Please respond with what brand (Salifert, Red Sea, Seachem and so on) test kits you use. Also what items you are testing for (calcium, alkalinity, phosphate, and so on) with these kits. This should be interesting. I am willing to bet its whatever your local LFS sells, and not many people have ordered any online. Truth be known you could have bought more kits online than from the LFS for the money. I use Salifert test kits. I own the following: Calcium Alkalinity PH Phosphate Nitrite Nitrate Magnesium
I use API & test for Calcium Alkalinity PH Phosphate Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate Magnesium use to use Red Sea Max... until I switch to API
I buy all my salifert only on line, wayyyy to expensive at LFS, and even on line they vary alot and it usally comes down between Custom Aquatic, Premium Aquatic, as Marine Depot and Foster and Smith are expensive. Take a mag kit for example, CA is 20.99, PA 25.99, MD 26.99, FS 29.99. The only problem with CA is they sell so many they are out sometimes and then usally PA is next best. I buy some of my API from LFS, as they are not as costly and i do try to support them when it doesn't kill me. Hate sea chem., way to complicated and haven't tried any others, and hard to tell the colors apart. API calc., nitrate, and copper [QT, but very seldom needed.] Salif. alk, mag., phosphate
i have recently switched to using the seachems test kits from api's. so far the tests seem alittle more complicated but the color scaled are more marginal to make the guess work easier. i have never had a problem with api's except teh shelf life of a year versus 3 years for seachems.
Alkalinity - Lamotte Calcium - Salifert Magnesium - Salifert Phosphate - Salifert Nitrate - SeaChem I order mostly from Bulk Reef Supply or Premium Aquatics. I got the nitrate test from Northside Aquatics. -Dan
