Dustin Posted November 23, 2002 Share Posted November 23, 2002 I want some good test kits that wont fail. I like the aqaurium Pharm Kits but I think I want something a little more safe for my SW. Seachem looks REALLY nice but i think it would be expensive and I cant find them online! I found this hagen kit that looks nice, you guys tell me what is best and where to get it please! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=2074049416 Link to comment
Satchmo Posted November 23, 2002 Share Posted November 23, 2002 Seachem is actually one of the least expensive kits out there. I wouldn't buy that ebay auction. You can get the same kit at www.bigalsonline.com for the same price, and you'll know it's brand new. Link to comment
bautin2 Posted November 23, 2002 Share Posted November 23, 2002 Due to my sheer laziness, I bought a tetra tec test kit from my LFS. I don't know what the reputation of those is. I'm pretty aggrivated though cause it constantly shows "nothing" in my system, and I doubt that I am that lucky. I started my 10 gallon about a month ago and the test kit has shown 0 nitrates or nitrites or ammonia during the weekly tests. My water is always at 8.0 pH. May sound foolish, but I just wish (just once) some sign of cycling would appear in the vials... Link to comment
Mnesarchus Posted November 23, 2002 Share Posted November 23, 2002 I use Seachem for NO3,NO2,NH3,pH, and ALK. They work great, and it has lasted me quite a while without having to buy replacements. Link to comment
Dustin Posted November 23, 2002 Author Share Posted November 23, 2002 is hagen a good brand, they are so much cheaper and everything comes all together. Link to comment
Dave ESPI Posted November 23, 2002 Share Posted November 23, 2002 Lanotte is the best, but Salifert is what I (and many others) use. Buy them all if yer serious. See the "magical search button", there is a LOT of threads discussing this as of recent too. Link to comment
Pikelet Posted November 23, 2002 Share Posted November 23, 2002 SeaChem all the way - very nice Ca test too Link to comment
Guest AbSoluTc Posted November 23, 2002 Share Posted November 23, 2002 Ill second or third? the seachem test kits - moderately priceds and give the results most anyone needs. Link to comment
jackdp Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 I use Seachem...fairly cheap, use a small sample amount, and you get 75 test for @$10. Try looking at thatfishplace.com that's where I get mine. good luck! Link to comment
Dustin Posted November 24, 2002 Author Share Posted November 24, 2002 Are lamotte any good? I dont mind the money if they are good becuase i have multiple tanks they will be used on. They are expensive but i want a good test that gives me a good reading. Link to comment
Satchmo Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 Lamotte is widely considered the best of the best. See Dave's above post. I myself can't justify spending that kind of money on a test kit when there are much cheaper ones accurate enough for my purposes. Link to comment
sjpresley Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 I bought the hagen kit from the same guy off e-bay. All of his stuff is new/unopened in the box. He is a pain though because he doesn't/didn't accept paypal and you have to mail payment to Canada which takes a while. He also seemed like kind of a jerk and never responds to e-mails. Nice kit though. I am a test kit nut. I have the aquarium pharm. kit too, as well as some salifert, seachem, red sea and Lamotte's. The Lamotte kits (calc and hardness) were $5 ea. used at my LFS. I have done some comparative work with 3 calcium kits. They never read the same but they are consistent with Lamotte's giving the lowest reading, then hagen , then read sea the highest. For example if Lamotte's says 412 ppm, Hagen is about 440 ppm and Red sea about 460 ppm. The thing to be careful about Lamottes is it measure total calcium not just CA+ so you have to adjust your readings by multiplying by .4 because it'll give you something around 1000 (which of course is silly). Can't say as I have a real problem with any of the kits I've used except that some tests are very sensitive (e.g., iodine, strontium, magnesium) and it will take a few tries for you to get the hang of what the test results are supposed to look like because the color changes are subtle and the lighting and background you use can greatly affect your results. Link to comment
Xavier Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 Originally posted by Dave ESPI Lanotte is the best, but Salifert is what I (and many others) use. Buy them all if yer serious. As a matter of fact, I just ordered the entire set. Pricey, but so are dead livestock. Edit: The Salifert set... Link to comment
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