which nitrate test kit is the best??

[Dave M. Picklyk]

I've been having a really hard time trying to decipher my NutraFin nitrate
test kit results. The color chart is basically a light to dark hue of
purple...the water in my test tube looks more like a fuschia/pink bright
color which doesn't match anything. I usually pull the test tube back a few
inches and the hue changes color and I guess.

I've noticed that Tetra has a kit that I might like better; it has a color
chart that has different color shades from yellow to orange to red. This
might be easier to read.

Any opinions?

Thanx a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave

[Adam Gottschalk]

In article <6Nipc.9590$RM.5153@edtnps89>,
"Dave M. Picklyk" > wrote:

> I've been having a really hard time trying to decipher my NutraFin nitrate
> test kit results. The color chart is basically a light to dark hue of
> purple...the water in my test tube looks more like a fuschia/pink bright
> color which doesn't match anything. I usually pull the test tube back a few
> inches and the hue changes color and I guess.
>
> I've noticed that Tetra has a kit that I might like better; it has a color
> chart that has different color shades from yellow to orange to red. This
> might be easier to read.
>
> Any opinions?
>
> Thanx a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> Dave
>
>

I got a Red Sea Marine Lab kit a month ago or so. Can do dozens of tests
for pH, Alkalinity, NH3/NH4, NO3, and NO2. The instructions are very
clear and the charts/chits that come for each test are quite easy to
read. In addition, tests for ammonia, etc. rely not just on a color
comparison, but on further number extrapolation from charts from there
(probably the way they all work). I've not compared this to others,
except for a pH test solution I bought by itself. Even this test alone
is better with the Red Sea. I think it was about $25.

[Chris_S]

I highly recommend:

- LaMotte
- Salifert
- SeaChem

Chris.

[[email protected]]

"Dave M. Picklyk" > wrote in message news:<6Nipc.9590$RM.5153@edtnps89>...
> I've been having a really hard time trying to decipher my NutraFin nitrate
> test kit results. The color chart is basically a light to dark hue of
> purple...the water in my test tube looks more like a fuschia/pink bright
> color which doesn't match anything. I usually pull the test tube back a few
> inches and the hue changes color and I guess.
>
> I've noticed that Tetra has a kit that I might like better; it has a color
> chart that has different color shades from yellow to orange to red. This
> might be easier to read.
>
> Any opinions?
>
> Thanx a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> Dave


Tetra kits are pretty much unless.
Lamott test kits are one of the few worth while kits out there. Cost a
lot more, but if you want something that actually measures the levels
in a meaningful way, then it's worth it.
Cheap NO3 and PO4 kits are, well, cheap. If you need to see if there's
presence or absense, they are not really good there either.

Seeing if a kit is any good is not too complicated, make a known
solution with the weight of KNO3 to a known volume of water, then you
can figure out how much NO3 is in there.

Lamott held up well, I have not found others that do well in the
ranges folks need for planted tanks, many times people think they have
enough NO3 bwecause the kit reads 15ppm or something, when they are
really at 0.0ppm and this can cause algae indirectly and other issues.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Dave]

I've found Salifert test kits to be the best. I use them for both my reef
and planted freshwater tank.

"Dave M. Picklyk" > wrote in message
news:6Nipc.9590$RM.5153@edtnps89...
> I've been having a really hard time trying to decipher my NutraFin nitrate
> test kit results. The color chart is basically a light to dark hue of
> purple...the water in my test tube looks more like a fuschia/pink bright
> color which doesn't match anything. I usually pull the test tube back a
few
> inches and the hue changes color and I guess.
>
> I've noticed that Tetra has a kit that I might like better; it has a color
> chart that has different color shades from yellow to orange to red. This
> might be easier to read.
>
> Any opinions?
>
> Thanx a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> Dave
>
>

[Dave M. Picklyk]

Thanx for the insight Tom. I pretty much stopped dosing NO3 when I noticed
an increase of some algae and assumed that was the issue. The only things
that has changed in the last few months in my aquarium was a sudden growth
of a few fish and a cut-back and cleanout of a lot of my old ludwigia.
Anyways...

having inaccurate nitrate counts could be pretty detrimental to the health
of the aquarium system. I've done some research and couldn't find any
suppliers in Canada where I can order the LaMott test kits. I've heard that
the Salifert ones are just about as good but much cheaper.

Where could I get these kits?

Thanx!
Dave
" > wrote in message
om...
> "Dave M. Picklyk" > wrote in message
news:<6Nipc.9590$RM.5153@edtnps89>...
> > I've been having a really hard time trying to decipher my NutraFin
nitrate
> > test kit results. The color chart is basically a light to dark hue of
> > purple...the water in my test tube looks more like a fuschia/pink bright
> > color which doesn't match anything. I usually pull the test tube back a
few
> > inches and the hue changes color and I guess.
> >
> > I've noticed that Tetra has a kit that I might like better; it has a
color
> > chart that has different color shades from yellow to orange to red. This
> > might be easier to read.
> >
> > Any opinions?
> >
> > Thanx a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> > Dave
>
>
> Tetra kits are pretty much unless.
> Lamott test kits are one of the few worth while kits out there. Cost a
> lot more, but if you want something that actually measures the levels
> in a meaningful way, then it's worth it.
> Cheap NO3 and PO4 kits are, well, cheap. If you need to see if there's
> presence or absense, they are not really good there either.
>
> Seeing if a kit is any good is not too complicated, make a known
> solution with the weight of KNO3 to a known volume of water, then you
> can figure out how much NO3 is in there.
>
> Lamott held up well, I have not found others that do well in the
> ranges folks need for planted tanks, many times people think they have
> enough NO3 bwecause the kit reads 15ppm or something, when they are
> really at 0.0ppm and this can cause algae indirectly and other issues.
>
> Regards,
> Tom Barr

[Adam Gottschalk]

In article <USBpc.10867$0e6.4790@clgrps13>,
"Dave M. Picklyk" > wrote:

> Where could I get these kits?

www.marindepot.com has them all, in addition to good deals on just about
everything. Nice, helpful folks.

[Dave M. Picklyk]

Thanx Adam! However they only supply the low range test kits...which are
great once you have your nitrate levels within normal bounds. I would also
need medium to high-range kits as well. I know LaMotte sells #5891 which
does 0, 5, 20, 40 ppm and #3519/NCR-2 which does 0.25 - 10.0 ppm. Does the
second tester only show 4 values 0,5,20, 40? Or will it show some in
between.Would it be a good idea to have both testers?

Thanx!

Dave.


"Adam Gottschalk" > wrote in message
...
> In article <USBpc.10867$0e6.4790@clgrps13>,
> "Dave M. Picklyk" > wrote:
>
> > Where could I get these kits?
>
> www.marindepot.com has them all, in addition to good deals on just about
> everything. Nice, helpful folks.

[Graham Broadbridge]

" > wrote in message
om...
> Tetra kits are pretty much unless.

Hi Tom,

I've never disagreed with you before but I have to disagree with you in
respect of the Tetra kits.

They're cheap, yes - but in my experience they are accurate enough.

I asked a friend of my who is a clinical pharmacologist to test the accuracy
and she told me it was within the resolution. In other words, if the color
of the test says 10ppm and the next higher and lower tests were 5 ppm and 20
ppm she said in her tests the color was accurate for 10ppm.

After reading your post, I performed my own test. I created a solution of
3 teaspoons of KNO3 in 500 ml of water. I then diluted that as 1ml solution
in 1000 ml of water which should result in 20 ppm nitrate.

I asked my wife to then judge the color against the Tetra color chart and
she said 20 without any input on my part.

Maybe the tetra test sold here in Australia is different to the one in North
America?

In any case it seems accurate enough for me :-)


Graham.


> Lamott test kits are one of the few worth while kits out there. Cost a
> lot more, but if you want something that actually measures the levels
> in a meaningful way, then it's worth it.
> Cheap NO3 and PO4 kits are, well, cheap. If you need to see if there's
> presence or absense, they are not really good there either.
>
> Seeing if a kit is any good is not too complicated, make a known
> solution with the weight of KNO3 to a known volume of water, then you
> can figure out how much NO3 is in there.
>
> Lamott held up well, I have not found others that do well in the
> ranges folks need for planted tanks, many times people think they have
> enough NO3 bwecause the kit reads 15ppm or something, when they are
> really at 0.0ppm and this can cause algae indirectly and other issues.
>
> Regards,
> Tom Barr

[Dave M. Picklyk]

Hi Graham. Maybe the kits are different here in Canada. The color charts do
not match at all very good with the sample in the tube. The water turns a
fuschia-pink color while the chart colors are hues of purple. So I'm not
sure if a brighter color of pink means a deeper darker color of purple or if
it's a lighter color of purple since it's so bright???

Anyways, I'm looking into getting some LaMotte ones.

Dave.

"Graham Broadbridge" > wrote in message
...
> " > wrote in message
> om...
> > Tetra kits are pretty much unless.
>
> Hi Tom,
>
> I've never disagreed with you before but I have to disagree with you in
> respect of the Tetra kits.
>
> They're cheap, yes - but in my experience they are accurate enough.
>
> I asked a friend of my who is a clinical pharmacologist to test the
accuracy
> and she told me it was within the resolution. In other words, if the
color
> of the test says 10ppm and the next higher and lower tests were 5 ppm and
20
> ppm she said in her tests the color was accurate for 10ppm.
>
> After reading your post, I performed my own test. I created a solution
of
> 3 teaspoons of KNO3 in 500 ml of water. I then diluted that as 1ml
solution
> in 1000 ml of water which should result in 20 ppm nitrate.
>
> I asked my wife to then judge the color against the Tetra color chart and
> she said 20 without any input on my part.
>
> Maybe the tetra test sold here in Australia is different to the one in
North
> America?
>
> In any case it seems accurate enough for me :-)
>
>
> Graham.
>
>
> > Lamott test kits are one of the few worth while kits out there. Cost a
> > lot more, but if you want something that actually measures the levels
> > in a meaningful way, then it's worth it.
> > Cheap NO3 and PO4 kits are, well, cheap. If you need to see if there's
> > presence or absense, they are not really good there either.
> >
> > Seeing if a kit is any good is not too complicated, make a known
> > solution with the weight of KNO3 to a known volume of water, then you
> > can figure out how much NO3 is in there.
> >
> > Lamott held up well, I have not found others that do well in the
> > ranges folks need for planted tanks, many times people think they have
> > enough NO3 bwecause the kit reads 15ppm or something, when they are
> > really at 0.0ppm and this can cause algae indirectly and other issues.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Tom Barr
>
>

[Graham Broadbridge]

Hi Dave,

One thing I forgot to mention about the Tetra test kit is that you must
always follow the instructions which tell you to compare the colour when
holding the test tube *against* the colour chart.

If you hold the test tube even 1 inch from the chart you will see a paler
colour which will mislead you.

Many folks (myself included) expect a certain result and will move the test
tube back and forward until it matches their expectations. If you do that
the test is invalid.

I've just diluted a test sample from my stock 20ppm to 5 ppm and again I can
confirm that the test kit is accurate at 5ppm.

Tom must have used an out of date test kit, as I cannot find anything wrong
with the results from my Tetra Nitrate Test kit.

Graham.

BTW I have no association with the manufacturer - i just use their Phosphate
and Nitrate Tests because they are nice and cheap.

[Dave M. Picklyk]

Hi Graham,

When holding the tube directly against the chart I get the weird off-color
fucshia hue which doesn't match with
any of the colors on the scale. When I hold it back it matches more. Maybe
there is something in my water affecting the method of how the testing
chemicals react...or maybe it's just a defunct kit?

Dave.


"Graham Broadbridge" > wrote in message
u...
> Hi Dave,
>
> One thing I forgot to mention about the Tetra test kit is that you must
> always follow the instructions which tell you to compare the colour when
> holding the test tube *against* the colour chart.
>
> If you hold the test tube even 1 inch from the chart you will see a paler
> colour which will mislead you.
>
> Many folks (myself included) expect a certain result and will move the
test
> tube back and forward until it matches their expectations. If you do
that
> the test is invalid.
>
> I've just diluted a test sample from my stock 20ppm to 5 ppm and again I
can
> confirm that the test kit is accurate at 5ppm.
>
> Tom must have used an out of date test kit, as I cannot find anything
wrong
> with the results from my Tetra Nitrate Test kit.
>
> Graham.
>
> BTW I have no association with the manufacturer - i just use their
Phosphate
> and Nitrate Tests because they are nice and cheap.
>
>

[[email protected]]

> Hi Tom,
>
> I've never disagreed with you before but I have to disagree with you in
> respect of the Tetra kits.
>
> They're cheap, yes - but in my experience they are accurate enough.

For you, not for me.
I want a test that can measure 0-10ppm ranges and be able to tell
1-2ppm or so differences. I have a lab where we do very precise
testing and water analysis.
I tested the Tetra test some years ago, and others, but for
consistancy, the Hach and Lamott have been far better IME/IMO. I am
not alone on this either. A number of people test their kits and found
a wide range. Maybe your kit is good and maybe that reslution is
useful for you.

I don't know, but reports vary a lot about the accuracy of the cheaper
test kits. I have not heard of these issues with the Hach or Lamott
kits and found them to match the standards with PO4 and NO3.

Even if it is off, you can still sometimes adjust the scale to match
the standards.

Regards,
Tom Barr

> I asked a friend of my who is a clinical pharmacologist to test the accuracy
> and she told me it was within the resolution. In other words, if the color
> of the test says 10ppm and the next higher and lower tests were 5 ppm and 20
> ppm she said in her tests the color was accurate for 10ppm.
>
> After reading your post, I performed my own test. I created a solution of
> 3 teaspoons of KNO3 in 500 ml of water. I then diluted that as 1ml solution
> in 1000 ml of water which should result in 20 ppm nitrate.
>
> I asked my wife to then judge the color against the Tetra color chart and
> she said 20 without any input on my part.
>
> Maybe the tetra test sold here in Australia is different to the one in North
> America?
>
> In any case it seems accurate enough for me :-)
>
>
> Graham.
>
>
> > Lamott test kits are one of the few worth while kits out there. Cost a
> > lot more, but if you want something that actually measures the levels
> > in a meaningful way, then it's worth it.
> > Cheap NO3 and PO4 kits are, well, cheap. If you need to see if there's
> > presence or absense, they are not really good there either.
> >
> > Seeing if a kit is any good is not too complicated, make a known
> > solution with the weight of KNO3 to a known volume of water, then you
> > can figure out how much NO3 is in there.
> >
> > Lamott held up well, I have not found others that do well in the
> > ranges folks need for planted tanks, many times people think they have
> > enough NO3 bwecause the kit reads 15ppm or something, when they are
> > really at 0.0ppm and this can cause algae indirectly and other issues.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Tom Barr

[[email protected]]

> Hi Tom,
>
> I've never disagreed with you before but I have to disagree with you in
> respect of the Tetra kits.
>
> They're cheap, yes - but in my experience they are accurate enough.

For you, not for me.
I want a test that can measure 0-10ppm ranges and be able to tell
1-2ppm or so differences. I have a lab where we do very precise
testing and water analysis.
I tested the Tetra test some years ago, and others, but for
consistancy, the Hach and Lamott have been far better IME/IMO. I am
not alone on this either. A number of people test their kits and found
a wide range. Maybe your kit is good and maybe that reslution is
useful for you.

I don't know, but reports vary a lot about the accuracy of the cheaper
test kits. I have not heard of these issues with the Hach or Lamott
kits and found them to match the standards with PO4 and NO3.

Even if it is off, you can still sometimes adjust the scale to match
the standards.

Regards,
Tom Barr

> I asked a friend of my who is a clinical pharmacologist to test the accuracy
> and she told me it was within the resolution. In other words, if the color
> of the test says 10ppm and the next higher and lower tests were 5 ppm and 20
> ppm she said in her tests the color was accurate for 10ppm.
>
> After reading your post, I performed my own test. I created a solution of
> 3 teaspoons of KNO3 in 500 ml of water. I then diluted that as 1ml solution
> in 1000 ml of water which should result in 20 ppm nitrate.
>
> I asked my wife to then judge the color against the Tetra color chart and
> she said 20 without any input on my part.
>
> Maybe the tetra test sold here in Australia is different to the one in North
> America?
>
> In any case it seems accurate enough for me :-)
>
>
> Graham.
>
>
> > Lamott test kits are one of the few worth while kits out there. Cost a
> > lot more, but if you want something that actually measures the levels
> > in a meaningful way, then it's worth it.
> > Cheap NO3 and PO4 kits are, well, cheap. If you need to see if there's
> > presence or absense, they are not really good there either.
> >
> > Seeing if a kit is any good is not too complicated, make a known
> > solution with the weight of KNO3 to a known volume of water, then you
> > can figure out how much NO3 is in there.
> >
> > Lamott held up well, I have not found others that do well in the
> > ranges folks need for planted tanks, many times people think they have
> > enough NO3 bwecause the kit reads 15ppm or something, when they are
> > really at 0.0ppm and this can cause algae indirectly and other issues.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Tom Barr

[[email protected]]

> Hi Tom,
>
> I've never disagreed with you before but I have to disagree with you in
> respect of the Tetra kits.
>
> They're cheap, yes - but in my experience they are accurate enough.

For you, not for me.
I want a test that can measure 0-10ppm ranges and be able to tell
1-2ppm or so differences. I have a lab where we do very precise
testing and water analysis.
I tested the Tetra test some years ago, and others, but for
consistancy, the Hach and Lamott have been far better IME/IMO. I am
not alone on this either. A number of people test their kits and found
a wide range. Maybe your kit is good and maybe that reslution is
useful for you.

I don't know, but reports vary a lot about the accuracy of the cheaper
test kits. I have not heard of these issues with the Hach or Lamott
kits and found them to match the standards with PO4 and NO3.

Even if it is off, you can still sometimes adjust the scale to match
the standards.

Regards,
Tom Barr

> I asked a friend of my who is a clinical pharmacologist to test the accuracy
> and she told me it was within the resolution. In other words, if the color
> of the test says 10ppm and the next higher and lower tests were 5 ppm and 20
> ppm she said in her tests the color was accurate for 10ppm.
>
> After reading your post, I performed my own test. I created a solution of
> 3 teaspoons of KNO3 in 500 ml of water. I then diluted that as 1ml solution
> in 1000 ml of water which should result in 20 ppm nitrate.
>
> I asked my wife to then judge the color against the Tetra color chart and
> she said 20 without any input on my part.
>
> Maybe the tetra test sold here in Australia is different to the one in North
> America?
>
> In any case it seems accurate enough for me :-)
>
>
> Graham.
>
>
> > Lamott test kits are one of the few worth while kits out there. Cost a
> > lot more, but if you want something that actually measures the levels
> > in a meaningful way, then it's worth it.
> > Cheap NO3 and PO4 kits are, well, cheap. If you need to see if there's
> > presence or absense, they are not really good there either.
> >
> > Seeing if a kit is any good is not too complicated, make a known
> > solution with the weight of KNO3 to a known volume of water, then you
> > can figure out how much NO3 is in there.
> >
> > Lamott held up well, I have not found others that do well in the
> > ranges folks need for planted tanks, many times people think they have
> > enough NO3 bwecause the kit reads 15ppm or something, when they are
> > really at 0.0ppm and this can cause algae indirectly and other issues.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Tom Barr

[Kenneth Ho]

**** Post for FREE via your newsreader at post.usenet.com ****

I found that most errors are in fact due to the defect on printing. I have
many sets of colour charts of different brands, they all printed
differently, and some really don't match at all.

Cheers
Kenneth

"Dave M. Picklyk" > ¦b¶l¥ó
news:nOcqc.11447$RM.7002@edtnps89 ¤¤¼¶¼g...
> Hi Graham. Maybe the kits are different here in Canada. The color charts
do
> not match at all very good with the sample in the tube. The water turns a
> fuschia-pink color while the chart colors are hues of purple. So I'm not
> sure if a brighter color of pink means a deeper darker color of purple or
if
> it's a lighter color of purple since it's so bright???
>
> Anyways, I'm looking into getting some LaMotte ones.
>
> Dave.
>
> "Graham Broadbridge" > wrote in message
> ...
> > " > wrote in message
> > om...
> > > Tetra kits are pretty much unless.
> >
> > Hi Tom,
> >
> > I've never disagreed with you before but I have to disagree with you in
> > respect of the Tetra kits.
> >
> > They're cheap, yes - but in my experience they are accurate enough.
> >
> > I asked a friend of my who is a clinical pharmacologist to test the
> accuracy
> > and she told me it was within the resolution. In other words, if the
> color
> > of the test says 10ppm and the next higher and lower tests were 5 ppm
and
> 20
> > ppm she said in her tests the color was accurate for 10ppm.
> >
> > After reading your post, I performed my own test. I created a
solution
> of
> > 3 teaspoons of KNO3 in 500 ml of water. I then diluted that as 1ml
> solution
> > in 1000 ml of water which should result in 20 ppm nitrate.
> >
> > I asked my wife to then judge the color against the Tetra color chart
and
> > she said 20 without any input on my part.
> >
> > Maybe the tetra test sold here in Australia is different to the one in
> North
> > America?
> >
> > In any case it seems accurate enough for me :-)
> >
> >
> > Graham.
> >
> >
> > > Lamott test kits are one of the few worth while kits out there. Cost a
> > > lot more, but if you want something that actually measures the levels
> > > in a meaningful way, then it's worth it.
> > > Cheap NO3 and PO4 kits are, well, cheap. If you need to see if there's
> > > presence or absense, they are not really good there either.
> > >
> > > Seeing if a kit is any good is not too complicated, make a known
> > > solution with the weight of KNO3 to a known volume of water, then you
> > > can figure out how much NO3 is in there.
> > >
> > > Lamott held up well, I have not found others that do well in the
> > > ranges folks need for planted tanks, many times people think they have
> > > enough NO3 bwecause the kit reads 15ppm or something, when they are
> > > really at 0.0ppm and this can cause algae indirectly and other issues.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Tom Barr
> >
> >
>
>




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[blank]

"ET69" > wrote in message >

> And that is the crux of the matter: What precision do you actually
> need.
>
> "Which nitrate test kit is the best??" can be explained as: "What test
> is the most precise?", but it could also mean: "What test gives me
> enough precision for my needs for the least amount of cost?"
>
> I use the Tetra/eSHa 5-in-1 test-strips as those give me a general
> idea of the Nitrate-levels in my freshwater tanks. It allows me to
> distinguish between 0, 10, 25, 50, 100 and over. For most of my tanks
> anything under 50ppm is just fine.
>
> The right answer depends on your requirements.


Well said ET69--your answer is spot on. Horses for courses, as they say.

[Rikko]

Just throwing in my 2 cents..

The Hagen/Nutrafin test are dreadful. The colour chart is terribly
unhelpful and fades over time, so the bad match you already had ust
gets worse. Their #3 reagent bottles were also defective for a long
time.
I don't really like Tetra tests because of their droppers (then again
they may have changed them in the past few years) - the drops come too
easily and too fast.
I picked up an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals kit and so far I love it. The
colour chart is easy to read (gets a little more tricky above
30-40ppm, but by then you probably want to be getting the siphon
anyways). The charts are LAMINATED, so they won't discolour, and thus
far they've seemed very accurate in both fresh and sal****er. I never
know what chart to use for my brackish tank though. :P