FianallybPicked up Reef test kit today

[1fstlightning]

ALso the Nitrates were measured in ppm

[Europhyllia]

could it be a typo and the nitrates measured 0.5 instead of 5.0?

[1fstlightning]

Its the one right below 0. It says 5.0 ppm on the card unless the card is wrong.

[ShAgMaN]

It's true, I have the same test kit. Check the pic. So Gabe, these test kits suck?

[Bill S]

1) take a water sample, and go back to R2U. Have them test your water, and you test it as well. That way you know if you are doing it right AND it checks your kit out. I spent a couple of months chasing an alkalinity problem I didn't have.

2) what are you measuring salinity with? That number is a little high - your corals will like it, but higher salinity is tougher on fish.

3) NEVER dose anything you don't test for.

4) The ONLY test kits I use are Salifert. There's a reason why Salifert kits are so expensive - they are good.

5) The API kits generally show a small false positive for Ammonia. They can also do the same for Nitrates.

[Europhyllia]

I think the Salinity is perfect at 1.026
Here's some material on that:

For reference, natural ocean water has a salinity of about 35 ppt, corresponding to a specific gravity of about 1.0264 and a conductivity of 53 mS/cm.
As far as I know, there is little real evidence that keeping a coral reef aquarium at anything other than natural levels is preferable. It appears to be common practice to keep marine fish, and in many cases reef aquaria, at somewhat lower than natural salinity levels. This practice stems, at least in part, from the belief that fish are less stressed at reduced salinity. Substantial misunderstandings also arise among aquarists as to how specific gravity really relates to salinity, especially considering temperature effects.
Ron Shimek has discussed salinity on natural reefs in a previous article. His recommendation, and mine as well, is to maintain salinity at a natural level. If the organisms in the aquarium are from brackish environments with lower salinity, or from the Red Sea with higher salinity, selecting something other than 35 ppt may make good sense. Otherwise, I suggest targeting a salinity of 35 ppt (specific gravity = 1.0264; conductivity = 53 mS/cm).

source: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

[corruption]

Salifert, LaMotte, Hach, and Elos -- all high quality, typically titration test kits -- about as accurate as a hobbyist can hope to get with out lab analysis equipment. API tests aren't the worst, but they definitely have a bit more tendency to fluctuate between readings. Bills recommendations are all spot on, IMO -- verifying your test results against another test kit (and another tester, especially if you're still getting the hang of the testing thing) is a good thing. Helps verify the effaciacy of your tests, as well as the accuracy of your methods.

-Justin

[1fstlightning]

It's true, I have the same test kit. Check the pic. So Gabe, these test kits suck?

Mine is like the same color, maybe a little lighter, but about the same.

[1fstlightning]

1) take a water sample, and go back to R2U. Have them test your water, and you test it as well. That way you know if you are doing it right AND it checks your kit out. I spent a couple of months chasing an alkalinity problem I didn't have.

2) what are you measuring salinity with? That number is a little high - your corals will like it, but higher salinity is tougher on fish.

3) NEVER dose anything you don't test for.

4) The ONLY test kits I use are Salifert. There's a reason why Salifert kits are so expensive - they are good.

5) The API kits generally show a small false positive for Ammonia. They can also do the same for Nitrates.

I have done this already about a month ago. I took it to 3 places to get checked to make sure it was correct, cause like I said, my Nitrates and my Ammonias have always read the same. I took it to AD's, Texas Tropical, and the fish store on Bandera all in the same day, and they all told me that my water quality was good, just my Salinty was high at 1.030. Ill probably run a sample over to Jeramy here in a while to check it out, but I think I seen him use the same kit, so I might be going to a few places to check to be sure.

[1fstlightning]

Calcium:680

thats high

Could high calcium levels be bad to my corals?