Confused: Standardized chemistry?

[porpoiseaquatics]

So I'm testing water params and it seems like each test kit has different measurements, even with the same company. So is there a standardized measurement? Do we recognize ppm or meg/L? Is there a conversion? I'm sure there is a posting here that has what each param should be as well. Right now I'm getting the following:

pH: 8.2 (API)
Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates: all 0 (API)
Calcium: 420 meg/L (API)
Alkalinity: 3.0 meg/L (SeaChem)
Magnesium: 475 ppm (Salifert)
Phosphate: undetected (SeaChem)

I realize my Alk is a little low as well as my Magnesium. I'm dosing for both right now and will retest this evening or tomorrow morning.

 

[acroholic]

porpoiseaquatics;559406 wrote: So I'm testing water params and it seems like each test kit has different measurements, even with the same company. So is there a standardized measurement? Do we recognize ppm or meg/L? Is there a conversion? I'm sure there is a posting here that has what each param should be as well. Right now I'm getting the following:

pH: 8.2 (API)
Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates: all 0 (API)
Calcium: 420 meg/L (API)
Alkalinity: 3.0 meg/L (SeaChem)
Magnesium: 475 ppm (Salifert)
Phosphate: undetected (SeaChem)

I realize my Alk is a little low as well as my Magnesium. I'm dosing for both right now and will retest this evening or tomorrow morning.

Jeff,
Your calcium could not be in miliequivalents. Look to the 420 as ppm. To convert Calcium in meq to ppm you multiply the meq by 20, so you would have 8400 ppm with that figure!!!

Alkalinity is converted to dKH by multiplying by 2.8. Your KH is 8.4 dKH.

Your numbers look good except for Magnesium, which is incredibly low, almost too low to be believable. Perform the mag test again to confirm. If it is correct, look at your Salifert Test kit's expiration date on the box. If that is good, then have Marine Design confirm the readings by testing your water and get a magnesium supplement in the tank pronto.

 

[enderg60]

ppm = mg/L

alk is the only one I know of that uses 2 different units

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

Dave...thanks...checked the Calcium chart again and I got it wrong. Calcium is actually 420 mg/L (which according to API is the same as ppm as EnderG60 says above).

I thought Mag looked unbelievably low myself. Especially since I'm already dosing using SeaChem Reef Advantage Magnesium. I'm going to retest it this evening and see if it changes. I only have one type of Mag test so I have no way to make a comparison.

 

[acroholic]

porpoiseaquatics;559441 wrote: Dave...thanks...checked the Calcium chart again and I got it wrong. Calcium is actually 420 mg/L (which according to API is the same as ppm as EnderG60 says above).

I thought Mag looked unbelievably low myself. Especially since I'm already dosing using SeaChem Reef Advantage Magnesium. I'm going to retest it this evening and see if it changes. I only have one type of Mag test so I have no way to make a comparison.

Yea, ppm and mg/l is like milliliter (ml) and cubic centimeter (cc), the same and interchangeable.

Your Salifert Mag test kit should have an expiration date on the box, what does it say?

 

[cr500_af]

Just an FYI to avoid confusion, Seachem alk tests read in meq/l (millequivalents) not meg/l or mg/l. Shouldn't be a real issue as alk tests are either meq/l or dKH, and never ppm or mg/l.

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

I've looked all over every box/package, bottle, instruction booklet for every test kit that I have and none show expiration dates. Lot numbers, yes but no expiration dates which I find odd. My old test kits (powder regents) had expiration dates.

My SeaChem Alk kit is brand new, just opened it today. My API (pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate) is about 6 months old. The SeaChem Mag kit was opened about 6 months ago. It hadn't been opened when I got it but not sure how old it really was beforehand. I guess the same could be said for all of my kits including the SeaChem Phospate. At least I have 3 different calcium kits to measure against (SeaChem, API and Salifert...the Salifert kit is old however).

All of my kits are liquid kits. I don't use powder kits. I do however think the Mag kit is bad. I just tested again after a dosing of Mag and the value hasn't changed at all. I'm going to Marine Design later so I think I'll just take a sampe for testing.

 

[acroholic]

porpoiseaquatics;559511 wrote: I've looked all over every box/package, bottle, instruction booklet for every test kit that I have and none show expiration dates. Lot numbers, yes but no expiration dates which I find odd. My old test kits (powder regents) had expiration dates.

My SeaChem Alk kit is brand new, just opened it today. My API (pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate) is about 6 months old. The SeaChem Mag kit was opened about 6 months ago. It hadn't been opened when I got it but not sure how old it really was beforehand. I guess the same could be said for all of my kits including the SeaChem Phospate. At least I have 3 different calcium kits to measure against (SeaChem, API and Salifert...the Salifert kit is old however).

All of my kits are liquid kits. I don't use powder kits. I do however think the Mag kit is bad. I just tested again after a dosing of Mag and the value hasn't changed at all. I'm going to Marine Design later so I think I'll just take a sampe for testing.

Jeff,
I'm sorry for any confusion about the expiration date. You listed the alkalinity as Seachem. I was thinking Salifert. Saliferts kits have expiration dates.

My mistake.

Good idea about getting Marine Designs to double check.