Red Sea Coral Colours Pro Test Kit
Pack size
140 tests, 50 iodine, 40 potassium, 50 iron
Water type
Marine
Red Sea Coral Colours Pro Test Kit
The three colour elements, measured before you dose them.
The Red Sea Coral Colours Pro Test Kit measures iodine, potassium and iron - the three leading elements in Red Sea's Trace Colours supplement program. One case holds 140 tests: 50 iodine, 40 potassium and 50 iron.
These are the elements most often dosed blind. All three are consumed quickly by a stocked reef, and all three cause problems when overdosed, which is exactly why the supplements are sold alongside a test rather than on their own.
Key features
- Three separate Pro kits in one case - Iodine Pro, Potassium Pro and Iron Pro, rather than three purchases and three boxes on the shelf.
- Potassium resolves to 3 ppm across a 150-450 ppm range - fine enough to see the drift between weekly tests, which a broad colour-card kit cannot.
- Iron measures to 0.5 ppm - covers the 0.15 ppm reef target with headroom, so a chelated iron dose does not simply peg the top of the scale.
- Iodine resolves to 0.01 ppm - meaningful against a 0.06 ppm target, where a coarser kit reads the same before and after a dose.
- Matched to the dosing range - each result maps to one Trace Colours supplement, so a reading tells you what to add rather than just where you are.
- 140 tests per case - roughly a year of weekly testing on a single parameter, or several months testing all three.
What's in the box
- Iodine Pro test - 50 tests
- Potassium Pro test - 40 tests
- Iron Pro test - 50 tests
- Reagents, syringes, vials and colour references for each of the three tests
- Instruction manual
- Storage case
Not included
- No supplements. Trace Colours A, B and C are sold separately
- No calcium, alkalinity or magnesium tests - those are the Reef Foundation Pro kit
- No nitrate or phosphate tests
Specifications
| Test | Tests included | Measuring range | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iodine (I2) | 50 | 0 - 0.09 ppm | 0.01 ppm |
| Potassium (K) | 40 | 150 - 450 ppm | 3 ppm |
| Iron (Fe) | 50 | 0 - 0.5 ppm | 0.05 ppm |
Total 140 tests. Saltwater and reef use only.
Target levels, and what to do about the reading
These are Red Sea's published reef targets. Each element pairs with one supplement, so a low reading points at a single bottle rather than a guess.
| Element | Red Sea reef target | Supplement if low | What else that supplement carries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iodine | 0.06 ppm | Trace Colours A (Iodine+) | Halogens - iodine, bromine, fluorine |
| Potassium | 400 ppm | Trace Colours B (Potassium+) | Potassium and boron complex |
| Iron | 0.15 ppm total iron | Trace Colours C (Iron+) | Iron, manganese, cobalt, copper, aluminium, zinc, chrome, nickel |
Red Sea's guidance is to test the colour elements weekly and dose the Trace Colours supplements daily. Trace Colours D completes the program but has no test in this kit - it is dosed to schedule, not to a reading.
A reading above target is a reason to stop dosing that element, not to dose the others harder. Copper sits inside the Iron+ blend, so persistent overdosing there is a genuine invertebrate risk.
Which Red Sea test kit do I need?
| Kit | Measures | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Reef Foundation Pro | Calcium, alkalinity, magnesium | Always - these are the parameters that crash a reef |
| Coral Colours Pro | Iodine, potassium, iron | Once foundation is stable and you are dosing for colour |
Foundation comes first. Chasing iodine on a tank whose alkalinity swings 2 dKH a week solves nothing.
Suitable for, and not suitable for
Suitable for
- Reef aquariums running the Red Sea Trace Colours or Coral Coloration program
- Mixed and SPS reefs where colour, not growth, is the current goal
- Anyone already dosing iodine, potassium or iron without testing for it
- Frag systems where pigment is the product
Not suitable for
- Freshwater and planted aquariums - the ranges and reagents are set for seawater
- A new tank still stabilising calcium, alkalinity and nutrients
- Fish-only marine systems, where these elements are not being consumed by anything
- Replacing a foundation test kit - it measures none of the same parameters
Care and storage
Keep reagents capped, upright and out of direct sun, and store the case at normal room temperature rather than in a hot garage. Reagent age is the usual explanation for a result that suddenly disagrees with everything else.
Rinse vials in RO water between tests. Tap water residue and leftover reagent are the two things that quietly bias a colorimetric result.
Goes well with
- Trace Colours ABCD trial pack - all four supplements in 100 mL bottles, the sensible companion to a first test kit.
- Iodine Pro reagent refill - refills the iodine test without rebuying the case.
- Potassium Pro reagent refill - same for the potassium test.
- Reef Foundation Pro Multi Test Kit - the calcium, alkalinity and magnesium kit this one assumes you already run.
- Coral Pro Salt 22 kg - water changes that hold potassium near target without dosing.
Warranty and delivery
Reagents are consumables and carry no service warranty, but the consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law apply to the kit. A case arriving with leaking, damaged or out-of-date reagents is replaced.
This ships as a standard parcel. It is not a dangerous goods item, though the reagents should be kept away from children and out of the sun in a hot car.
Common questions
What does the Red Sea Coral Colours Pro Test Kit measure?
The Red Sea Coral Colours Pro Test Kit measures iodine, potassium and iron in marine and reef aquariums, with 50 iodine tests, 40 potassium tests and 50 iron tests in one case. These are the three leading elements in Red Sea's Trace Colours supplement range.
What are the target levels for iodine, potassium and iron in a reef tank?
Red Sea publishes reef targets of 0.06 ppm iodine, 400 ppm potassium and 0.15 ppm total iron, covering both chelated and non-chelated iron. Each of those targets sits inside the measuring range of the matching test in this kit.
How often should I test these three elements?
Red Sea's guidance is to test the colour elements weekly while dosing the Trace Colours supplements daily. Weekly testing is frequent enough to catch a trend before a level runs away, without burning through 140 tests in a season.
Do I need this kit if I already have the Reef Foundation Pro kit?
They measure completely different parameters and neither substitutes for the other. Reef Foundation Pro covers calcium, alkalinity and magnesium, which keep corals alive; Coral Colours Pro covers the trace elements that influence pigment once those foundations are already stable.
Can I use this kit on a freshwater or planted tank?
No. The reagents and measuring ranges are calibrated for seawater, and iron in a planted freshwater tank is dosed at concentrations well outside this kit's scale.
Is this the same product as the Reef Colours Pro kit?
Red Sea has used both Coral Colours and Reef Colours naming for the iodine, potassium and iron multi test over the years, and the supplements are now branded Trace Colours A, B, C and D. If you are matching an existing kit, check the three tests listed on the box rather than the range name.
