Test Kits

[Tanks a 1ot]

A few questions on testing and test kits. Which ones should i get and when and how often should i test. I hear liquid test kits are the best but does it really matter that much? Should i have a stock of medical treatments incase testing brings up unwanted results?

 

[Mattyfelts]

api freshwater master test kit. Sold at all pet stores as far as i know. will read ph, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. it wont tell you about medical problems. Have you cycled your tank?

 

[Tanks a 1ot]

Yes i've had my tank set up for a couple years now but two of my fish seem to be swimming slightly ontheir side.
Thanks.

 

[sinibotia]

In 11 years of fishkeeping, I can't say I know of anything else in the hobby where there is so much universal agreement: the best option for water testing is API Freshwater Master Test Kit. Don't get test strips. They are AWFUL. If you want to waste your money on test strips, just give your money to me and I'll stick my tongue in your fish tank. My taste results would be more accurate than test strips.

Might be good to have a stock of medications but water test results have nothing to do with this. Water testing tells you the pH of your tank which lets you know what fish would do well in it. It also tells you the levels of nitrogenous waste which are toxic to fish but these can only be removed by certain beneficial bacteria and water changes.

 

[aqua_holic]

Here's an email I got from a friend the other day....

"Well it's official you are a bad influence on me. I read your old thread about Strips vs Liquid Test Kits.

This morning went to the fish store, took water sample with me that I tested. Had the guy test it before selecting fish, his results were identical to mine, except my strip pH 7.8, his liquid pH 7.6, everything else identical. My strips are 3 months old. He didn't know I had already tested with strips.

So he wanted to sell me a liquid kit, "is more accurate", I pulled out my strip results. Asked if he had any study results showing liquid better/more accurate than strips, "well everyone just , knows that." Asked why he sold strips then, the silence was deafening."





I think the perishability of test strips are their biggest issue.

 

[Mattyfelts]

they are inaccurate, a plausibly random occurrence of one being almost accurate does not discount claims of them not working correctly.

liquid is the way to go for accurate, reliable testing results.


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[aqua_holic]

Sorry but it's utterly ridiculous to make the claim that a test strip being accurate is a random occurrence. You know there is actual science behind the strips, yeah?

 

[Ricky 1]

To put it in context..........strips are an old ford, sometimes it works, where as api is a new car and will not let you down...........

 

[Mattyfelts]

Sorry but it's utterly ridiculous to make the claim that a test strip being accurate is a random occurrence. You know there is actual science behind the strips, yeah?

it's not ridiculous when backed up by many claims and personal experiences by people on this very forum


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[Mattyfelts]

To put it in context..........strips are an old ford, sometimes it works, where as api is a new car and will not let you down...........

couldn't have said it better


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[azmodan]

A few questions on testing and test kits. Which ones should i get and when and how often should i test. I hear liquid test kits are the best but does it really matter that much? Should i have a stock of medical treatments incase testing brings up unwanted results?

The API Master Test Kit is the most used and recommended of the liquid test kits more commonly available. For fully cycled and established tanks most people test once a week or so, but each tank varies so more or less testing will depend on each scenario. It is useful to have certain medications on hand (along with a quarantine tank) but not always fully necessary.


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[aqua_holic]

it's not ridiculous when backed up by many claims and personal experiences by people on this very forum


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There is user error for both kinds - the liquid kits are far from infallible, and both require a keen eye to differentiate between colors. As I mentioned earlier, the biggest issue with strips is being fouled by the environment, which is often tied back to user error.

Look I'm not saying that strips are better than liquid because they aren't. But one thing being better than the other does not make the other bad. The bottom line is this.... Does it register ammonia and nitrite or not. 0 is 0. Obviously if the test registers 0 and there is ammonia, then that's a problem. If the tests show that there's ammonia in the water but at a slightly different concentration than the liquid, so what? The end result is a water change, is it not? And for the sake of discussion, if there was no ammonia and the test said that there was, then a water change gets done when it may not have been needed. Again, so what? What tank couldn't use an extra water change? However, a tendency for false positives would get old real quick.

False positives and false negatives would clearly be a problem, but they are never the reason given as to why the strips are bad. The reason that everyone gives (whether they've used strips or not) is that they aren't as accurate. So again I ask, how accurate do they really need to be? Most of us aren't scientists. All I care to know is if there is excess ammonia or not. I don't care what the actual concentration is because it doesn't really matter. Most people change an arbitrary amount of water anyway. Now if you are anal enough about it to base your water change percentage on the test results, then you should definitely go with liquid kit. If you just want a ballpark reading, then knowing the "exact" values aren't important. And again, there's certainly user error with the liquid test too so some of those values will be more exact than others.

Im not trying to persuade anyone to use strips or dissuade them from liquid kits. And I'm not trying to argue with anyone. I just like to explore ideas. I did not share that email to prove anything - it was just good timing that I received it yesterday. There are a lot of forums out there with a lot of accomplished aquarists, and not all of them use liquid tests. I'm all about promoting a better product, but IMO that can be done without ridiculing the alternative.

 

[Mattyfelts]

oh I agree you can use test strips, however they are not as reliable. if the test strips are saying there is 0 ppm of ammonia but really there is 4 ppm I see that as a problem. I base my response solely on what I have heard throughout my fish keeping experience and from researching when I was getting test kits.

you address the amount of amm, nitrite and nitrate as a number that really doesn't matter, however during the cycling process knowing the ppm is crucial in knowing when your tank has cycled. further more many people like to keep track and record the amount of each of those. nitrate is an important number to watch, it lets you know when there is potential issues and when water changes are due, some people would also like to know how their plant life effects the nitrates.

an accurate test is also necessary in helping identify fish illness and problems. knowing whether ammonia nitrite or nitrate are at lethal levels is important.

I am not saying test strips can't be used but I am advocating for liquid tests. IMO liquid tests are crucial. OP you can decide for yourself.




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[aqua_holic]

Where there is a need, there is a product to fill it. No doubt liquid testing is important for many applications, but it's not important for all applications. Thats the point I was trying to make. I agree that people should choose what's best for their needs, and a discussion like this helps people to better evaluate their needs IMO.