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Unread 07/13/2018, 02:26 AM   #1
Bryanmc1988
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New to the hobby and need test kit advice.

Hi everyone,

My name is Bryan and I’m new to the hobby. Wanted to see if anyone can recommend some Hanna digital test kits that would be valuable to a reef keeper tanks. What are the types of test kits that are most important to have on hand when starting a tank for reefing, phosphate, calcium, alkalinity, pH? And does anyone have or know of anyone letting go of some for cheap as I would need littitally the whole set 😂


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Unread 07/13/2018, 04:31 AM   #2
mcgyvr
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For a coral tank you want
Salinity (recfractometer)
temperature
nitrate
phosphate
alkalinity
calcium
magnesium

When starting/cycling you typically want ammonia and nitrite too but thats the only time you will use them.. After cycle is rare to ever measure those..

Red sea makes some nice test kits
Salifert too..
My favorite nitrate kit is from Nyos
Hanna stuff is good to but can get pricey..

When starting out API master/reef master kits aren't even a bad idea.. They get a bad rap but in general work just fine and are quite easy to use.. And cheap to get those sets..


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Unread 07/13/2018, 05:48 AM   #3
ryeguyy84
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I agree on the API test to start. In the beginning you either have ammonia or you don't, the exact level is less important.

I never found a nitrate test I liked, they are pretty hard to read imo but I'll have to give that one a go.

Also the red Sea tests for alk/Cal/mag are pretty spot on and simple.

Mcgyvr as usual gave you some good advice.

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Unread 07/13/2018, 06:08 AM   #4
mcgyvr
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Originally Posted by ryeguyy84 View Post
I never found a nitrate test I liked, they are pretty hard to read imo but I'll have to give that one a go.
Thats the reason I like the nyos.. Its the only one where the color differences are far enough apart that you can actually tell what the reading is..

Salifert is the worst IMO for that.. Its pink.. a little more pink.. a tad more pink and all are nearly impossible to differentiate..


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Unread 07/13/2018, 06:30 AM   #5
MondoBongo
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as far as Hannah digital test kits, i love my alkalinity and calcium tests. a lot more convenient than doing titration tests.

i don't really consider phosphate tests to be all that critical, unless there's some real specific things you're trying to do with your tank. so i wouldn't worry about that one now.

i do highly recommend a salinity refractometer. that is my other "must have" instrument.

for cycling, API tests are good enough, but i've had issues with them an accuracy before, so i tend to trust other tests (Red Sea, SeaChem, Salifert, etc..) more


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Unread 07/13/2018, 07:29 AM   #6
Uncle99
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Hanna for Alk (cause that one I do a lot and want to know the difference between 8 and 9)
Red Sea for Mag (cause that's the only one that I found reasonably accurate)
The rest, All API, (cause they are less expensive and work well)
A digital thermometer (so I can actually read the thing)
A refractometer (so I know salinity)

Good luck!
The person who "masters" water chemistry is a big winning in this hobby.


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Unread 07/13/2018, 07:48 AM   #7
Bill_Moorman
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I can’t speak highly enough of Hanna for Alk, NYOS for nitrate, and Red Sea for Mag and Calc. I’ve got the Hanna phosphate checker as well.

The only thing I can’t wait for is the Trident for Apex. It’s going to be a game changer.


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Unread 07/13/2018, 11:46 AM   #8
thegrun
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For me it's:
CA: Salifert, but Red Sea is fine
Mg: Salifert. I HATE the Red Sea Mg test kit, you need to swirl 15 seconds between drops of the reagent and not doing so makes a big difference in the results. Salifert is much easier to me, add the reagent and swirl one time for 30 seconds.
Alkalinity: Salifert, Red Sea or Hanna. I would go with the Hanna except that they do not have a good record with their reagents, too many bad batches IMHO.


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Unread 07/13/2018, 12:01 PM   #9
Bryanmc1988
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Salinity (refractometer) - I have this...
temperature (Digital) - I have this...
nitrate - I have this... (Red Sea Brand)
phosphate - I have this... (Red Sea Brand)
alkalinity - might have to order the Hanna one as I like the digital stuff with less guessing work...
calcium - would need to look into this and order some
magnesium - need to order some.


What would you guys recommend the range for soft/sps coral parameters be at?


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Unread 07/13/2018, 01:03 PM   #10
cjpitt80
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Newbie here Take with grain of salt

I have the Red Sea Marine Master Care kit https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/mc...8aAlKjEALw_wcB

Seems to work okay. Not a big fan of colorimetric tests, but that's what most the reasonable priced ones are I also have the Hana Alkalinity digital test which is much easier to use and doesn't need to count a bunch of drops.

I have API Calc test. I'm not sure of the accuracy. My Triton ICP test says 365ppm, whereas my API said 420ppm. More inclined to think Triton is accurate.


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Unread 07/13/2018, 01:16 PM   #11
hkgar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mcgyvr View Post
Thats the reason I like the nyos.. Its the only one where the color differences are far enough apart that you can actually tell what the reading is..

Salifert is the worst IMO for that.. Its pink.. a little more pink.. a tad more pink and all are nearly impossible to differentiate..
I could search, but I'm feeling lazy today, but how low nitrates does Nyos measrue? I like Red Sea Por as it goes as low as .25 and as high as 64. I try to stay at < 5 for NO3


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 07/13/2018, 01:19 PM   #12
mcgyvr
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hkgar View Post
I could search, but I'm feeling lazy today, but how low nitrates does Nyos measrue? I like Red Sea Por as it goes as low as .25 and as high as 64. I try to stay at < 5 for NO3
It is not suitable for differentiating ranged below 1ppm (0,1,3,5,etc..)
Range: 1 - 160 mg / l (ppm) NO3

But its great if you want to hover between 1 and 3 or 5,etc...


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Unread 07/13/2018, 01:20 PM   #13
hkgar
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for what its worth
PO4 better than Hanna checker 736 (ULR)
NO4 I use Red Sea Pro
ALK Love the Hanna checker
Mag and Ca Salifert
CA reactor Effluent Salifert low level for dKH


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 07/13/2018, 02:02 PM   #14
Bryanmc1988
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Would I need a ph test kit as well or not important?


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Unread 07/13/2018, 02:09 PM   #15
mcgyvr
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanmc1988 View Post
Would I need a ph test kit as well or not important?
Nope.. Most people would recommend not paying attention to PH


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Unread 07/13/2018, 02:39 PM   #16
Bryanmc1988
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THanks for the advice.

What would you guys say the best parameter for a reef tank for spa and soft corals be in?


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Unread 07/13/2018, 03:18 PM   #17
hkgar
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With just soft coral about the only parameter to be concerned about is ammonia and nitrite. And of course salinity.


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 07/13/2018, 03:21 PM   #18
hkgar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mcgyvr View Post
It is not suitable for differentiating ranged below 1ppm (0,1,3,5,etc..)
Range: 1 - 160 mg / l (ppm) NO3

But its great if you want to hover between 1 and 3 or 5,etc...
I think I might try it when my Red Sea needs to be replaced.


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 07/13/2018, 07:10 PM   #19
Uncle99
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanmc1988 View Post
THanks for the advice.

What would you guys say the best parameter for a reef tank for spa and soft corals be in?
Personally I would not reccomend SPS with Softies, the environmental needs are much different. I would recommend an LPS and softies. These like low to moderate flow and light in contrast to many SPS like Acros which love high light and fast flow.

That being said my parameters are:
Temp 77.7
Salinity 1.0255
Alk 8.5
CA 420
Mag 1360
Nitrate 2-5ppm
Phosphate .02-.04
Iodide .03-.06

10-15% water change each and every week starting with RODI water with TDS <10, RED SEA PRO, made mixed and all used within 48 hours, dosing RED SEA NoPox and ROWA here and there for keeping phosphate in check.

Hope that helps, good luck and have fun....


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Unread 07/13/2018, 07:22 PM   #20
Bryanmc1988
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That does help. Thank you. I will try and have a tank setup and running within the next week or two and hopefully get the cycling process started. Scared to add any live rocks as they may carry things I do not want


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Unread 07/14/2018, 08:14 AM   #21
Timfish
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For starters the best test kit lwill be the one you find easy to use frequently but in my maintenance business I use:

API - pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrate
Elos - Phosphate
Nyos - Phosphate, Nitrate
Red Sea - Magnesium, low range Nitrate

Depending on what's happening I may tst everything frequently but normally:

Weekly I usually test for pH and Alkalinity and what I look for are long term trends. Some will say pH is not important and it does change throughout the day but it is the best indicator of CO2 we have and long term downward trends indicate increased eutrophication.

Monthly I test for calcium and magnesium.

As needed I test for phosphate and nitrate.

Whenever I buy a new test kit I will compare it to the old test kit to see if reagents have started going bad. I have found reagents can go bad faster than the "use by" dates and replace my test kits at least yearly.

Regarding Alkalinity test kits I've found API to be more consistant from one kit to another. I have a Hanna Alkalinty and compared it with a friends and using both reagent with both test kits gave us four different results that varied by 1 dKH. API comparisons were more cosnistant and using a test sample X2 or X3 larger then dividing by 2 or by 3 gives a more precise reading. But since reaearchers are using meq/l it's rare I feel the need to try to be more prcise than the standard API alkalinity reading.


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Unread 07/14/2018, 03:34 PM   #22
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I would never recommend a NYOS nitrate kit, EVER!


When I started nitrate dosing I was using the NYOS kit. It always told me I only had 0 to 1ppm nitrates, so I kept adding daily. When the algae started and my monti cap's started loosing flesh I bought a Red Sea kit. Not only was I not at 1 ppm(according to NYOS), I was at 10ppm.



I even bought a second NYOS kit thinking the kit may be off, both kits only gave me a 0 to 1ppm.



All other recommendations I would agree with.


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Unread 07/14/2018, 03:51 PM   #23
hkgar
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Originally Posted by homer1475 View Post
I would never recommend a NYOS nitrate kit, EVER!


When I started nitrate dosing I was using the NYOS kit. It always told me I only had 0 to 1ppm nitrates, so I kept adding daily. When the algae started and my monti cap's started loosing flesh I bought a Red Sea kit. Not only was I not at 1 ppm(according to NYOS), I was at 10ppm.



I even bought a second NYOS kit thinking the kit may be off, both kits only gave me a 0 to 1ppm.

How do you know, with any certainty, that the Red Sea was not wrong?

it always seems when we test our standard kit - Nyos in your case - against another kit we tend to believe the second test. I can never understand that.


All other recommendations I would agree with.



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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 07/14/2018, 04:06 PM   #24
homer1475
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The fact I was getting a ton of nuisance algae, and my monti's were RTNed. They only regained flesh, and the algae subsided, after the Red Sea kit said the number dropped, would lead me to believe the red sea kit.



I totally agree with you though, which one would you trust?



2 of the same kit that returned a super low value when my own eye's could see different, or the one kit that the number I could agree with seeing how my tank was reacting.


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Unread 07/15/2018, 01:19 AM   #25
Steve175
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I own the Hanna checkers. They are gathering dust. I am a chemical engineer. I have, over the years, tried most brands (although admittedly not Nyos). I mostly check Alk and have always ended back at Salifert. The others are monthly: Ca (Salifert), Mg (Salifert), PO4 (Red Sea) and NO3 (Red Sea). I will sell you my Hanna checkers for cheap. . . make sure you pick up some DI water and be careful with the tiny powder packets. . . and, for goodness sakes, don't sneeze or put fingerprints on the vials. . . and whatever you do, don't run the test twice or you won't know which result to act upon. . . my $0.02. . .


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