Master test kit ?

[reefmaker1]

Is this a good test kit for all my parameters I was just wondering if it was quality or not looks like it has almost every test i'd need.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hagen-Master-10-...QQcmdZViewItem

[tashier]

Never heard of or used that one before. As far as I know only Salifert kits are recommended. They only sell them individually and they cost a bit more but anything else just isn't very accurate and a waste of money. There are a lot of people or LFS that will sell you another brand and say they work fine but from my experience I just wasted my money on them. Save your money and buy Salifert the first time.

[afbengochea]

yup, what he ^^^ said

[whatevva]

SALIFERT!!!

[110galreef]

I have it it and it works good in general. The salifert kits are better asthey will read much lower values.

Like the phospahte on the one you linked will only go down to .1

while salifert will read .1, .05 and .03.

So much more accurate

[Sara7814]

taking over for a second.. i am looking into getting the test kits.. i am reading about the salifert.. which ones should i get??

[Sara7814]

i found this to be the cheapest site for salifert tests... is this one good or not??
http://www.ereeftank.com/cart/catalo...ge_2_c_57.html

[Sara7814]

theres this one to

http://www.aquacave.com/searchresult...CategoryID=257

[rdaled]

I think I'm going to look into getting some Salifert stock.

[frankandmaura]

Sara, how much is shipping at those places? It is like 6.99 at saltwaterfish.com...and the kits are similarly priced.

[tashier]

Sara..I'd start with:

PH
Alkalinity
Phosphates
Calcium
Magnesium
Nitrate
Ammonia

Probably in that order, some people may have a different opinion but I think it depends on what problems you may or may not have with your tank. I've never had a Nitrate problem, so therefore it falls low on my list.

You also want to make sure to be able to check your SG which I can only recommend a refractometer for. The swingarm hydrometers aren't very accurate unless you can calibrate it to a refractometer to tell you how off the reading is.

[tashier]

Originally Posted by Sara7814

i found this to be the cheapest site for salifert tests... is this one good or not??
http://www.ereeftank.com/cart/catalo...ge_2_c_57.html

www.customaquatic.com has them even cheaper then that. I don't know what the shipping costs are though. Check it out.

[Fly Guy]

IMO for nitrates, any cheap test will work. It will give you a ballpark number and as your tank matures and your husbandry habits improve that number will go away on its own.

Save your money on a Salifert PH kit. Spend the $90 on a Pinpoin t PH monitor and you will always know what your ph is simply by looking. It can alert you to other poroblems before they become serious.

Buy the calcium, phosphate and dkh. The dkh you will use less and less with time as you learn to watch your ph monitor and behavior of your system, and you will simply know when you need to add buffer.

Mag you dont need to worry about until you start to do a lot of sps and clams. Regular water changes will just keep this level fine by default.

Ammonia is not necessary IMO either. If you wait for your tank to cycle completely ammonia should never be an issue, and if you are missing a fish, you need to get it out. At that time if necessary you can simply take a sample to your LFS to test for ammonia for you.




Salifert prices here







.

[reefmaker1]

Thanx i was killing myself trying to find a master salifert kit and couldn't find one but now i will look into buying the single kits.

[whatevva]

I agree with Fly for the most part. Except I have the magnesium as a critical test, but I have SPS and Clams.