Planted Aquarium - Water Test Kit Poll

[BeerBotia]

After reading, and reading...and more reading, I'd like to know the AA "ePinions" on AFFORDABLE water test kits.

 

[varga1]

30% water change twice a month, and you'll never need to test the water

 

[greenfish]

I use the AP tests.

30% water change twice a month, and you'll never need to test the water

I have read some people with planted tanks change up to 50% water weekly.

 

[youronlysin]

30% water change twice a month, and you'll never need to test the water

8O I thought every good aquarist tested water.

 

[shawmutt]

30% water change twice a month, and you'll never need to test the water

You may be able to get away with that with fish only tanks, however I'm not sure if you can apply that to planted tanks. I need to test my water often to make sure all parameters are correct, especially NO3 and PO4.

As far as test kits, I just use Aquarium Pharm because that's what I've always used, no better reason.

 

[malkore]

30% water change twice a month, and you'll never need to test the water

Sorry but I disagree. There are a few people out there that can pull this off. But your average aquarist keeps far too many fish in their planted tank to really suceed with monthly 30% changes. By far too many fish, I don't even mean overstocked.

If you look at these people who don't change water, they typically have a very very light bioload, and not super high lighting...low maintenance type tank. They also top off with distilled water to prevent hardness from rising.

But back on target, I voted SeaChem. They are the best you can get unless you jump up to Salifert (which is really more of a Reef grade test kit) or LaMotte ($40 a kit? no thanks)

I do use some AP kits...hardness, pH, nitrate...they aren't too bad, but I prefer Seachem.
I don't waste any time with RedSea, Hagen, or TetraTech.

 

[AlexPerez]

I use to use some of those kits and found out they where not real good. For example here are some numbers after I got the Lamotte Kits. Yes they are expensive but worth it. Heck after spending all the money on CO2, lights, Substrates a little more on good quality test kits is not that much.

KH:
Red Sea - 3
AP- 3
Tettra - 5
Lamotte - 2.2

GH:
Red Sea - 12
Lamotte - 15

Nitrate:
Red Sea - 5ppm
AP - 40 ppm
Lamotte - 22 ppm

CO2:
Red Sea : got to over 70 drops and still no change in color gave up. Kit probably bad.
La Motte : 35 ppm

PO4:
Red Sea - 2.0 ppm
La Motte - 2.0 ppm - a little less than 2.0 but the best match.

 

[sawallace]

I personally use AP, not bad kits as far as I know. I've tried seachem Fe and pH kits and won't use them again. I might try Hagen next, I use their Ca kit and it's real nice and I've heard some good feedback on their other kits.

 

[travis simonson]

I use AP test kits for GH and KH measurements because they're easy to use and fairly accurate in a situation where a high degree of accuracy is not really necessary (at least in my case). I use a Milwaukee pH Controller to monitor pH and regulate injection of CO2. I feel it is much more accurate than most 'affordable' test kits and a heck of lot easier to use. Now for NO3 and PO4 I use only LaMotte kits as I feel that I really need to know, with a high degree of accuracy, what their levels are. At 10 ppm, I run NO3 a little lean (I actually don't need to dose KNO3 at all with my particular set up as the fish produce all the necessary nitrogenous waste to meet my NO3 needs), and PO4 somewhat rich at 1.0-1.5 ppm. I've had terrible luck getting accurate, consistent, trustworthy measurements of NO3 and PO4 at these levels with cheaper kits, but LaMotte kits peg them dead-on every time. Well worth the investment if you really want to be certain.

 

[frog girl]

I can't vote but would like to see more people do so because I think I need a new kit (mine has no PO4 or nitrate). Oh & my KH may be bad.

So please cast your votes everyone.

 

[mattrox]

I tired to vote for Hagen but it didn't let me... It says 0 votes for hagen........ but I voted..
I have AP but think Hagen will be more useful next time I need a kit.

 

[mattrox]

^ tried even

 

[slowboattochina]

Don't waste your time with redsea, Had two defective kits in a row. AP is great, Hagen masterkit will give you every test you could want.

 

[piranha]

I use Tetra Laborett. It works fine for me.Haven't tried the others.

 

[Steve Hampton]

Test kits are a sore subject to me. Most hobby grade kits are subject to interference from other compounds and may give highly erroneous results. Add to that is the fact that a kit like hobby grade NO3 kits were never designed to give precise results...meaning most hobby grade kits can report whether NO3 levels are closer to 40 ppm or 80 ppm but can't be depended on to report whether there is zero or 10 ppm. This huge bit of inaccuracy isn't a big deal for fish only aquaria, but it's not a reliable way to successfully run a planted tank. There are really two excellent choices for professional kits to check NO3...LaMotte and Hach. I prefer the LaMotte, while a bit more expensive initially the refills are competitively priced. LaMotte doesn't depend on making a color match with a dubious color card. Instead the kit contains an octet comparator. After the test is complete the test vial is placed in the octet comparator and the color in the sample is compared to the other color filled vials so that a match is very easy to come up with. Note that interpolation is easy when the match falls in between to colors. Here's what the LaMotte octet comparator looks like.

Iron test kits are totally useless and a waster of money.

I often see folks online say things like "I use AP kits, they are the best. They always give accurate results for me." To which my response is, "How do you know the results are accurate?" Unless you make up reference samples and use those to check your kit against you really haven't a clue as to whether the kit is actually reporting results accurately. My point? Be very careful taking peoples opinions about test kit quality unless you know those opinions are based on careful and accurate facts.