Water Test Kits

[selvan777]

Hi,

I see that API is well liked and I'm thinking it's the "Fresh Water Master Test Kit"? I see that it tests for pH, High Range pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. Is hardness, chlorine, and alkalinity not so important if the above test results are acceptable?

The community I'm caring for is in my signature.

I've been taking my water to Petsmart and they use Jungle Labs 6-in-1 and a separate Ammonia test. I figure it's time to get my own now.

Thanks

 

[jsoong]

Chlorine is not really needed IMO. Any dechlorinator on the market will be able to take out the chlorine/chloramines in typical water supply. So no real need to test for it.

GH & KH are useful if you are doctoring your water. But if you are using the tap water as is, you don't need to have a test kit. You will only be doing the test once to see what the numbers are with your water. You can get the numbers by looking up your water quality report. (My water co posts theirs online, numbers updated weekly...)

So the API has all the basic tests you need. You can buy other tests separately as you need them. <Eg- if you really get into plants & go high tech, you might want PO4, CO2, Fe, etc.>

 

[selvan777]

Thanks jsoong, I do use API's Tap Water Conditioner. Hopefully I'll get more opinions on the matter.

 

[selvan777]

What is it about water test kits that make them so much more accurate? Is it because the strips, if not read at the precise time, will change color and give a false reading. I ask because I see in the directions to wait xx secs for this and xx secs for that.

Not sure just yet what the directions are for API's liquid test.

 

[BigJim]

The liquid test kits give more repeatable, reliable results. The strips are easy to contaminate, skewing the results. My good LFS's use the liquid kit. The big box stores (Petsmart, Petco, etc.) use the strips because they're quick and the minimum wage monkeys they usually have working there can use them.

 

[selvan777]

Same here, my real LFS uses the liquid too but the closest one happy to test my water is a 30min drive.
Anyway, I've bought my first test kit ever and it's the API Freshwater Master Test Kit and it's in the mail.

 

[dkpate]

You will be glad you bought it!

 

[mfdrookie516]

its easy to use too... just make sure you shake the #2 nitrate test bottle VERY good, for like 2 minutes... it sill solidify, and give you false readings sometimes if you dont... and just make sure you compare the colors by holding the tube on the color card on the white spot... thats how it is intended, and the colors look different if you dont. You will be glad you got it, may find some parameters out of whack if basing them on a strip test

 

[BigJim]

You will be glad you bought it!

I agree. It's cheaper per test and more reliable than strips. I just wish API made a bigger kit with GH and KH tests too.

 

[selvan777]

Thanks. I read somewhere that this guy working at a lfs was told by the api rep in the shop that it was okay to half the drops and water mix to lengthen the life of the kit but I wonder if the rep was tech savy or just a sales rep pushing the product. I couldn't find out one way or the other.

Is there a place to download the directions/instructions?

 

[mfdrookie516]

yeah, about that... you cant half the drops, thats why you have to get 5ml exactly in the tube, and a certain number of drops for the test to be accurate.. plus its hard to get half a drop, and at least one of the tests requries 5 drops...

 

[jsoong]

Actually, I do "extend" my kits by using half/partial amounts.

For this you need a syringe or some other accurate way to measure volume.

Eg. My nitrate test say use 10 drops of # 1 & 10 drops of #2 in 5 ml of water. If I measure exactly 2 ml of water, I use 4 drops of each & get a good reading. <I don't go down to 1 ml, as the volume gets too small to read color accurately.> You can do this with any other fractions you like, as long as the ratio is correct. The smaller volume may be slightly less accurate as each drop is not necessary the same size, and the more drops you use, the more evening out of the volume you get. <In a chem lab, you would use pipettes to measure the reagents, so this is not a consideration.>

pH tests are strictly a color reaction & is not volume dependent. The number of drops you add only change the intensity (depth) of the color but not the color change. So you don't even need to be too accurate in fractioning out the test.

 

[selvan777]

JSoong, using your 2ml water to 4 drops #1 & #2, did you compare the results immediately with a mix of the suggested 5ml water to 10 drops each? If so, were the results comparable? I imagine so per your post.

BTW, thanks for the info...

 

[mfdrookie516]

definately thanks jsoong... i learn something new every day from you

 

[jsoong]

To be honest, I have only validated Ammonia & nitrites. For these, I was looking only for a yes/no answer ... it matters not too much to me if these were 0.5 or 1 .... I expect zeros.

For the nitrates, I know the results are similar for 0 & ~5-10. I didn't test for anything over that. I would expect the "fractional test" to be comparable for all the drop tests ... but I don't have proof of that.

 

[selvan777]

Hey man, thanks a bunch for sharing.

That's close enough for me especially while knowing full well that it's consistency of water parameters that matter more than specific and precise levels.

That guy I mentioned at the lfs, so I read, said the rep/tech told him to not spread the word for obvious reasons... yeah, right... :

Needless to say, I'll do my own playing around and see the results for myself too. That is, after I get my hands on a syringe.

 

[selvan777]

My water co posts theirs online, numbers updated weekly

You're lucky, I see the benefits of that. Mine only post yearly averages. How best to influence these guys to do it weekly? Any ideas?

Folsom, CA. USA.