Testing bites... Do Test strips work well?

[CountZero]

Has anyone used those quick test strips? Do they work well enough? Are they accurate?

I would probably be alot better about testing my water if it didnt take hours..... God, I hate counting 20 drops of this, 15 drops of that, 18 drops of this...

And thats just for the Ammonia! or the waiting 20 mins then adding another chemical, wait another 10 mins to read results.. jeez testing is a pain in the butt..

I would pay a few hundred bucks for an electronic tester that I could just dip in the water....

Maybe im just lazy but I would rather do a massive water change and clean the tank etc rather than just do some water tests

 

[Biggen]

They work, but only as a guide. They just aren't accurate at all because it is hard to see the color differences in their pads.

I have some, but I only use them as a "spot check". I know that if the pads I am concerned with should be clear or white when I do a dip and they end up showing colors, something is wrong and I need to break out the "real" kit to see what is going on.

would probably be alot better about testing my water if it didnt take hours..... God, I hate counting 20 drops of this, 15 drops of that, 18 drops of this...

And thats just for the Ammonia! or the waiting 20 mins then adding another chemical, wait another 10 mins to read results.. jeez testing is a pain in the butt..

What kits are you using that it takes that long to get an ammonia reading? I use Seachem and Laborett and they are fairly easy. The Seachem kits are a little more time consuming but only because those are my CA and MG test kits.

I would pay a few hundred bucks for an electronic tester that I could just dip in the water....

They actually make electronic testers for Calcium, Ammonia, Nitrate, CO2, etc... but they run about $300 each. I would love to get them one day, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Maybe im just lazy but I would rather do a massive water change and clean the tank etc rather than just do some water tests

Tests come with the territory. If you want to have a successful tank, you have to test. Now you don't need to test for everything all the time. Right now, the only thing I test for regularly is calcium.