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Phosphate Test Kits


tanacharison

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I know this has been a topic in the past but I wanted to bring it back up with the addition of newer test kits. I use salifert and personally I almost never have a clue what my exact reading is even when I double the values. What does everyone use? People don't seem to like the Hanna checker but I love the Hanna alk checker.

 

Anyone try Nyos or Elos?

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Hanna hands down. I know there's been some bad batches of reagents, I haven't had that problem, but most people I know prefer it to test kits by far. Ironically I've heard more complaints about their Alk meter than their PO4 meter.

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Hanna hands down. I know there's been some bad batches of reagents, I haven't had that problem, but most people I know prefer it to test kits by far. Ironically I've heard more complaints about their Alk meter than their PO4 meter.

That's good to hear. Reading color charts drives me nuts.

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That's good to hear. Reading color charts drives me nuts.

 

Have you heard of more complaints than just reagent issues? It's a bit of a tedious process and definitely benefits from doing it frequently so you aren't looking at the instruction sheet the whole time, but definitely beats color charts IMO.

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I did not like the Hanna phosphate checker at all. Getting all of the reagent powder out of the packet and into the cuvette was a pain in the ass. And if you do not get *all* of the reagent into the cuvette, the results can vary. I did 3 tests in a row once and I was not able to replicate my own results. And I'm a geologist who uses wet chemistry in a lab setting on a fairly regular basis. I'd rather a good old test kit. I didn't think Salifert's kit was bad, but I've just recently ordered an Elos kit and am going to give that a try. I think it'll be here tomorrow - I'll let you know my first impressions then.

 

I really liked my Hanna ALK checker, but I really disliked the phosphate one.

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I did not like the Hanna phosphate checker at all. Getting all of the reagent powder out of the packet and into the cuvette was a pain in the ass. And if you do not get *all* of the reagent into the cuvette, the results can vary. I did 3 tests in a row once and I was not able to replicate my own results. And I'm a geologist who uses wet chemistry in a lab setting on a fairly regular basis. I'd rather a good old test kit. I didn't think Salifert's kit was bad, but I've just recently ordered an Elos kit and am going to give that a try. I think it'll be here tomorrow - I'll let you know my first impressions then.

 

I really liked my Hanna ALK checker, but I really disliked the phosphate one.

 

Thanks for the input. Let me know what you think of that test kit.

 

I stopped testing po4....and I have nyos, salifert, and hanna. Maybe I will test all 3 thus weekend and compare results. But I just look at my corals and amount of algae.

 

Testing all three would be cool. Well your tank looks good so maybe I'll stop testing. :lol:

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I have been using the iDip for the last year. Pricey buy in point, but to me it is game changing. Very, very easy to use.

 

I find accuracy to be more valuable than precision. I do not believe any test kit can provide absolute numbers which one may find in ICP tests for instance. What I find important is that when I test things like Alk, Ca, Mag, NO3 and PO4 that each time I test it is the same exact way I did the last time. With the iDip you only have 1 (some test 2) steps. Consistency as a result goes up and human error is limited.

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flatlandreefer

I have the hannah checker. My two complaints are 1) the three minute time limit before it turns off can be a pain and rushes the procedure. 2) it can be somewhat difficult to get all the reagent in the test tube especially because of complaint number 1. I do like that it gives you a reading and not a color. I ultimately got it because everybody says its the most accurate over other brands, there is room for improvement though IMO.

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Same here. At best might check once every couple of months if I remember.

 

I stopped testing po4....and I have nyos, salifert, and hanna. Maybe I will test all 3 thus weekend and compare results. But I just look at my corals and amount of algae.

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I've been using the Hanna P04 checker ever since they came out. Like the OP has stated, I don't like color charts as some of the changes can be subtle and difficult to distinguish. Give me a digital read out any time. I don't know how accurate the numbers are, but it does give me a good idea as to where P04 should be.

As far as getting the powder out, it's not hard to do. On the recent packets, there are 2 dotted lines. One goes up one side and the other goes across the top. Simply cut these lines and push in on the opposite side of the packet to form a "funnel". Doing this, I get all of the powder and no mess.

 

Here is a video to show how to open the packets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e_EOWAkLTc

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The Elos phosphate test kit arrived this afternoon. The kit comes with a flat-bottomed glass test tube, a 5ml syringe, a rather loose fitting plastic stopper for the tube, two reactants, a color-printed color comparison chart, and printed direction sheet.

 

My first impressions of this kit:

 

The reactants were in a zip-loc bag along with the test tube, they syringe, and the top, and something wet was in there as well - I think one of the reagents may have had a little 'accident'. The printed color chart is on paper. Come on ELOS - for the price of this kit, that color comparison chart should be printed on heavy card stock and laminated. Even API does that! Also, if I am going to have to draw up 10ml of tank water, give me a 10ml syringe! This is a potential source of error... Another potential source of error is that the test procedure calls for only 2 drops of each of the reagents. The upside of this is that the test kit should last a L-O-N-G time. The downside is that if your drops are not uniform in size/volume, then that's another potential source of error. This is particularly worrisome with reagent 2 - it is particularly viscous. I'm sure some of you have noticed this on various test kits as well, but especially with viscous reagents, the first drop or two may be a bubble, with only a partial drop of reagent reaching the tube. When the procedure calls for 10 drops of a reagent, this effect is minimized somewhat, but with only two drops required of reagent 2 with the ELOS kit - well, make *SURE* you get two full drops of those reagents!

 

The procedure itself is quite simple: (1) draw up 10 ml of tank water (with the damned 5ml syringe :angry: ); (2) add 2 drops of reagent 1; (3) add two drops of reagent 2; (4) shake like hell for 2 minutes; (5) place on card, read down through vial.

 

Simple enough. I thought I had a partial drop of reagent 2 on my first test, so I re-ran the test a second time. As with all new test kits I buy, I make sure I can replicate my results, so I repeated one more time for a total of 3x. Each time, my results were the same 0.0 - 0.05ppm phosphate.

 

ELOS_PO4-1-17-17.jpg

 

The fact that I got exactly the same color all three times is reassuring. I might mix up some standards in the lab some time so I can test it against known concentrations. The procedure is certainly simple enough. I would like a better sealing lid for that damn test tube though!

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I have a red sea phosphate test kit. I can never distinguish between 0.02 or 0.04 because it looks more yellow to me than lime on the color chart.

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Won't go as far as saying my tank does better, but my life certainly does. (More time to do other things that I enjoy.)

 

Lol. I find the less i obsess in testing, the better my tank does.

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Lol. I find the less i obsess in testing, the better my tank does.

 

Sort of goes both ways. If your acros STN'ing at the base are the first sign that your Alk dosing pump got clogged 3 weeks ago, you'll be obsessing for the next 3 months hoping that the surviving ones recover...

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I had a rise in nitrates a few months ago and as I started solving my problems and they started dropping I wanted to see how my phosphates came in line with my nitrates. I could only pick them up on my test kit a few times so I had no good comparison.

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I picked up the Hanna PO4 checker a few weeks ago and have tested the tank 4 times and got 0.00 every time. I tested my tap water too which comes out at around 400TDS and still got 0. The procedure and time limit it gives you is a little annoying as well.

 

I have the Saliert phosphate test kit and even when I double it I get 0 or maybe the very very slightest of blue coloring show up.

 

I just got done taking out bryopsis and now might be getting dinos so I'm assuming I should have some phosphates showing up on these kits. So I'm pretty unhappy with both Hanna and salifert.

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I picked up the Hanna PO4 checker a few weeks ago and have tested the tank 4 times and got 0.00 every time. I tested my tap water too which comes out at around 400TDS and still got 0. The procedure and time limit it gives you is a little annoying as well.

 

I have the Saliert phosphate test kit and even when I double it I get 0 or maybe the very very slightest of blue coloring show up.

 

I just got done taking out bryopsis and now might be getting dinos so I'm assuming I should have some phosphates showing up on these kits. So I'm pretty unhappy with both Hanna and salifert.

 

This is what I fear after I purchase it. Crazy all the issues and you could not pick up any level of phosphates. Hopefully your tank turns around.

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Oh i believe in testing but i also think over testing makes ppl over worry.

 

I get tired of testing p04. Mine religiously shows 0 with salifert and has since start up.

 

The only way I get a reading is if i take water from the sand bed.

 

Api phos test stinks!

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