Tropic Marin Test Kits?

[trybka]

Hello all,
I've got a Tropic Marin calcium test kit.... I like it because I don't have to verify 30 shades of blue to figure out what the level is..... My question to you is. What reputation does their test kits have? If I bought their other kits would they be reliable? I do use Salifert for ALK and another (can't think of the name) for all other tests which I hate because you have 30 shades of blue which determine if your PH is 8.0, 8.2, etc... Thanks for your help.

 

[trybka]

Thanks! Just what I needed to hear.

 

[cerreta]

Matt, thanks for your comments on the Ammonia test from Tropic Marin. I could never get mine to come up with a color that remotely matched the card and began to question their accuracy. Everyone talks about Salifert so I thought I should switch and did, for a few tests that I did not have. They are good, but have many color charts and a shabby xeroxed-copied set of vague instructions (especially the Organics test). All the items are loosley tossed into a box and they charge a big price.
The only other problem I noticed with the Tropic Marin kits (I had the Protein test with this problem) is that the solution bottles are two pieces, the bottle, and a slip in dropper insert. Well, the second time I went to use the kit, I removed the cap and the dropper insert was stuck inside the cap, without realizing this I inverted the bottle to sqeeze out one drop and dumped the entire contents on my counter...pissed me the hell off. Do you think this could have been a brilliant manufacturers design, in order to get the customer to buy more kits?! hehehe...just kiddin, but it was discouraging. Anyhow, the Tropic Marin (TM) kits are medium priced and designed extremely well with super, multi-language set of instructions and a very PROFESSIONAL touch that I did not find in the Salifert tests. I am currently using the TM Alkalinity, Nitrate/Nitrite and calcium tests and they all rock!!! I am also using Salifert Ammonia, Phosphate, Activated Carbon, Organics (sucks-don't buy it), and Silicate test kits. These are okay, except for the Organics. I also have a Seachem Strontium and Magnesium Dual Test Kit in which the Magnesium kit is great but the Strotium kit does not register a detectable color change, even with the supplied reference solution. My Lamotte CO2 kit works good. The other kit I have tried and fired are the Seachem Iodine (sucks big time and could not get the reference solution to register a color change). Matt, do you or anyone else know from expierience a good test kit for Iodine & Strontium? Does TM make either of these?
Cheers,
Scott

 

[MattM]

All of the Tropic Marin kits are excellent with the following exceptions:

pH - Tends to read 0.2 to 0.4 high. We have talked with Topric Marin about this and they are investigating, but no word yet.

Ammonia - One of the reagents reacts with plastic bottle and turns dark. The kit is still usable, but very hard to read. Tropic Marin has changed the type of plastic used for the bottle, but will continue to test for 6-12 months to make sure the shelf life will be good.

We recommend all their other kits: Alkalinity, Calcium, Phosphate, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Protein.

 

[MattM]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cerreta:
<STRONG>... Matt, do you or anyone else know from expierience a good test kit for Iodine & Strontium? Does TM make either of these?</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No Strontium or Iodine from TM yet. We use Salifert for both - the Strontium is real easy to use, but the Iodine is kind of hard to read. Everybody else's Iodine test is hard to read too, so what can you do?