Test kit links

Lamott test kits for cheap:
http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_test_kits_lamotte.asp?CartId=
For 2-3x as much, you get a lot more.

Light meters:
I have not used nor spoken with these folks yet, but I am looking into it:
Multi meter sensor:

http://www.specmeters.com/Light_Meters/Multi-Sensor_Quantum_Light_Meter.html

Single point sensors

http://www.specmeters.com/Light_Meters/Quantum_Light_Meter.html

The calibrated unuit with external sensor is ideal.

I am not certain if the sensors are cosine corrected and they likely can be modified to place under shallow water(less than 30").

LI-COR 250 + underwater probe are no less than 700-1200$.
But they are industry and science standards.

These are much cheaper and likely as good for our purposes and still quite accurate and much better than any Lux meter.

Few folks have done anything with PAR and aquatic plants in this hobby.

Other meters for those more inclined to test:
K+ meter

http://www.specmeters.com/Nutrient_Management/Cardy_Plant_Nutrient_Meters.html
Great meter for K+ measurement but 350$

See Ben meadows for K+ spefic test kit colorimeter by Hanna for 1/2 the cost over a 0-50ppm range.

For NO3, PO4 etc: Hanna makes very good and accurate meters:
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/568/cid/157

They also make a PO4 meter, ask for pricing.
Here's one from the other company:

http://www.shopsolution.nl/shop/home.asp?shopid=seameint&prodid=phosphatephoto

PO4:
http://www.rickly.com/wqi/IonSpecificMeters.htm
http://www.benmeadows.com/store/product_group.asp?dept_id=2128&cat_prefix=5WB

and for NH4, NO3 and PO4:

http://www.automatedaquariums.com/h_c103.htm

This is the best price I've seen for these features.

Here's some interesting ag references for sap and dry weight ppm's:
http://www.specmeters.com/info/2.html

Both UC Davis and UF, both places I go/have gone to grad school are sources. Top places for this stuff.

-------------------------------------------
I wanted to say in closing, many folks have seen me pick issues with folks doing testing and they run off testing this stuff without considering the orginal question.

Things like light are not easy to measure and we can spend a great deal of time, $$$$ and work and not get decent results that answer the question.
Some comments on the CO2 mist idea have eluded folks as well.

It's not that I do not think testing is bad obviously, but the way to data is acquired and how it is used/interpted does make a world of difference.

While I might seem critical, this is to help the other person to understand there is more to testing than simply blindly using test kits. Many times they take this as a personal attack, it's not, and never has been.

I fully encourage testing and always have, but some folks and most hobbyist simply do not care. Those that do often have no formal training nor consider many of the basic questions that researchers must consider when they set up their test and methods. Those that don't care want a simple method to solve the issue and grow plants. End of story for them, they care more about scaping or fish etc.

I like to reference and double check things.
I like to use good data and have lots of data points.
The methods I try and make similar to research science, it does not need be a huge production worthy of some journal publication, just a fairly good idea and run enough tanks/replicates to make sure you are in the ball park. From there you can focus things down.

Using good equipment and testing methods will greatly enhance things.
The above kits are roughly as good as most research scientist often use and better pricing in most cases.

So if you are really into measuring the NO3/PO4/K+ levels, there are high quality meters that are very accurate(by about 100X).

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

Custom aquatic,

While I have no issue with posting the links etc here, I'm more interested in providing information than merely sales for these links above, eg, taking more critical approaches to testing water, most vendors sell a wide range of "Cheapo" test kits.

This is the on topic part of the post.
Lamotte, Hack, YSI, Colorimeters, Spetrophotometers, Calibration reference solutions etc.

Most folks here are already well aware of the typical cheap hobbyist test kits.
What they are not aware of, is how to calibrate them, what brands are available for more accuracy, better resolution over the desired ranges etc.

If you offer some feedback and comparisons of each of the test kits, even one or two, based on a known reference, that would be good.

Then we can compare accuracy.

I've really only used high grade research equipmenet and the brands I've mentioned, but am well aware of how lousy and poor some of the readings are with lower cost hobby test kits.

Some batches are decent, some are not, and expiration dates etc, user errors, color charts etc all play a large role.

But when a brand can test 40ppm of NO3, when it's plain DI water.........I've got some issues and will say so.

The above links I gave are very accurate and beyond just suggesting the brands, I also educate and make sure folks use them and calibrate them correctly, this can be done with cheapo test kits, but in general, you get what you pay for.

Thanks for links, nice site!

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

You might link these items from your site for this thread:

Custom Aquatic - Store - Digital Instruments - [ Colorimeters ] - (Colorimeters)

It would also be great if you could sell the calibration reference solutions for NO3, PO4 particularly, and perhaps carry a K+ colorimeter(Hanna) and the reagents.

That would help folks out and make it easier for folks to do and get better results.
I can and do tel, folks how to do that, but it's nice to have a evndor that sells calibration solutions for the NO3 and PO4 test kits just like they do for pH, Redox, O2 etc............PO4/NO3 have the same issues as pH etc.

Why they do not offer 2 point calibrations over the same commonly used ranges in aquarium keeping is beyond me.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Regards,
Tom Barr