Meters, or test kits? I have thought about the SW test kits. Not sure what they would read on FW though. I know SW guys have some good and accurate kits. Elos and Salifert are two brands that come to mind...
Digital nitrate monitors, or really fast/accurate test kits?
- Thread starter jcardona1
- Start date
I researched this quite a bit a while back when I was working at a wholesale facility dealing with thousands of gallons of water with hundreds of tanks. There was simply no way to deal with using the standard testing kits in every tank every day, it would have taken up the majority of my work day just doing nitrate tests!
As to your request Jcardona, as far as something FASTER and MORE accurate, this is a bit like asking for a hotter girlfriend who gets hit on less by other guys.
The more accurate the test, it seems like the more complicated the procedure to test becomes. I could post some of the instructions for the higher end test kits, but they are RIDICULOUS. All sorts of things can give an innaccurate reading. These things make the API test procedures look like a walk in the park.
Here is an interesting thread from a SW forum (those guys always make us look bad!) of a guy that tested 8 different nitrate tests with lots of discussion about it.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1721602
It seems the most accurate hobbyist kit is generally agreed upon to be from a company called HACH, but the instructions are seriously out of control complicated. It sounds like an experiment we would do in my college chemistry lab.
As far as those pinpoint meters, I have read so many things. It seems under some circumstances they can be great, and others totally worthless. I think as far as something close to a very fast nitrate reading, IMO that is probably going to be the direction you are going to want to go towards...
I know you are doing wild discus now and I'm sure nitrates in your new system are something you've been thinking about, especially while it's still new. It would be so nice if seachem could make one of those "ammonia alert" like products for nitrates that stay in your tank all the time and have them be ACCURATE.
Anyway, that's enough out of me for this post right now.
As to your request Jcardona, as far as something FASTER and MORE accurate, this is a bit like asking for a hotter girlfriend who gets hit on less by other guys.
The more accurate the test, it seems like the more complicated the procedure to test becomes. I could post some of the instructions for the higher end test kits, but they are RIDICULOUS. All sorts of things can give an innaccurate reading. These things make the API test procedures look like a walk in the park.
Here is an interesting thread from a SW forum (those guys always make us look bad!) of a guy that tested 8 different nitrate tests with lots of discussion about it.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1721602
It seems the most accurate hobbyist kit is generally agreed upon to be from a company called HACH, but the instructions are seriously out of control complicated. It sounds like an experiment we would do in my college chemistry lab.
As far as those pinpoint meters, I have read so many things. It seems under some circumstances they can be great, and others totally worthless. I think as far as something close to a very fast nitrate reading, IMO that is probably going to be the direction you are going to want to go towards...
I know you are doing wild discus now and I'm sure nitrates in your new system are something you've been thinking about, especially while it's still new. It would be so nice if seachem could make one of those "ammonia alert" like products for nitrates that stay in your tank all the time and have them be ACCURATE.
Anyway, that's enough out of me for this post right now.
i guess i am kind of necro-ing the thread but as i google-d solution this thread came out TOPS..
yeah..so any technically advancement in the past 6 years?
Or i have to rely back on the API kit (#when you have issues with the colour readings diltute the samples)
yeah..so any technically advancement in the past 6 years?
Or i have to rely back on the API kit (#when you have issues with the colour readings diltute the samples)
My PH monitor comes with TDS, but it remains consistent in range all the while.
From nitrates 10 ppm to almost 80ppm.
When you say "remains consistent", do you mean compared to the tap water? The TDS rise should be measured against your Tap water. Tank water should be in line with tap. Its meaningless comparing tank TDS week from week without using tap as your base reference.
Additionally, you don't need to worry about the nitrate test for a few reasons....Nitrate tests are extremely inaccurate. Nitrates are almost impossible to test for with even expensive equipment.....TDS measures the total ions in the water. Nitrates are part of that. Unless you TDS meter is not working/not calibrated, then you can't have a rise of 80ppm nitrates and no rise in TDS...If you your TDS is barely rising from water change to water change, you're doing great in terms of water quality.
If you want to test a TDS meter, dose KNO3(potassium nitrate in the form of plant fertilizer). You should see a rise in TDS...Or dip it in RO water....
When I worked as a chemist, I used a photo-spectrometer with digital readout, and printer to measure, ammonia and nitrates. It was also capable of many other water parameters.
It was very accurate, but a DI blank, a known standard (2ppm ammonia) and the sample had to be infused with reagents each day (we ran these tests once per 8 hour shift). After each aliquot was infused, the samples had to sit 2 minutes, and then be read within a specified amount to time.
It was accurate to the thousanths place (ex...1.002 ppm)
The spectrometer ran about $50,000.00, and needed a tech from the manufacturer to come in an adjust it, every 6-8 weeks.
It was very accurate, but a DI blank, a known standard (2ppm ammonia) and the sample had to be infused with reagents each day (we ran these tests once per 8 hour shift). After each aliquot was infused, the samples had to sit 2 minutes, and then be read within a specified amount to time.
It was accurate to the thousanths place (ex...1.002 ppm)
The spectrometer ran about $50,000.00, and needed a tech from the manufacturer to come in an adjust it, every 6-8 weeks.
If you have a lot of nitrate testing to do, get a nitrate ISE probe. Otherwise, I'd recommend a Hach DR/890 or DR/900 colorimeter and the chromotropic acid method:
https://www.hach.com/nitraver-x-nitrogen-nitrate-reagent-set-hr/product-details?id=7640209853
If you're patient, you can find lightly used colorimeters for ~$200 on eBay. They don't seem to drift over time, probably due to being LEDs. They're great for ammonia tests as well. No more trying to discern between subtle shades of yellow-green.
https://www.hach.com/nitraver-x-nitrogen-nitrate-reagent-set-hr/product-details?id=7640209853
If you're patient, you can find lightly used colorimeters for ~$200 on eBay. They don't seem to drift over time, probably due to being LEDs. They're great for ammonia tests as well. No more trying to discern between subtle shades of yellow-green.
