test kit question

[ricksconnected]

ok im wondering something...........
would my salt test kit work on my fresh water tank for
ph, nitrates, nitrites, and amon ?
i mean nitrates are nitrates and nitrites are nitrites right?
yes or no please explain your reasoning.

 

[acroholic]

Most test kits will say which they are applicable for. Some kits are either FW/SW, and some are only FW or SW.

 

[ricksconnected]

that doesnt answer the question dave.
you know as well as i do that the companies could be saying that to just sell you more stuff. if infact there are different kits for the same type thing ( example, nitrates) whats the difference in the kit itself? whats the difference in the nitrates? arent nitrates nitrates? how are they different in salt over fresh?

 

[jennm]

Rick, yes they should work. For pH as long as you have a high range pH kit (FW) you can also check SW with it. FW kits come in high and low range pH. The tests that read only to 7.4 or 7.6 or whatnot won't be much use for SW.

I use Seachem "SW" kits to test fresh water all the time (except pH, I use something else for that, the range is too high for most FW.)

Jenn

 

[acroholic]

ricksconnected;578044 wrote: that doesnt answer the question dave.
you know as well as i do that the companies could be saying that to just sell you more stuff. if infact there are different kits for the same type thing ( example, nitrates) whats the difference in the kit itself? whats the difference in the nitrates? arent nitrates nitrates? how are they different in salt over fresh?

OK Rick...I looked around on the net a bit and some same brand FW and SW test kits sold have the same chemicals, but the colors they show in saltwater and freshwater are different. Here is APT Ammonia. the chemicals are the same, but the color they show for different concentrations are not. So if you were to use the API FW Ammonia kit and color comparator for your SW tank you could get skewed readings.

Personally, I don't see it as an attempt by the companies to sell you stuff you don't need. I see it as them selling you a test kit targeted to your specific chemical needs, FW or SW, as there is the potential to kill your animals if you were to use the FW comparator thinking it is the same as the SW comparator or vice versa.

The different colors the test shows at different ammonia levels in FW vs SW are probably affected by the chemistry of SW vs FW.

That is why I would refer to what the manufacturer states is the applicability of the test kit: FW only, SW only, or both. The chemicals may be the same, but the concentration of whatever it is you are testing for might be a different level and a different color depending on whether you are testing for FW or SW.

 

[jennm]

I'll stand corrected where API is concerned then (most know what I think of API anyway *g*).

Seachem personnel have told me their kit is fine for FW (I did ask specifically)

I believe Red Sea are marked for FW and SW on the same box, at least some of them are.

Jenn

 

[ricksconnected]

jenn, dave thank you both very much.
so its my understanding then than i can use the solutions but i need a different color chart to compare it to, correct?

 

[lilrobb]

I actually think it depends on the kind of testing.
Titration tests will produce totally different results based on the ionic "stage" of the water, and as we all know SW has tons more than FW, so I doubt that a Nitrite titration test for SW would be usable for FW...