Terms of Service

The service

Reef Labs operates an aquarium water testing laboratory in Tampa, Florida. You obtain a test kit, collect a water sample following the instructions supplied with it, register the kit in the portal, and mail the sample to our lab or drop it off at our Tampa location. We analyze the sample by ICP-OES and report the elemental results back to you in the portal.

Our results describe the sample as we received it. How a sample is collected, sealed, stored and shipped affects what arrives at the lab, so following the kit instructions matters. We may decline to process a sample that arrives damaged, contaminated, insufficient, unlabeled, or that is not aquarium, RO/DI or tap water.

Guidance is informational, not a guarantee

Everything we publish about water chemistry — blog articles, FAQ answers, dosing and correction suggestions, target ranges, and any commentary accompanying a test result — is general information for educational purposes. It is not veterinary, professional, or individualized advice.

Aquarium systems differ enormously in livestock, equipment, source water, feeding and husbandry, and they change between the moment a sample is drawn and the moment results arrive. Decisions about your system — what to dose, what to change, what to stop — are yours. We make no guarantee of any outcome, including the health, survival, coloration or growth of any livestock, and we are not responsible for the results of actions you take based on our content or your test results. When in doubt, change one thing at a time and consult a qualified professional.

Your responsibilities

• Give accurate information when you register a kit or contact us, and keep your contact details current so results and replies reach you.
• Follow the kit instructions when collecting, sealing and shipping a sample.
• Send only aquarium, RO/DI or tap water. Do not send hazardous, biological, or otherwise restricted material.
• Use the site lawfully. Do not attempt to disrupt it, gain access to accounts or data that are not yours, or scrape it in a way that burdens the service.

Accounts

Registering a kit and viewing your results require a customer account in the portal. You are responsible for keeping your sign-in details and the email inbox tied to your account secure, and for activity that happens under your account. Tell us promptly if you believe someone else has access to it. We may suspend or close an account that is used abusively or in breach of these terms. Accounts on this website itself are for Reef Labs staff only.

Purchases

Test kits are sold through retailers, distributors and online marketplaces. Where you buy a kit from one of them, that seller's own terms, shipping arrangements and return policy govern the purchase, and any refund or replacement request goes to them. These terms govern the testing service itself and your use of this site.

Intellectual property

The text, images, layout, code and branding on this site belong to Reef Labs or our licensors, and are protected by copyright and trademark law. You may read, print and share our pages for your own non-commercial use; you may not republish, resell or use them commercially without our written permission. The results of tests on your samples are yours to use as you wish.

Disclaimer of warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by law, this website and our services are provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We specifically disclaim the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the site will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that the content on it is complete or current.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Reef Labs and its owners, employees and suppliers are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost data, or loss of or damage to livestock, corals or aquarium systems, arising from your use of this site, our content, or our testing service — even if we have been advised that such damages are possible.

Our total liability for any claim relating to the service is limited to the amount you paid for the specific test that gave rise to the claim, or one hundred US dollars (US$100), whichever is greater.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of certain damages. Where that is the case, the exclusions and limits above apply only as far as that jurisdiction permits, and nothing here limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold Reef Labs harmless from claims, losses and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your misuse of the site or the service, your breach of these terms, or your violation of the rights of another person.

Changes

We may change the site, the portal, the services offered, and these terms. When we change these terms we will update the date at the top of this page; continuing to use the site or the portal afterwards means you accept the updated version. If a provision of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. You agree that any dispute arising from these terms or your use of the service will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Hillsborough County, Florida, and you consent to their jurisdiction.

Contact

See also our Privacy Policy .