Test Kits....

[Lonewolfblue]

I currently have the AP Master Test Kit. I'm also thinking of getting other test kits as well. What all is really recommended for a planted tank with CO2?

Here's what I was looking at getting:
Gh, Kh, Iron, Phosphate

Are all these recommended, and are there others? Thanks...

 

[ringfinger]

I currently have and use all of the tests you just mentioned. I stuck with AP for all of them with the exception of the Phosphate test where I went with Sea-Chem. The Sea-Chem test is kinda hard to read, but it's recommended by a lot of people so I bought it. From what I hear, most Iron tests aren't accurate enough to be trusted completely.

 

[Purrbox]

For general aquarium testing the recommeded kits are:
Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate

For planted aquariums these tests are recommeded:
KH, PH, Nitrate, and Phosphate

Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate are helpful for cycling and determining if there is a problem in the tank. KH and PH are necessary when injecting CO2 to determine the level of CO2 saturation acheived. Nitrate and Phosphate are helpful in determining correct fert dosing levels and tracking down issues surrounding Algae breakouts.

Most Iron tests are not going to be accurate enough for our uses from what I've heard from others on the forum. Perhaps if you're willing to spend an arm and a leg for a high end kit, but you're probably better off judging by the health of your plants. Same goes for Potassium and Calcium.

As far as brand, I really like the Hagen Kit. It comes with all the necessary kits and I find it very easy to read.

 

[travis simonson]

Yes, I'm with Purrbox on the types of kits you need for a planted tank: KH, pH, NO3, and PO4 (and maybe GH, if you're not sure about your levels). For KH, GH, and pH, Aquarium Pharmaceuticals makes some very easy to use, fairly accurate, and highly readable kits for good prices.

For NO3 and PO4, I like to use LaMotte test kits. They are kind of pricey ($40-50) but they are dead-on accurate and you never have to wonder about your results. This is especially helpful if you are running lean NO3 levels (<10 ppm) in order to bring out strong red coloration in your plants. Since most low-end NO3 test kits have a margin of error of 5-10 ppm or worse, they are almost completely useless for getting accurate measurements in this low range. LaMotte or Hach kits are the only ones that can be counted on in this case. OK, I'll stop being a LaMotte fanboy now

 

[CGGorman]

I'm testing pH, Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate, Iron, gH, and kH. All except Fe, gH, and kH are AP kits; those three are Hagen (because it's what was available locally). Once these kits are exhausted, I think I'm going to try LaMotte. I like their comparison plates better. I have a hard time comparing some of my sample colors with the cards in the AP and Hagen kits... The Hagen titration kits are the easiest to read of the ones I've got, but I'm not sure which tests CAN be performed by titration. OTOH, remembering the number of drops in the titrations can be troublesome, so it's toss-up.

 

[travis simonson]

I'm red-green color-blind, so the Octal Comparator (I think that's their fancy name for it) that comes with LaMotte PO4 kits really helps me get good results. And CG is right, titration kits are the easiest to read because you just add solution until (in most types that I've used) the liquid in the test vial becomes clear. Even I can see clear

 

[An t-iasg]

"I can see clearly now the algae is gone!"

I needed a new ammonia test kit. I was using the Aquarium Pharm. kit with two bottles and liked it for the most part. I always had some trouble distinguishing between 0 and .25 ppm. Is that just a bit green or am I paranoid, lol!

During the DrsFosterSmith sale (the one that ended New Year's Eve) I bought the Seachem Ammonia kit. After the initial "grumbling" - this isn't like the other one! -- I found that I like the Seachem a lot better. I dropped the little yellow reactor in the sink but after that it was smooth sailing. You can run up to 6 tests at once, so I labeled the wells in the test plate and tested all three tanks at once! You can also test for NH3 and NH4 at the same time. It takes 30 minutes for a good reading to develop. That's ok - just set the microwave timer and browse AA in the meantime!