JBL Test Kit advice

[blacksesame]

Hi guys, looking at upgrading test kit (sick of most of the the api and have shattered almost all my tubes). I was looking at a hanna for alk and the red sea kit for the others. My LFS who i have recently come to trust and has been very helpful to me has recommended this JBL kit, which he says have just recently come back into stock. For about $120 you get tha basic tests, then theres a $200 set which tests a few extras and comes in neat looking box tests include

pH, carbonate hardness, calcium, magnesium, copper, ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, silicate, oxygen

I told him id wait a week till i had enough to get the full kit as it seemed more worth it.
I then went home and did some research on it as i had never heard of jbl kits. What i found were some pretty negative reviews on a forum from 2010, and then a video on youtube of a guy with the kit in 2017 explaining that some of the tests are unusable for marine testing.

Has anyone got experience with this kit and do you think based on reviews i should give it a miss?

Link below
Any advice much appreciated [emoji111]

https://www.jbl.de/en/products/detail/2522/jbl-testlab-marin

Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk

 

[DaveK]

Give this test kit a pass. It's fairly expensive and contains a lot of tests you don't need or will seldom use.

I've posted this before, but not recently.

DaveK's Standard Lecture #4 – Test Kits

There are a host of items that you may wish to test for in a reef system.

First before you worry about the other tests, make sure your SG is correct. I highly recommend using a refractometer for this measurement. Aquarium grade hydrometers tend to be very inaccurate, especially when used over time.

Once you have the SG correct you'll need the following test kits for the initial cycle -
pH (This can also be done via a pH meter, which is more accurate, and expensive)
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate (low range)

To properly monitor the water, especially for corals, these these kits are often used -
KH or Alkalinity
Calcium
Magnesium
Phosphate

There are a host of other test kits you can get. I have some of them but do not typically use them.
Iodine - only needed if you are dousing iodine, which is not something I recommend.
Copper - only needed if you are treating a disease in a QT tank with copper.
Silicate - only needed if you suspect a problem with silicate in the water.
Strontium - only needed if dousing strontium

I think I've covered most of the major ones.

Each test kit works differently, so you need to consult the manufacturers instructions for each test.

As for brands, in aquarium grade test kits I like Elos, SeaChem and Salifret. Hach and LaMotte test kits are excellent, but extremely expensive. Most of the others are ok. Like anything else you get what you pay for.

If you do get a reading that seems way off, repeat the test, and if it still seems way off, use another brand test kit and repeat the test. In other words, consider that the test kit may be wrong.

You'll notice that you most likely will need to get a lot of test kits. It's often a lot less expensive to order them via the net, and you'll also know the test kit hasn't been sitting on the LFS shelf for years.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Great advise ^

I spent $20 on an API SW test kit to get my tank cycled... then spent my $$$ (around $150) on these... (check out the many great youtube vids on how easy these are too use... did I say I hate testing )
Hanna Master Reef Test Kit (758 Calcium, 755 Alkalinity, 713 Phosphate) Checker HC (Saltwater) - Hanna Instruments