bad Salifert calcium test kit?

[cranbureefer]

Any one recently get a bad Salifert calcium test kit? Mine's reading over 500 (needs another 0.53 mL of CA-3 to get the test tube water to turn blue). I'm assuming it's my new one that is bad, and not the old one (my old readings were more around 380-400, a more believable number). In the meantime, I'm dosing B-Ionic part 1 only.

My params:

1.025 sg
78 degrees
8.3 pH (Elos... was 7.9 on Salifert!)
0.5 nitrate (Salifert)
1350 magnesium (Salifert)
3.2 alkalinity (Salifert)
500+ calcium (Salifert)
reef crystals salt mix

 

[DaveK]

That's the problem. You don't know wich one is bad. It could be either.

Get another quality brand, and retest, and then you can at least pick the "majority choice".

 

[duijver]

Cranbureffer:

I picked up a Salifert calc test kit at the frag swap and I haven't gotten a good reading on it since. After the 4th reading over 500+ I gave up...

Maybe we are just doing it wrong? Maybe we need to read the German instructions... : -)

btw, I don't do anything for calc or add any suppliments for that matter.

 

[cranbureefer]

I tried testing using the "low resolution" method, where you use half the stuff and double the reading. It says I have a calcium of 520. I suppose that's possible... I was dosing some before things went hay-wire. Maybe I over did it?

 

[NYCREEFER]

I apologize for hijaxking your thread but I've been thinking of switching over to Salifert tests and am curious how their calcium test works? Is it a simple test to use eg. a few drops added to the sample of water or is it like Seachem's tritation where you have to be a chemist to use it and are left unsure of your result. Thanks for helping me out.

 

[calaxa]

It's exactly like Seachem's except doesn't come in that hard case. The simplest one is API but resolution is not as good. What I hate about both is the scooper.

 

[NYCREEFER]

Thanks Calaxa, I guess I will continue to use up the seachem.