pinpoint nitrate meter.

[nycmat]

i just saw this thing in that pet place. $250 ? wondering anyone like this idea?
just an FYI

 

[nyfireman3097]

Mat as far as I know that is gonna be your best bet on gettin a true reading of your NO3

 

[nycmat]

nick what about a hanna tester. which you think is better because i just bought a hanna tester from Dr. F&S

 

[nyfireman3097]

I talked to RFH on reef central and he says its great the reagents to calibrate it are on the money and regular test kits are never even close to what they should be I do not know about the hanna but I do have the PO4 from hanna and its great

 

[Deanos]

:idea: You guys should team up and test tanks of people whose water parameters are 'fine'

 

[pecan2phat]

I'm skeptical though. If it's anything like their calcium or salinity monitor, then IMO, it'll be a closet item.

 

[mshur]

i am with Warren on this one

 

[nyfireman3097]

it is not meant to sit in the tank it is meant to be for testing. It will give you a true reading comapred to any test kit out there if its calibrated. Theres a guy on RC doing tests on test kits and none are even close not even the lamott test kit or hach

 

[pecan2phat]

Nick, I agree to a degree. Take in point their calcium monitor. If you need to calibrate the testing equipment almost every time or every other time prior to testing, then it gets pretty old quickly. Besides the accuracy for low range, I'd rather do a 3 minute Salifert test.

 

[nyfireman3097]

thats all fine and dandy but as for nitrates your 3 minute test kit is not telling you anything about what is in your system do the research and you will find things read 0 are alot lot higher then that tests that read 100 really 10. If you dont mind that go for the test kits. Me I spend ALOT on my system I want the best I want to know whats going on in my tank as much as I can so for me ill go for the pinpoint

 

[Awibrandy]

Boy, you guys are really scaring me.:Thinking: What with the $1000 skimmers, and now this. So, I'm I understanding this correctly? Unless I spend a few hundreds on these test, and a thousand on the skimmer I might as well get out of the hobby? :sigh:

 

[nyfireman3097]

lol no to each there own brandy I strive for the best I could get out of my system, yet again im like that with everything I do lol

 

[Deanos]

Nick, with your tank equipment list, it's like the saying..."which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Did you buy expensive equipment to support the coral or expensive coral to justify the need for the best equipment? :scratch:

 

[Awibrandy]

I tell you what if hubby ever hits the lotto I'm gonna get you to upgrade my system.LOL But seriously, what do poor folks like me buy for test kits?

I have the Hagen Master test kit right now.

 

[nyfireman3097]

Well from everyone on other sites are doing various teests on every test kit out there and as of now none are even close they still have a few left to test. There are 2 diffrent elements of NO3 theres NO3 and NO3-n alot of test read the wrong nitrate and gives false readings also others read both which give false reading

 

[Awibrandy]

Then why even bother to test? Why not just go with how the corals and fish look?
I've got to choose a test kit before I can buy one. Like I said I have the Hagen Master Test kit, which by the way does not have an alkalinity test.
NYfireman, what other site? Please..

 

[nyfireman3097]

reef central is the site. How there doing the tests are with calibration fluids that are made for this hobby 1ppm 10ppm 100ppm. They then test it on the test kits and are getting some really messed up results. As far as why the thing that there good for is to know if your waters nitrates are raising or lowering. Corals are a great way to know to there are alot of levels in this hobby IMHO. You can have a great looking system for cheap but IMHP it will never be like some tanks that you would see and say WOW too. but please keep in mind this is my opionion. You buy what you can afford this is a VERY expensive hobby I am a HUGE believer you get what you pay for. There are a ton of diffrent reasons why some things die and its not all that easy to pinpoint the reasons. And alot of equiptment out there that help you keep those problems from being a reason for them to happen. Like a good skimmer will help keep your nutrients low but a great skimmer will keep them low. Dosing pumps cal reactors help keep your parameters inline so theres minimum fluctuations to help keep your corals happy not stressed and so on and so on.