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Unread 05/19/2017, 09:02 AM   #6
Ron Reefman
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Cape Coral, FL
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Are you cleaning the test tubes well after use?
If you repeat the test 3 times with the same kit, do you always get the same result?
How careful are you about the water level in the test tube before you start?

I'm just asking basics. But they do matter.

I use API kits all the time for Ca and alk. Once in a great while I get a flier. So I test again and 90% of the time I get the same flier of a reading and 10% I get a different number, more like what I was expecting. Those errors are on me. I did something wrong.

If I get the same wild number 2 tests in a row with the API, I test again with a Salifert test kit. 99 times out of 100 I'll get a number that is VERY close to what I got with the API kit.

When I saw people were slamming API kits (like Bpb) I bought some Salifert kits. That was about 9 years ago. Then I started testing with both and sure, the results vary a little bit, but always less than 5%. The API would say alk was 8dKh and the Salifert would say 8.4dKh... big deal. Or Ca would be 440 and 450, again, big deal.

If your numbers are that far off, I'd get a friend over with their test kits and try again. You may have a bad kit, it happens. Or it could be you're not being careful enough to do the test exactly the same way each time.


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