LaMotte Test Kits

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Purrbox

Aquarium Advice Addict
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I just received my new Lamotte Kits today. Of course this mean immediately getting them out of the box and giving them a test run. If you think the regular hobbiest kits can get complicated, wait until you try one of these! :lol: I'm sure it won't be as bad once I get used to the differences.

After a bit of confusion I think I have most everything figured out. The one thing that I'm still a bit fuzzy on is that the Low Range Nitrate Test Kit gives readings as ppm NO3-N and that you need to multiply the results by 4.4 to convert the results to ppm NO3. With a little research it appears that my Hagen Kit reads Nitrate as NO3, so I would need to convert the results to be able to accurately compare the two.

Am I also correct in think that the dosing recommendation for Nitrate is also based on NO3 and not NO3-N? Just want to make sure I've got everything straight going forward. :wink:
 
Sounds like lots of fun! I have also ordered the Lamotte kits but havn't got them yet. Let you know when I do. Travis uses these kits. Maybe he will give us some insight!
 
Thanks for the insight all. I've pretty much decided that the conversion is necessary for calculating dosing, so unless I hear otherwise that's what I'm going with.

I also just tested the tap water this morning with the new tests. Wow! That really cleared up some of the issues that I've been seeing in my tanks. The Hagen Test Kits were telling me that the tap water had 5-10ppm Nitrate and 0.25ppm Phosphate. The LaMotte Test Kits revealed that I'm actually dealing with 26.4ppm Nitrates and 0.6ppm Phosphates. While the difference on the Phosphates isn't all that significant, this goes a long way to explain why my Nitrate levels in my tanks have been building too fast when combined with my dosing. This should be the final information I need to get my nutrients in line and get rid of the last of the lingering algae. If for no other reason, this makes the purchase of the Lamotte Test Kits worth it.

In case anyone is wondering, the second time using these tests went much smoother. Other than taking a bit longer for the results to develop, these tests are going to be just as easy if not easier than the Hagen Kits I've been using.
 
That is excellent news! I'm starting to snap a bit with algea problems in my 20 gallon. I'm almost sure it is due to false test results as I am very on top of dosing and CO2 levels. This is giving me new hope! Thank you!
 
FYI, you're right that the targets discussed here and elsewhere are for NO3 and PO4. Some take the extra step to calculate for N alone and P, but when doing so it is usually stated. As dskidmore said, getting N from NO3 (or vice-versa) using mass percentage is no different than getting NO3 from KNO3.
 
Purr,

yep, you need to multiply by 4.4 to get an NO3 reading. SeaChem's SW nitrate kit is the same way, and has similar reagents...but you just compare to a color card. Lamotte is high quality, but you're paying for all those comparison vials, hence why refills are sooo much cheaper.
 
malkore said:
you're paying for all those comparison vials, hence why refills are sooo much cheaper.
Could you go into more detail on that? I've been wondering what's so hot about Lamotte.
 
instead of a laminated color card to compare your test vial to, LaMotte gives you this elaborate rack that holds sealed glass vials that represent the different levels. you drop your test vial into a slot next to it and hold up to the light.

i'm not sure if all the kits are like that, but I believe the nitrogen and phosphate kits are...they're the only two I've seen face to face.

LaMotte is also lab grade...so any mistakes in the testing process is your fault...the kit is infallible until it reaches expiration, so long as you don't contaminate any of the reagents.

We always talk about how the AP nitrate kit isn't too accurate below 10ppm...the LaMotte kit is dead on.
I think the phosphate kit actually goes down to 0.01 ppm, which for our purposes may as well be zero ;)
 
With the kits that I have the comparison is actually made against colored plastic. The colors are dead on unlike some other kits I've used where you end up trying to compare shades of two completely different colors. They're also much easier to compare since light shines through it just like it does the water sample. Here's a link to the manufacturer website for more details.

I bought my kits from Marine Depot, but they don't appear to sell the refills. Anyone know where to get both the Low Range Nitrate (3110) and Phosphate (3121-01) Refills from at a reasonable price? I've found one or the other at some sites, but not both so far.
 
Unfortunately I haven't found anyone who sells refills for LaMotte kits. I found this out the hard way when I spilled the powder reagent during testing. I had to order a complete new kit :( But I am still a firm believer in the value of these kits.
 
I just found this site and it looks like it has exactly what we need! It's not the easiest to navigate, but towards the bottom of this page you'll find:
R-3110 REFILL-MODEL NCR NITRATE KIT *R1 $21.65 182
R-3121-01 REFILL-MODEL PAL PHOSPHATE *R1 $17.95 180

Biggest drawback that I can see so far is that they require a minimum $50 purchase from first time buyers, so you'll need to find something else to buy as well unless you buy more than one of either of the refills.
 
I just got word from UPS that my LaMotte kits are stuck at the border. Apparently there is some kind of "agricultural hold" on them. Funny how the sale of KN03 is forbidden in Canada yet it got here in two days!
 
LaMotte kits just arrived. I had to pay a $57.00 import charge to UPS to receive them. I almost turned them down, but I really want to know exactly what the levels in my tank are and believe this is the only way to find out for sure. Customs also opened the package, the contents of the PO4 kit were scattered inside the delivery box. I think this was by accident as they just didn't close the case properly. Hope everything is intact, don't have time to check, got to go to work. Beware other Canadians if you order these kits into Canada. Be prepared to add another 57 bucks!!
 
Yikes! I hope everything is present and intact. Hopefully there are some Canadian sites that also carry the kits so you don't have to go through this again in the future.
 
Glenc said:
LaMotte kits just arrived. I had to pay a $57.00 import charge to UPS to receive them. I almost turned them down, but I really want to know exactly what the levels in my tank are and believe this is the only way to find out for sure. Customs also opened the package, the contents of the PO4 kit were scattered inside the delivery box. I think this was by accident as they just didn't close the case properly. Hope everything is intact, don't have time to check, got to go to work. Beware other Canadians if you order these kits into Canada. Be prepared to add another 57 bucks!!

Not sure if this helps, but here's the distributors page on LaMottes website. There are a couple places listed in Canada where they can be purchased if you don't want to deal with the Customs issues. :)
http://www.lamotte.com/pages/aqua/distrib.html

Ok Purr, you talked me into it, lol. I just ordered my Nitrate and Phosphate kits today. Ouch, lol. :bulb:
 
Hey....

I got my test kits today. Looks quite scary, lol. Will have to try them tomorrow when I'm a little more awake, lol. As tired as I am, would probably really mess up the results, lol.
 
Now, please tell me if I'm correct.......

I did the LaMottes tests today on my 29G after doing my PWC. Here's the results.

The Nitrate test turned out to be 2.0. So does that mean when multiplied by 4.4, my Nitrate level is 8.8ppm?

Then I did the Phosphate test. When the slideer deal is up, nothing matched, but when in the down position, it matches with .6ppm. Am I reading it correctly, or is it only supposed to be read when the tops of the comparator are the same height? If it is, then it makes the lower numbers harder to read. I believe my Phosphates are .6ppm, but want to verify on how you read yours. Just want to be sure that if the slider is up, it's the upper readings, and if it's down, it's the lower readings. Thanks....

Edit:
This is for my 26G Planted and heavily stocked. Can't believe I've been dosing this tank, lol. Here's the results:
Nitrate: 6.0, which after myltiplying, comes out to 26ppm. So no dosing for me there. And this is after a 50% PWC.
Phosphate: 1ppm. So my take on this is that I'm not overfeeding, lol. I don't believe I am, as if I were, the phosphates would be a lot higher. So it's just the fish bioload. So I'm going to up the phosphate .5ppm and call it good, and then test again on dosing day to see how my phosphates and nitrates are sitting.

Edit:
Now my 75G. I'm not testing, as I don't want to make it unstable again, lol. Ever since changing to Travis' dosings, and my current lighting, the algae is virtually gone. So I think I'm in the clear with that tank and do not want to mess things up, lol. About the only algae is green spot algae on the glass, but it's so minimal on that tank. Besides, they say green algae is a sign of a healthy tank, right? LOL
 
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