On the bottom we have a clearly printed expiration date (mine is 04/15). The accuracy, range and approximate number of tests are printed as a table on the back. The outer cardboard packaging informs us about the product inside in several different languages. Let’s peer inside the box and see what’s hidden there…

Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro Test kit consist off separate test kits for three major elements directly responsible for stony corals growth and well-being- Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium, sold as one package. Let’s find out how Red Sea’s multikit stands against other major brands in terms of accuracy, user-friendliness and value. Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro Test kit is a topic of today’s review and a part of Red Sea new line called Red Sea Coral Care, featuring several products from salt mix, major and trace elements supplements, coral growth and color enhancers to various test kits. price to value ratio- how many tests one can perform before running out of reagents

easiness of use- we hobbyists are patient people, but nobody is willing to spend too much time figuring out how to prepare water sample and read test results accuracy- this one is obvious, if test is not accurate it doesn’t serve it’s purpose and should be disregarded When shopping for test kits, consumer’s choice is driven by several factors: To check for all those elements, we use aquarium grade test kits that are readily available on the market. Finding the right balance between those three coral building elements is a key to maintain a successful stony corals and clams dominated reef tank. Finally, all stony corals use calcium carbonate to build their skeleton, therefore in order to supplement their grow we need to regularly test for calcium (Ca), alkalinity (kH) and Magnesium (Mg) dissolved in water. In order to provide for most photosynthetic corals and other invertebrates, we need to control nutrients in water by testing for phosphates (PO4) and nitrates (NO3). While the first is obvious – no nutrient reducing chemical can substitute for good ol’ water change, testing for parameters requires some basic knowledge about seawater elements and their importance in reef dwelling fish and invertebrates husbandry.īasic parameters every reefer needs to know and check regularly are temperature, salinity, ammonia levels and pH of water. There are, however, two aspects every successful reef story share: water changes and knowing your saltwater parameters. Count into that the sophisticated nature of sessile invertebrates, their chemical interactions and enormous range of habitats they are collected from and we quickly realize there is no “sweet point” and the best we could do is create optimal conditions for corals to live and propagate. Every single reef aquarium is different, starting from source of water, salt mix used, lighting up to the choice of animals housed. Magic potions, miracles-in a bottle, innovative equipment and countless dosing variations are all part of a quest to find the Holy Grail, but so far, it just doesn’t exist.

Despite all we know about keeping marine life in captivity, there is no one recipe for all problems and challenges associated with reef aquariums. Thanks to shared knowledge, advancements in husbandry paired with state-of the art equipment and better understanding of corals biology, more people are able to create and maintain beautiful reef tanks.

Red sea iron test kit