Best Water Test Kit

Jeremy_holt · #1 01/09/2008, 07:30 PM

Who makes the best water test kit? There are so many to choose from. I want to purchase the correct one that is comprehensive. Thanks

masonicman · #2 01/09/2008, 07:46 PM

IMO Salifert is the most accurate that I have used thus far.

Acillaton · #3 01/09/2008, 07:55 PM

Salifert IMO

kittyj · #4 01/09/2008, 10:16 PM

I use API. It's decent, but when I run out, I might switch to Salifert. I just bought a Calcium/Magnesium test kit from Tropic Marin, and it's HORRIBLE.

Does anyone have experience with the Instant Ocean kits?

reefworm · #5 01/09/2008, 11:22 PM

LaMotte [been saying that a lot recently

]

snorvich · #6 01/10/2008, 10:57 AM

Elos and Lamotte are best. Not the cheapest though.

Randy Holmes-Farley · #7 01/10/2008, 11:11 AM

I wouldn't recommend a "comprehensive" test kit, as it almost certainly contains kits that you have no need of, and perhaps not some you do.

Alkalinity and calcium are the most needed.

Magnesium in case it gets depleted

Ammonia if you want to monitor cycling (not nitrite).

Phosphate and nitrate if you have algae problems

Silicate if you have diatom problems

pH is better monitored with a meter, not a kit.

Most others are unnecessary or inaccurate

an411 · #8 01/10/2008, 11:38 AM

switched from my red sea kit to salifert I think that the test kits are fairly easy to use and it was a toss up between API and salifert from the posts that i seen on here. I choose the salifert and have been happy

Dack77 · #9 01/10/2008, 12:42 PM

I just switched over to the Elos kits, and I think they are extremely easy to use. I would highly recommend them. I was using Salifert before that, but I got a little turned off by the lack of support when they had all those bad Alk kits. With their forum here now gone, that just made the switch even that much easier. I don't like to reward companies that have poor customer service. But, their test kits that were not bad did work and were easy to use.

realest · #10 01/10/2008, 03:18 PM

Anyone have any inputs on instant ocean test kits? Any feedback would be great!

werkkrew · #11 01/10/2008, 04:15 PM

I have a nice kit by Sera. It's got all the tests you can ever need in it, and it comes in a really quality case.

I am happy with it thus far.

Dack77 · #12 01/10/2008, 04:42 PM

Realest,

I have both the Calcium and the Alk tests by Instant Ocean. They are always really close to my other kits. Both are actually really easy to use. I dont have any experience with the others, but those two kits work pretty well. I bought them just as backups to compare the Elos and Salifert kits were testing properly. Since they were very close to the others, I can only assume everything was right.