SunSchein89
01-25-2010, 09:36 PM
Ok, so I'm still looking into all of the things I will need for my future reef tank. I might possibly be getting a used 55 gallon tank, stand, hood, lighting fixture with fans (two unknown white lights and two possible actinic bulbs included, but I'm probably going to get new ones anyway), two maxijet 900 powerheads, and some cleaning equipment over the weekend from someone on craigslist for $150-200 (listed at $200) depending on how well I can haggle :shappy: . Anyway, back on topic, I'm looking online and I see that the reef master test kit by API tests for calcium, carbonate hardness, phosphate and nitrate levels. However, I know for a fact that I should also be testing for ammonia, nitrite, and probably pH as well, especially when starting out and cycling the water. Is my best route to buy the reef master kit as well as the saltwater master kit which tests high range pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? I would think that somewhere out there is a test kit that contains all of the above. Is there such a product or would the best bang for my buck actually be ordering both of these test kits? If this is the best way to go, I found both kits on bigalsonline.com and they would run me $47.48 before shipping. Anyone know of a cheaper place to buy from or have experience with a better method of obtaining their testing materials? Also, what about refills? I didn't see any on the website, would I just end up buying the whole kit over again when I run out of one thing?