What Are Your Favorite Test Kits?

[An t-iasg]

Hi everyone,
I have the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals brand of test kits -- the one with Doc Wellfish on the box. The ammonia and the nitrite kits are easy to use. They are the "test tube" type, not the strip type. But the nitrate kit is a bit difficult. You have to shake the bottle for 30 seconds before you put the drops in the tube, then you have to shake the tube for 1 minute. All that shaking hurts my wrists. I'm currently doing the testing once a day (I do all three tests.) Does anyone have a suggestion for an easier nitrate kit? Or are they all this way?

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

I've used the AP test for years but recently bought the Hagen master kit (looks like a chemistry set) and am really pleased with it. The nitrate test is really simple-- just put in the drops and wait a few minutes.

 

[Rho_Cassiopeiae]

From what I have heard the AP nitrate test is more accurate than the Hagen. But probably not enough to matter in home use. It's not like you really need to know the nitrate level to a few ppm accuracy.

 

[e-cat]

i use the hagen master test kit and the , test strips if im in a hurry.

 

[SixFootDaisy]

I hate all test kits

 

[An t-iasg]

Thanks everyone! I think I'll try the Hagan kit for nitrate. You don't realize how long 30 sec. or a minute is until you've set the microwave timer and are shaking away!

 

[shawmutt]

I have had plenty of practice shaking for many minutes, so the nitrate test doesn't bother me...

I'm with sixfoot on this one, I hate all those stupid color coded test kits. If I could afford it I would buy a digital tester for every test I had to do.

 

[An t-iasg]

I got some new test kits today. I got a new ammonia test kit. It looked just like my other one. I just thought I should get a new one, since it's a little over a year old, and there's no expiration date that I could find. Well, when I opened it I wondered why there was only one bottle instead of two. It was a Nessler kit, which I can't use, because I use Am-Quel when making up my tap water. I'll have to take it back. It didn't say anything on the box about what type of kit it was. Grrrr.... ! The nitrate test I got was a Jungle strip test. The lfs didn't have any Hagan, and the one brand it did have, besides the one I have now, looked even more complicated, with drops and powder to add. But I did the AP nitrate test (my old one), then my new nitrate test, and the AP test has been saying 0 all week. The Jungle strip test showed about 20ppm of nitrate.

P.S. I know why you hate test kits, SixFootDaisy! Can't say I blame you! I'm glad everything is OK now.

 

[Techboy]

i use a doc wellfish tester because it covers all the tings i need to test for

 

[Punkymom]

I've used the test tube thing with the drops, and I currently have the strips. Time wise, I like the strips, they're faster and less messy. Accuracy wise, I think the drops would be more accurate. As soon as my strips run out, I'm going to go with the drops. They cost about the same, but there's more tests. My strips came with 25 test strips. I can't remember what brand I use...LOL