Are Salifert test kits just expensive junk? Ive been using the calcium one and according to the kit Ive been maintaining my calcium at around 450. But corals and coraline have been bleaching. So I test the reference sample from my old seachem kit which is 425. The salifert kit gives me over 500 and the seachem kit gives me 420. So then I test my water with the seachem kit and get 350. Thats 100 units off! I'll only buy seachem kits for now on just for the reference sample
Salifert test kits
- Thread starter MisFit
- Start date
stingythingy45
Well-Known Member
No IMO....seachem test kits are junk.Personally,I would just go by an API.
Jim Tansey
Well-Known Member
Bottom line is since there is no readily available calibration sample, people will have opinions but little facts to back it up.
Jim
Jim
As I said above Jim, I test my water with the same sample that I bring to the BRS meetings for testing...and the results I get with my Elos kits are very close to the BRS results.....I use Josh's test process and Greg Hiller's technical chemistry expertise as 'calibration sample'
Well this is what I do like about the seachem kits is they come with a reference sample and a pretty large volume as well so you can calibrate. But the seachem kits are kind of a PITA due to having to use RO to dilute the sample. I had always heard good things about the salifert kits which is why I tried it out. I did like the ease of the Salifert, but was completely shocked at how off it was. I'll check out the Elos kits. Thanks everyone. It would be nice if the monitors were reliable.
delta
Impatient Reefer
It is pretty widely know Salifert calcium test are off by 100ppm from one kit to the next. When you line up 2 kits from the same company there shouldn't be a 100ppm difference. With results like that anyone can make their own judgment calibration solution or not. Salifert choose to ignore the issue at the time I had the issue so I switched to Elos.
Jim Tansey
Well-Known Member
I have posted on this subject over the years, and did comparisons of Salifert vs Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, again with no real standard it makes it difficult to post real numbers, but I have run calibration labs and have a good understanding of measurements. In my limited tests I have never seen a 100 ppm difference between Salifert kits, but that was three years ago, I chose to compare them to Aquarium Pharmaceuticals because I was told by a curator of a major aquarium that its the only one they will use. I compared the Salifert with AP largely because of the huge support Salifert got on this site, makes me wonder how many people are just repeating what the hear as opposed to having at least some knowledge of the facts.
Jim
Jim
Salifert used to be reliable, 3 yrs ago there were still plenty of the good salifert kits in circulation. (Jim T, I'm guessing the one you last used was one of those good/old ones?)
I've had the same exp as Jay, Elos is right on with the Greg/Josh testing. I've seen both API and salifert kits that were no where close, both running around 100ppm high.
I started wondering when I picked up a new salifert kit a couple of yrs ago and found out my ca was something like 550 (according to the kit).
Edit, adding;
Jim, I've got a bad salifert and a bad API your welcome to try out.
I've had the same exp as Jay, Elos is right on with the Greg/Josh testing. I've seen both API and salifert kits that were no where close, both running around 100ppm high.
I started wondering when I picked up a new salifert kit a couple of yrs ago and found out my ca was something like 550 (according to the kit).
Edit, adding;
Jim, I've got a bad salifert and a bad API your welcome to try out.
Jim Tansey
Well-Known Member
Again my testing is about three years old, but when you say API & Salifert are 100 ppm high, you may be correct, but what is the "STANDARD" you use for your conclusion?
Jim
Jim
delta
Impatient Reefer
I used 2 salifert kits they were off by 100PPM I did this with a few different batches so conclusion for me is salifert can't even come up with the standard measure between their own kits from batch to batch, they are no good.
I have never heard any evidence that this was rectified.
Many retailers no longer even carry salifert for not only this reason but the fact some tests are next to impossible to get.
Overall they just aren't the company they used to be and cannot be depended on.
Elos test within the Standards Greg Hiller made.
Do you know which Hach kit they use?
Hach 1457-01 for Calcium and Magnesium. Hach 24443-01 for Alkalinity.
I have gone by the results of the club testing for my reference.
Ie I took a water sample, then tested it with an old salifert test, a new salifert test, an API test, an elos test and gave the rest of that same sample to josh to test at a meeting.
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