need a good starter test kit

[Mark75]

I have my 30 gal. long set up with ro/di water, 45 pounds of substrate, and my live rock will be here tommorrow. I have had the water in the tank with the skimmer and pumps running for a week or two with a couple of pounds of live rock I bought locally to help get things started. I need a good test kit for my basic's. Who has a good , easy to use kit?? O' yea remind me again what I need to test for when my tank is cycling.

[an411]

Hey Mark I am not sure how to do this but I posted a similar question if you can bring up my post which i am Not sure how to do. I bought individual tests made by salifert. In my post I have all the test kits that are needed. Hope this helps

[marduc]

For a newer tank you will want to test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. After things get rolling along, you will find you rarely need to use these (possible exception of nitrate). I would recommend getting test strips for these so you can just dip them in the water and go.

Long term (especially if going reef tank) the biggies to monitor are calcium, alkalinity, ph and magnesium. For these I like salifert.

[conefree]

In the beginning, while cycling a tank you can get by with the cheap test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. But once your tank is established and you start adding corals, you will need to monitor calcium, alk, magnesium, ph. For those I would recommend Lamotte or Salifert to give you the precise results you need.

[conefree]

lol Marduc we must have been typing at the same time :)

[an411]

Calcium
Alkalinity
PH
Magnesium
Ammonia
Nitrate
Nitrite
Phosphate

These are the tests kits that I bought for the PH I am using a hanna digital ph checker purchased off ebay.

[marduc]

hehe i think so.. a couple of things I forgot to mention inmy first reply though.

For PH nothing beats a PH monitor, I do not use, nor have I ever liked a test kit for this, too inaccurate. A pinpoint meter will set you back about $100.

Also you need to test salinity, and temperature obviously.. hydrometers are notorious for being inaccurate, best way to go here is a decent refractometer.

[conefree]

Good call on the ph monitor marduc. Also, when you buy a refractometer, use a cal standard to calibrate it. Do not use DI water, it won't be as accurate.

[Mark75]

I have a pin point ph monitor I used on my old reef tank a few years back. I put a new battery in it yesterday and dropped it in the tank. The readings are all over the place. When I first dropped it in it read 7.8 but with in 5 minutes it had dropped to 6.2. From what I have heard I will be needing a new probe. Does anyone know if the new Pin Point ph probes come with calibration solution??

[marduc]

no the probe does not come with calibration solution, that you will have to buy separately. Get PH 7.0 and PH 10.0 solution, i buy mine as a 10 pack of each whenever I buy my replacement probes.