Test Kits

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Test Kits

Salinity, Alkalinity (dKh), Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, NH₃, NO₂^-, NO₃^-, PO₄^3-, Sr²⁺, I^-, Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺

Two IMPORTANT POINTS:

Test kits are a REQUIREMENT for proper marine aquarium maintenance. Some hobbyists get "lucky" by approximating the calcium, alkalinity, nitrate, and pH levels of their aquaria solutions. Eventually, mistakes are inevitable, and VERY costly. While a coral may cost over $100, a simple set of test kits are usually less than that. Seascape Studio offer free water testing - take advantage!!
NEVER make any major adjustments to water quality based on the test results of a single test kit. BEFORE ALTERING WATER CHEMISTRY, ALWAYS test using at least one different brand of test kit to confirm results. Example - bring a sample in to SeaScape Studio for a 2nd opinion. Defective test kits have been a problem over the years and have caused many people to make big changes that have wipe out their systems.

Testing Schedules:

Fish System New	Weekly:	salinity, pH, alkalinity, NH₃, NO₂^-, and NO₃^-
Fish System New	Conditionally:	silicate, Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, I^-, Sr²⁺
Fish System Established	Weekly:	salinity, pH, alkalinity
Fish System Established	Conditionally:	NH₃, NO₂^-, NO₃^-, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, PO₄^3-
Reef System New	Weekly:	salinity, pH, alkalinity, NH₃, NO₂^-, NO₃^-, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, PO₄^3-
Reef System New	Conditionally:	silicate, Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, I^-, Sr²⁺
Reef System Established	Weekly:	salinity, pH, alkalinity
Reef System Established	Conditionally	NH₃, NO₂^-, NO₃^-, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, PO₄^3-, silicate, Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, I^-, Sr²⁺

Special Notes:

Conditional tests should only be done if conditions warrant testing.
There are no inexpensive kits for testing strontium levels - most aquarists approximate at the schedule dictated above and adjusted accordingly.
Ammonia and Nitrites: Test only on new tanks or where major system changes may have caused damage to the biological filtration, sand bed or live rock
Once the system is stabilized with calcium and magnesium uptake calculated, their test can be relaxed to bi-weekly or monthly
Phosphate warrants testing with any outbreak of nuisance algae, Red Slime ( bacteria) or brown boogers (diatoms)

Kit Reliability: Kits that are produced by companies that specialize in marine chemistry are more reliable than kits marketed by mass-producers. Inaccurate kits are often inexpensive and will eventually get replaced by a more reliable and costly kit. Invest in quality kits at the start. Always check the test kit for an expiration date - many have a shelf life. Most only last about a year past the manufacture date.

Colorimetric Kits: Kits that rely on a chemical reaction to produce a colored product provide a graduated color scale to determine chemical concentrations. These kits generally work by adding reagents to a specific volume of sampled aquarium water. The resulting color change is compared to a graduated color scale provided with the kit. These scales are often difficult to read and may require several opinions to get a "color consensus". Kits that use colored plastic chips are preferred over kits with colored paper - which can fade over time.

Titrimetric Kits: Kits that rely on chemical titration to an endpoint marked by either the appearance or disappearance of a color are titrimetric. These kits involve the addition of one reagent to the aquarium sample, followed by the addition of another reagent in drops until a dramatic color change occurs. The dramatic color change indicates the reaction in the sample is complete. The volume of reagent dripped into the sample - the "titrated volume" - is then used to calculate the amount of reagent in the aquarium water. Titrimetric kits are more accurate than colorimetric kits.