what they're using, who's testing, how, etc.. I would just not trust the LFS to give me a reference value.

You are doing it right and your result makes sense. Stick with it, IMHO.

[Terrance]

I believe my test kit is defective. My tank water reads the same alk every time I test it, even when manually dosing more alk. I tested my newly mixed RO/DI water with reef crystals and it also gives me the same reading.

I emailed Red Sea. The rep working with me is so slow responding to emails. So far, I had to email a response twice in order to get a reply. Poor customer service IMO. I probably would have gotten a faster response if I had called. They are sending me a new reagent according to the last email from the rep.

[bertoni]

We do see problems with test kits. I'd defer any worrying until the new kit arrives. If your tank has stony corals, you might need to get another kit for the time being. They can react badly to low alkalinity levels.