Testing Equip

[aqua-ed]

What kind of stuff does everyone use to monitor water parameters? Specifically, nitrates. My nitrates have been reading zero, despite cyano blooms, so i decided to run a check. I made a vile concoction of fish food and tank water that I let sit for three days. It's nitrates, too, showed zero. Goodness knows what my nitrates are at. I've been using API test solutions. What does everyone else use?
I'm also curious what you use to measure trace elements like iodine, Ca, and such.

[Nyles]

Salifert is the preferred test kits of almost everyone on the board. I have some AQ systems nitrate kits I use for nitrate now and then for a quick read, but for accuracy, salifert all the way.

[andy]

Yeah, Salifert here too. I'm trying out Elos for Ca, Alk and Mg though.

[mrgreenthumb]

Salifert is the only test that makes it easy to tell if you truly have 0 nitrates because with alot of the other tests 0-10ppm can be a bit of a gray area

[aqua-ed]

Where does everyone get salifert?

[Smann]

Upscales carries a few not the whole line, i just ordered one from Marine Depot

[impur]

I use Salifert and API. One thing i've noticed about the API tests, you will get pretty much exactly the same reading as the Salifert tests but once the kit gets a few months old, it will start to be off. I've noticed this with the calcium kit more than the others.

[aqua-ed]

Hmmm... So I use API nitrate and it always gives me a reading of zero, and I haven't had it that long, just since January. I am starting to get cyano in my tank now that I am feeding the sun corals, so I doubt my nitrates are zero.

[impur]

Yah...take some water to your LFS and have em test it for you.