American Marine Pinpoint II Calcium Monitor

I needed new calibration fluids, but after that it worked flawlessly with no issues.

Could never get it calibrated no good

I have been using this monitor for about a month now. My goal has been to check my calcium level each day to monitor the effectiveness of my calcium reactor as I try to increase the calcium in my tank. I've found this monitor a life saver in time! There may be cheaper and/or longer tests to perform that will provide levels of CA in the aquarium. I found this one very easy to use. Once you have it calibrated, I simply turn it on, stick the probe in the water and it displays the reading. I dry it and place the probe tip back in the protective case. I did have a slight initial calibration problem with my probe. The probe was replaced by the manufacturer. I think this was a singled out occurrence and should not be an issue if I order another monitor. Just the opposite. It did show me how supportive American Marine's customer service was. If I had any reservations on the initial cost I have gotten over them. I always hated doing the drops test. I never quite knew where I was. Did it turn colors? How many drops was that? How blue does it need to be etc...As I become more and more serious in the hobby these type of monitors are very helpful. The battery lasts a long time. I just rechecked my calibration of the unit by placing it into the 100 and 1000 ppm solutions provided and the reading was still within 5%. I've read my articles about this monitor and I can live with the display being within this level of accuracy. Especially when considering the amount of time alone it saves. Plus your easily show your family how to use it so they feel helpful in the project. They usually want to then help with something else!- Jeff

I was very skeptical of ordering this. Finally did order and after the tedious calibration was surprised on how accurate the reading was - tallied exactly with Salifert Calcium tests, a little more than the Red Sea Ca test kit but overall okay. I realized the battery discharged too quickly so ordered the AC adapter - the unit doesn't really need calibration every single time - usually once in a week is sufficient.However all that stopped a couple weeks ago, I realized I needed to calibrate when the readings deviated too much. I got the "Err" every time I tried to calibrate so ordered new calibration fluids, changed the reference solution in the probe cap, re-tried, even tried hydrating the probe overnight but looks like probe cannot be calibrated anymore.Considering that the probe costs almost as much as the device itself ($189 for the probe) and that the unit lasted just 3.5 months, would I buy the probe again? Absolutely not. I'll wait for Neptune Apex to come up with their own calcium monitor or rely on the titration kits. I know this hobby is a money sink anyway; this product has a good promise but given the short lifespan - this product isn't ready for prime time yet.

Just like most of the reviews said, it is difficult to calibrate. It kept giving Err even you follow the instruction to the dot. After numerous soaks in the calibrating solutions for hours, it finally has no more Err. That cost a lot of calibrating solution. After the calibration, the reading still not accurate. Seems like it depends on how the probe has been saturated in, and how often, right before when you need the measurement.So far, I only use it as a reference point. Let's say it reads 100 ppm. Obviously it's wrong, but I just use it as a reference for dosing. To increase by 10 ppm, I can watch it to get to 110 ppm using whatever the dozing method. Of course, I still go back to the chemical test kit afterward to confirm the actual reading. So far this process has been working well.

Not very accurate. Usually a decimal point off.

Works well when properly calibrated. Not always easy to calibrate, but with a bit of persistence you can get it done. The reader will never wear out but the probe (what you put in the water) is not guaranteed to work for more than 6mths and costs $185.00 to replace. Never leave this system on. The probe must be removed from the water and stored in a sealed bottle (provided) until you use it again.Much easier than a Red Sea calcium test but much more expensive in the short or long run.