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what is your preferred/go-to marine test kit?


Friendly

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I'm color blind, so these color tests have always been a frustration for me. however, tests need to be done, so I'd like to know what kits you prefer.

 

if anyone else is also badly color blind, how do you cope? 

 

the Hanna option is very attractive, however it would be quite expensive...likely $1000 more more to get all the testers needed, being there's a high range and low range for each parameter. can anyone recommend which Hanna tester(s) would be most beneficial to get up front? 

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I just have the alkalinity hanna checker and love it. Plan to get the calcium one when I'm out of my salifert. I like salifert because your not looking for a color comparison, but rather a color change, so if you can see a difference than that might be an option for you. I believe Red Sea is the same.

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26 minutes ago, Pjanssen said:

I like salifert because your not looking for a color comparison, but rather a color change, so if you can see a difference than that might be an option for you. 

hey Pj, can you elaborate a bit more on what you meant by 'a color change'?

 

as long as the change is significant...not a blue to a lighter blue or anything like that...I should be okay. :)  

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Thrassian Atoll

I just purchased a ton of testing kits.

 

Hanna alk DKH checker and I like it.  Super easy to use, great reviews. 

 

Hanna ultra low phosphorus checker. Great reviews, but I need to figure out a better way to use it with the powder and running out of time to do the test.  

 

Hanna Ph probe to test it against my Apex probe.  Pretty spot on for both.

 

Red Sea Calcium test kit.  I like it.  Good reviews.  The range between 400-500 is so tiny though, kind of hard to see imo.

 

red sea nitrate - I like this.  Easy to use.  If you are color blind though, not a good option.

 

I bought a Red Sea magnesium test kit but haven't received it yet.  

 

Stay away from the Hanna Calcium checker.  Nothing but awful reviews for it.

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15 minutes ago, Friendly said:

hey Pj, can you elaborate a bit more on what you meant by 'a color change'?

 

as long as the change is significant...not a blue to a lighter blue or anything like that...I should be okay. :)  

Sure. with the Salifert kits , For calcium the color goes from pink/red to blue. A drastically different color. It will change first to a purple, and then a blue. I haven't used the alkalinity in awhile, but if I remember correctly the color goes from blue to pink. With the magnesium it goes from pink to gray or blue. Phosphates, nitrates are a color comparison though, sorry. Hope this helps

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Hanna checker for alk and phos. Digital would be easiest.

 

Ca and mag- red sea. The colour goes from red to blue. It's very distinctive. Or Hanna checker

 

The Api's are too difficult to tell the difference in colour. They are a pain. 

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Thrassian Atoll
26 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Hanna checker for alk and phos. Digital would be easiest.

 

Ca and mag- red sea. The colour goes from red to blue. It's very distinctive. Or Hanna checker

 

The Api's are too difficult to tell the difference in colour. They are a pain. 

 

Same ones I bought recently.  I read multiple reviews about the Hanna calcium checker always reading super high.  I am staying away from that one.  That's to bad too, I really like the Hanna checkers.

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13 hours ago, Pjanssen said:

Sure. with the Salifert kits , For calcium the color goes from pink/red to blue. A drastically different color. It will change first to a purple, and then a blue. I haven't used the alkalinity in awhile, but if I remember correctly the color goes from blue to pink. With the magnesium it goes from pink to gray or blue. Phosphates, nitrates are a color comparison though, sorry. Hope this helps

hmmm...interesting!

 

how do you range the color changes to how many ppm you're testing for? ie, you said when testing Ca, it goes from pink/red to blue...but turns purple first. I would probably have trouble distinguishing purple from blue. does purple mean (random numbers generated) 1 while blue means 2 or is the purple insignificant as it's just one stage of the reaction before you have your real answer?

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Five.five-six
19 hours ago, 4x5 said:

Salifert are great IMO. It's pretty obvious when the colour has changed. :)

I have to agree on the salifert, the color changes are prety dramatic and then you just read thenumbe on they syringe. That said, there are many variations of color blindness and what colors one person can distinguish may be drasticly differant from what another person can.   

 

OP, you are going to do some trial and error. Are there any aquarium societies or clubs in your area?  Perhaps you could join one and ask the membership for help figuring which work best for you.   

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@Friendly What type of colorblindness do you have? (I.E. Red-green, Blue-yellow or total? Possibly other.) This could help people suggest stuff more accurately. What I will say is avoid API.

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I'm primarily red/green...but it goes into everything.

 

I did the color blindness test the other day...18 color's to line up. I got only the first two right.  :( 

 

an example...the other day my wife asked me about a color. I said gray. it was some light blue/purple.  <_< 

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