[reeferaddict]

You know, I've tried the good ole' Seachem and Salifert 80 buck a kit test kits... but for the money Aquarium Pharmaceuticals makes some inexpensive easy to use kits, ("easy to use" - READ - will get done more often!). Calcium accuracy is +- 20 ppm so I shoot for 420 to get between 400 and 440... dKH is accurate to +-1 dKH so I shoot for 10 to be between 9 and 11. Those should be monitored daily IMO until you get your consumption/additive/reactor rate dialed in. If you really want to get picky save you money for the OTHER expensive kits... I check my iodine every couple of weeks and my strontium and magnesium every month... (again more often as you set up your usage and additive rates). Get a Pinpoint pH monitor, don't even play around with anything else. Test strips are inaccurate and with a monitor you can just glance at it for a very accurate reading - (calibrate the probe every month or so). Pinpoint also makes a calcium monitor - it's on my list but another $300 - *SIGH* If you can't afford a monitor, you can get digital pH pens at a hydroponics shop for around $60 - $80, but they're a little less accurate and require more frequent calibration. If you are using RO/DI water be sure to get some sort of TDS meter or monitor to tell you how your filters are doing as well. While a refractometer certainly IS the most accurate way to measure salinity, I keep a couple of hydrometers that I calibrate to the refractometer (to give you an idea of how inaccurate - here's what they read - Refractometer 1.025 - AP Hydrometer 1.023 - Coralife Hydrometer 1.028) Though the refractometer is dead simple to use, it's still not as quick as just dropping in a hydrometer every day or two for a quick check. Phosphate's easy and test kits are a waste of time almost always reading Zero.. if you have algae problems you have phosphates.

And that's what I have to say about that....