Sad Panda January 31, 2016 Share January 31, 2016 I was going to buy some easier to use test kits (I have API now and have trouble reading all the color graphs). Can some people tell which they prefer (Hanna or Red Sea) and why. By the way I'm looking to purchase a complete line of testing items. Also I already saw the recall thread for some Hanna reagents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 Both suck for various reasons in my opinion. Stick with Salifert and you can't go wrong. I've been using them for nearly 20 years.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 Salifert is good. It's been a few years since there was any problem that I remember reading about with them (and that was only one kit - calcium maybe?). I keep kits for calcium, alkalinity and magnesium from them. For years, I've not trusted the regular line of Red Sea products, but have cross-checked the Red Sea Pro line calcium, alk and magnesium tests against Salifert and SeaChem enough to give me confidence with those kits. I also like Hanna for alkalinity. The recall was a surprise. I've cross-checked it in the past against Salifert and RSP kits with reasonable agreement and consistency. I did have trouble last week with high alk measurements but found that I was using a reagent that was expired by about 3 months. In the past, I also used to use the much cheaper alkalinity kit by API for quick and coarse measurement of alk. The only kit of their line that I would use. I always calibrate this kit against another kit or standard that I trust, though, and I always fill the tube with a syringe rather than relying on the line that's screened on the tube. To calibrate the kit, you basically have to figure out how much tank water you need to add to get the color change to happen where you need it to. Once calibrated, I've found the results were pretty consistent. For example, I had one test kit that gave me accurate results when I filled the tube with 4.8 ml (rather than 5 ml) of water. For magnesium, I used to use SeaChem's kit a lot. Their process was a bit tedious, though. I'll now use both Salifert and Red Sea Pro for that. I use Hanna's Phosphorus ULR checker for that test when I do it (which isn't often). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUFishGuy February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 I have not been impressed with red sea. Im going to try salifert next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 Both suck for various reasons in my opinion. Stick with Salifert and you can't go wrong. I've been using them for nearly 20 years.... +1. I keep trying other brands of kits, but always go back to Salifert. Generally easy to use and read. Never tried Hanna, but my experience with Red Sea has been uniformly negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 I have not been impressed with red sea. Im going to try salifert next +1. I keep trying other brands of kits, but always go back to Salifert. Generally easy to use and read. Never tried Hanna, but my experience with Red Sea has been uniformly negative. Curious whether you guys are referencing the older style, cheap cardboard-boxed kits or the newer Red Sea Pro line? The older kits sucked. The newer kits have been as accurate as my Salifert kits in the last 12-18 months of my using them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUFishGuy February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 Curious whether you guys are referencing the older style, cheap cardboard-boxed kits or the newer Red Sea Pro line? The older kits sucked. The newer kits have been as accurate as my Salifert kits in the last 12-18 months of my using them. Im referring to the newer model, pro line. I have a few issues, one being that the writing on the syringes comes off really easy. I have only had my kit for 3-4 months and i am now guessing where the lines are. This goes for both the 10ml and i ml syringes. Another issue is that over this time the 1ml syringes have become very "sticky", what i mean is the are not as smooth when pushing on the plunger and it is almost impossible to get single drops. It ends up being a few drops at a time. My last issue is the Magnesium test, Maybe i am a bit colorblind but i find it difficult to tell when the color turns from purple to blue, i have even more trouble with the end color of the Alk test. Is it when it is the exact color on the card or when it goes from clear(goes from blue to almost clear) to a really light shade of orange Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 For Red Sea Pro I have trouble with the calcium test. It often seems to turn blue, but then goes back purple if I wait a few seconds. I watched the videos, but still struggle with when the titration is complete. The magnesium Red Sea Pro works better, from what I can see. It isn't as precise in ppm per drop as the Ca is, but the change seems to be much quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 Im referring to the newer model, pro line. I have a few issues, one being that the writing on the syringes comes off really easy. I have only had my kit for 3-4 months and i am now guessing where the lines are. This goes for both the 10ml and i ml syringes. Another issue is that over this time the 1ml syringes have become very "sticky", what i mean is the are not as smooth when pushing on the plunger and it is almost impossible to get single drops. It ends up being a few drops at a time. My last issue is the Magnesium test, Maybe i am a bit colorblind but i find it difficult to tell when the color turns from purple to blue, i have even more trouble with the end color of the Alk test. Is it when it is the exact color on the card or when it goes from clear(goes from blue to almost clear) to a really light shade of orange interesting. I've had my kit for about a year now and haven't had a problem like that with either sized syringe. I'm pretty anal about (water) rinsing and (shake) drying them after each use, though, so there's minimum contact. I look for a color change that's lasting and not transitional during any of my titrating tests whether it's Salifert, SeaChem or RSP. Hint: Save your syringes from other test kits. Sometimes having a stock comes in handy when something like what you describe happens. I don't always wait for a full drop, either. I'll sometimes shake a half-drop of reagent in when I'm really close to the transition point. I've tested using my RSP and Salifert kits a lot in the past couple of weeks as I'm dialing-in my calcium reactor again after having ignored it for a while. I'm testing probably every other night right now using Salifert, Hanna and RSP for alk, and RSP for calcium (a replacement Salifert Ca kit should be arriving today). I'm looking forward to comparing the RSP and Salifert calcium readings. As for eyeballing the change - I've found that good lighting is a must. I prefer to have a well lit white surface against which I can view the color. Otherwise the color changes aren't as easy to discern. For Red Sea Pro I have trouble with the calcium test. It often seems to turn blue, but then goes back purple if I wait a few seconds. I watched the videos, but still struggle with when the titration is complete. The magnesium Red Sea Pro works better, from what I can see. It isn't as precise in ppm per drop as the Ca is, but the change seems to be much quicker. I've noticed this, too. I now wait a few seconds and agitate while the color settles. Typically, when this happens, you're within a drop or two of the transition finalizing. The RSP Mg test is a lot easier (to me) than Seachem's was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sad Panda February 1, 2016 Author Share February 1, 2016 The salifert, isn't that still reading a color chart? I watched so many videos on test kits I'm confused and have a headache. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 The salifert, isn't that still reading a color chart? I watched so many videos on test kits I'm confused and have a headache. Which Salifert? I actually kind of like the Red Sea Pro Nitrate and Phosphate tests with their color wheel. I find it pretty easy to compare colors with them while staring down through a calibration vial and a test vial. The Salifert test's I've used are titration tests looking for a color change, not a color gradient. I also have trouble with the gradient ones, but the changes are usually pretty good. Or you could just pay $40 each time you want a water test and send it to Triton or AWT who test a huge number of things and are (arguably) as accurate as your chemical test. (for reference: http://packedhead.net/2015/triton-lab-icp-oes-testing-of-a-certified-artificial-saltwater-standard/ ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda February 2, 2016 Share February 2, 2016 Curious whether you guys are referencing the older style, cheap cardboard-boxed kits or the newer Red Sea Pro line? The older kits sucked. The newer kits have been as accurate as my Salifert kits in the last 12-18 months of my using them. Old ones. They were so bad, I swore I would not waste more money on Red Sea products. Looking at the prices of the Pro line, I don't see a reason to shift from Salifert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 2, 2016 Share February 2, 2016 In general, I've looked at Red Sea as just another re-brander who buys products or has them made but with their name on it. They seem to have their hands in evrything. I like companies that make a single product and keep making it better as time goes by. Salifert fits the bill and after trying other test kits just for the H-E-double hockey sticks of it, it seems like there's no reason to deviate from Salifert. I have used LaMotte back in the day, but they are much more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami April 18, 2016 Share April 18, 2016 Just following up with an interesting set of results tonight that I thought I'd share. I ran three alkalinity tests against the same water sample and against a 6.7 dKH reference solution provided by Salifert. The three tests were: 1) Hanna alkalinity checker; 2) Red Sea Pro alkalinity test; and 3) Salifert alkalinity test. The test results were: 1) 131 ppm CaCO3 or 7.34 dKH 2) 7.35 dKH 3) 7.35 dKH Running the Salifert test against the 6.7 dKH reference yielded a 6.7 dKH measurement. Bottom line: Each test was accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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