Quote Originally Posted by H2Ochem View Post
No offense but I've been in a few labs myself. Have too say that reagents come from a limited number of manufactures for there specific apps. Where and how they get there is a whole new game.Please dont think that a 30 dollar test kit does not have the same reagent that a 10 dollar test kit does. ....kinda like RO/DI filters....theres only a few players out there...

Just my experience. Your milage may vary.
I have owned maybe 200 test kits. Plus or minus 100 in the 35+ years I've been keeping saltwater fish. Oh, and I'm a molecular biologist, by education. Until about 5 years ago, I too used API, Seachem and others. After chasing non-existent problems, I switched. I'd never go back.

And NO, the Salifert test kits are NOT just like the others. For instance, the Nitrate Salifert kit uses 2 powdered reagents. By not hydrating them (as others do), AND by keeping them dry, they last much, much longer. Ever notice that API kits are in white bottles? In a lab, do you keep reagents in white bottles, or exposed to light? Since you've worked in a lab, you'll note that reagents are dated. If you make them up yourself, you also date them. Do you own any Salifert kits? Some of the Salifert tests are extremely complicated. Many involve titration. The iodine kit is probably one of the few on the market. People don't spend $28 on a single test kit just to brag about owning it...

BTW, IF you have to buy a kit off the shelf, reach to the back for the newest one. That's what the LFSs do...