Im at a total loss for words to be honest. I don't know where to turn or which company to trust.
My API test kits no matter what the issue is ALWAYS read perfectly?
ELOS seems to be a well respected company, but in my experience are the least consistent?
Salifert another supposedly well respected company, not sure if they are accurate or test high?
ELOS for example, in the past 10 months I have purchase 3 of their Calcium test kits. Each one has arrived with different size test vials and caps, which are not cross compatible. Each test kit has arrived with different volumes of testing reagents. My first package I ran out of one of the reagents after only 15 test that were said to make 50 tests. Contacted ELOS and via email was told that more was in the mail to my house, which never arrived? Second test kit as well as the third all ran short. In every case, all three test had completly different amounts of basically everything.
If they can't consistantly fill their bottles with the appropriate amount of testing solution, how am I to trust the results?
Salifert test I suppose are the ones that really began to make me nervous. I never really relied on the API's, but when the ELOS alk and calc test were very close to the API I tend to believe them to be accurate. However last week I ordered a salifert Nitrate and Calcium test.
According to Nitrates, I am at roughly 30ppm of trates and if I compare my ELOS calcium results of 440 to the Saliferts of 560 is were I grow even more leery??
Who do you trust?
How do you care, clean and store your testing vials and testing equipment?
How often should one calibrate electronic or mechanical testing or monitoring systems? (RKL pH, salinity, Hanna pH etc.)
What methods, techniques, and calibration equipment do you recommend?