Testing Equipment

I don't have any yet mainly because I am just being cheap but I am pretty sure for calc,phos, and alk most people use the hanna checker. They are about $50 a piece from bulk reef supply. I have read a lot of reviews on them and the calc checker doesn't get very good reviews. Pretty inaccurate from what I have read. I am sure someone who has some of these will chime in and can give a little better review of each.

kenny

 

If you go to Hanna Instruments website Chlora, you can see what they have. API isn't a good test IMO for params. Salifert, Elos, LaMotte and Red Sea are probably the top 4 for 'liquid' tests.

 

I use Hanna for P04, Salifert for CA/N03/Mag.

 

I use Salifert for Calcium, Alk, and Magnesium. I use the Hanna Checker for phosphate and Red Sea for Nitrate. I recently purchased a Salifert test kit for potassium.


Definitely stay away from the Hanna Checker for Calcium. I got one when it first came out and sent it back. As was said, too difficult to get an accurate reading. This is due to the very small amt of liquid to be used. I even called Hanna to discuss. There recommendation to me was to get a medical syringe in order to get better accuracy with the amt of liquid dispensed. LOL - if I need to have a medical syringe with sharp needle point end - in order to get an accurate test - I don't want it.

 

API will get you in the ballpark. When you really start putting a strain on the Big 3 and trying to keep the bad stuff down is when accuracy comes into play. That's my theory.

 

We own both the Hanna Alk and PO4 Checker. I highly recommend the Alk Checker. The PO4 has these packets with the reagent in them as a powder. It is hard to know if you get all of the powder out of it for sure which worries me about how accurate this test is. I haven't heard good things about the Calcium Checker. I really like Red Sea's Calcium Pro kit. I would also recommend to maybe look at Red Sea's PO4 Pro kit too. It may be more accurate then the Hanna.