What do I trust?

[Icthyological Person]

In my 29 gallon tank I have a ph alert and an ammonia alert. My ph alert say 8.2 but my test strips say 7.7. My ammonia alert never changes, even when I do a 50% water change! these are not old, just 3 weeks since I installed them. What should I trust?

 

[dkpate]

I wouldn't trust either one, and would get a liquid test kit.

 

[Icthyological Person]

thanks, i'll do that.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Throw them out. You can guess better than stuff like that will ever tell you. Use liquid test kits for accurate water chemistry tests.

 

[LemurLad]

+1 for the liquid test kit.

 

[The_Desacrator]

I fourth getting a liquid test kit.

 

[Icthyological Person]

I went to Petco and had my water tested which seems to agree with my ammonia and pH alerts.

 

[The_Desacrator]

Petco uses strips(if i am not mistaken) which are not totally reliable. Liquid test kits are more accurate, but they are also more expensive.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Yes, any time I have seen either of the big box stores test they used strips, might as well guess.

 

[fishguy1]

In my 29 gallon tank I have a ph alert and an ammonia alert. My ph alert say 8.2 but my test strips say 7.7. My ammonia alert never changes, even when I do a 50% water change! these are not old, just 3 weeks since I installed them. What should I trust?

I can't comment on the pH one as I've not used it, but I have used the seachem ammonia alerts and found them to be very accurate. It's GOOD that it never changes - it shouldn't change (from yellow), not if your tank is cycled. A water change would have no impact on the reading, as the ammonia alert only measures ammonia, not ammonium.

If the tank ISN'T cycled, it still wouldn't change (from purple) because the scale on which it measures the concentration is much smaller than the liquid test, and too small to be useful in an uncycled tank.

I questioned whether they would ever change. When I changed substrates, it registered on the ammonia alert. Most people I know who have used the seachem ammonia alert have found it to work very well.

 

[Icthyological Person]

I can't comment on the pH one as I've not used it, but I have used the seachem ammonia alerts and found them to be very accurate. It's GOOD that it never changes - it shouldn't change (from yellow), not if your tank is cycled. A water change would have no impact on the reading, as the ammonia alert only measures ammonia, not ammonium.

If the tank ISN'T cycled, it still wouldn't change (from purple) because the scale on which it measures the concentration is much smaller than the liquid test, and too small to be useful in an uncycled tank.

I questioned whether they would ever change. When I changed substrates, it registered on the ammonia alert. Most people I know who have used the seachem ammonia alert have found it to work very well.

I tested it in clean dechlorinated water proven by my liquid test kit (yes I got one) to have 0ppm and it still said "alert .5 ppm" or whatever, so I threw it out.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Alerts

I have also tested the ammonia alerts, my experience is that they are accurate at the beginning, but they start be less accurate with time, 2 weeks max.

 

[fishguy1]

I tested it in clean dechlorinated water proven by my liquid test kit (yes I got one) to have 0ppm and it still said "alert .5 ppm" or whatever, so I threw it out.

How long did you leave it in the water and was is green when you put it in (there is ammonia in the air that turns it green)? It takes a lot longer to come down from green to yellow then it does go from yellow to green.