I bought one of those 8 in one test kits with very disappointing results (the GH and KH values were brown matching no color on the chart and the other results were questionable: no Ammonia, NO2, NO3. I think I'm good, but NONE?).

I was going to get the individual Tetra testing kits, but opted out at the last minute for the more economically reasonable (cheap) choice. I bought the Red Sea brand "Fresh Lab Deluxe" with Cl2, CO2, NO2, NO3, Fe, GH, KH, pH, NH3 test. I need all of those tests with addition to Phosphate, O2, and RedOx Potential (this last may have to be an electronic thingy).

I was thinking of the Tetra brand. They have a shiny box and we all use Tetramin food. So...

I tried searching the forums and the pasts threads, so please don't flame me. (This is also like my third post here, ever, so's play nice).

I use the crappy test strips, but I also bring a sample of my water to my LFS every week or 2, and let them test it for me, cause its free :P

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- 10 Gallon -
1 - Spotted Puffer
1 - Dalmatian Molly
1 - Pleco
fake plants and custom fixture

- 55 Gallon Acrylic -
1 - Bala Shark
2 - Plecos
2 - Black Skirt Tetras
5 - Guppies
2 - Guppy Fry (in custom nursery box)
1 - Koi Angel
1 - Brown Knifefish
1 - Golden Lyretail Molly
1 - Black Molly
2 - African Dwarf Frogs
All live plants and a custom fixture

- 55 Gallon Glass-
1 - unknown south american freshwater fish

Oh, hey, that's not a bad idea, although not a long term solution. (Really, they test the water for you once every two weeks? That's a really friendly/helpful dude you got there at the LHS).

Although maybe nice to have, most people will ever only need ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, and in some cases kh. Everything else is just extra that you could possibly need one day, but in most cases not.

The API master FW kit will cover most of what you need.

I like the API liquid test kits because of the following reasons:

1. The tubes are glass, which is easier to clean and won't become discolored by the testing solution (like SeaChem). You can also find boxes of extra test tubes from places like Petmountain.com.

2. The tests are relatively accurate and precise. I can have readings on my pH with a +/- 0.2 accuracy, and 0.25 ppm accuracy on ammonia and nitrite.

3. They are very cost effective.

I don't like the API test kits for one reason:

The API Ammonia test kit gives a false reading of 0.25 ppm ammonia religiously.

Just my thoughts...

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

Aquarium Pharma. makes a GH & KH TEST Kit I use about 4 times a year or when the weather has been really dry or extremely wet.

Any pH test drops that has Bromthymol Blue as the major ingredient is fine. If there is a liquid color comparison fixture in the kit like LaMotte all the much the better for pH testing. Really all you need is a clear 10 - 20 ml vial or slim bottle and a bottle of Bromthymol Blue you can add by drops to see the color.

The most important test to have is one for Chlorine. Nothing kills fish faster than fresh water from the tap with Chloramine or Chlorine in it.

I use the Chlorine test every time I refill my 55 gallon storage drum, that would be 3 to 6 times a month. I test the pH when I have fish that are sensitive to high pH.

Notice I didn't say anything about Ammonia testing. If you have too much of that, you need to change more water more often.

Trust me about the Chlorine test.

Charles H

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27 to 35 tanks from 5 to 55 gallon fresh water tanks. 300 to 350 gal in all.
Spawning mostly Killies, Live bearers, American & west African Cichlids, Pencil fish. 4 species of spawning Corydoras, & some Bristle nose Plecos. Other less than 6 inch species from time to time.

In St. Louis
Change As Much Water As Often As You Can

I use the API tests. I do have a bunch of strip tests left over from before I found the liquid tests (but they are only used if I run out of liquid tests and there are no stores open to get more.)

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

The API Master test kit for freshwater is what I use. Test strips have been known to be inaccurate.

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Do fish get thirsty?
How to fishless cycle your aquarium http://www.aquariumforum.com/f66/fis...cle-15036.html

Information on API FW test kit http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/api-...ion-15347.html

i use api test kits for both my fw an sw tank . them dip test are not good for much

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if you loan some one money an never see them Again it was money well spent !!!!!

Why use a chlorine test if I'm using a dechlor? Not sure I understand the reason for the need, but whatever makes us comfortable.

Any municipal water treatment facility varies their Chlorine/Chloramine injections according to temperature and water conditions. Minimal treatment may not be sufficient. Overkill may introduce compounds which may change the water chemistry beyond the inhabitants needs.


Charles H

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27 to 35 tanks from 5 to 55 gallon fresh water tanks. 300 to 350 gal in all.
Spawning mostly Killies, Live bearers, American & west African Cichlids, Pencil fish. 4 species of spawning Corydoras, & some Bristle nose Plecos. Other less than 6 inch species from time to time.

In St. Louis
Change As Much Water As Often As You Can

Sooooo true. I use the API liquid test for ammonia, but everything else I test on those Jungle 5-in-1 quick-dip tests. They are not worth the plastic they're printed on, IMO. They change one color in the allotted time, and then if you wait long enough, they change to a completely DIFFERENT color. Don't get those. I like the API ammonia test kit, though and will probably get more API products when my crappy Jungle strips run out.

I wouldn't debate that, but a bottle of Prime (example) doesn't account for that type of thing in the directions. So the assumption would be that no matter what the city does with the water, Prime will more than take care of the amount of chlor in the water. Whatever it didn't, if it didn't get it all, would dissipate. Some people add water without ever treating and have little trouble if any, so if most are using some type of treatment I would assume again that the water is well within the safe zone after treatment.

Hey, thanks enormously for the replies. They have been great help, and I have used the leads to search for reviews for the API FW tests.

I ran across Salifert and Elos test kits in my search, and the consensus was that both are very expensive but very accurate, more so than the API product. Also, there was a lot about the API ammonia test not liked much, but for different reasons than Gizmo has said, and from my 15 minutes of perusing the internet chatter, the most common complaint was that it took too long. Considering that the Red Sea product that I have shelved after the first use took 15 minutes, I figured was fine, as long as it was accurate.

If what Gizmo said is true, I am rethinking. I have a 55 gallon planted discus tank which I do with a 30% water change once a week (I know, much less often than bare bottom discus people, but I'm not trying to grow giants or breed, at least not yet). I wanna track ammonia levels, at least for a few weeks to see how long my tank goes before the ammonia spikes.

If I do convert my 55g to bare bottom for breeding and make a DIY planted tank for my ambitious 100g sump tank I dream about, maybe I should invest in the Elos one?

If the money is the same, which is better? Elos or Salifert? It seems that there are a lot of opinions out there about both but not a general: Ok, Elos is great for saltwater, but Salifert is better for semi-professional reefers and either are not necessary for fw people, even discus. Or, something of that sort.

Help?

TBH, I have never heard of either of those two kits. It would be difficult for me to justify more cost since I only test so often anyway. I had the same problem that Gizmo had, or at least I thought I did. Not that this is his problem...but, I tested a sample of bottled water and came up with 0 - not what I thought was getting to be the normal .25. So I adjusted my plant level and feeding habits and the problem went away. I really wasn't feeding that much, but I started skipping a few days here and there and it went away. I know of at least one other person on here that had a similar issue of .25 all the time and they adjusted and it went away also. My personal opinion is that it is the habits of the aqaurists that is at fault more often than not, rather than the test. If I really thought I had a faulty test set, I wouldn't be able to say that very long. I would replace it, whether it be an API test or any other.

Post your experience with those test sets if you get one of them. I'd be interested to hear.

I've heard of Salifert and Elos and I have to agree that they are the most accurate. However, they are also the most expensive and may also be the most involved time-wise. I can do a battery of 8 API tests in about 20 minutes.

Another issue that I know people have with the API kits is that they have glass tubes, which are prone to breaking if you (like me) end up dropping one or a few on accident.

I think it boils down to accuracy, cost, and time when looking for a test kit. You could spend an hour testing to get the most accurate, or you could dip a test strip and be done with it. And I'm also going to assume that the more accurate test, the more expensive it is.

Just my thoughts...

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

One would definitely hope so! It better tell me everything if it costs that much more.

Very helpful stuff. Starting to get my head around this.

One last question though, what do the LFS use (the API variety or the Elos Salifert variety)? Maybe I can just bring my water to the LFS every once in a while to test the more steady stuff (Fe, Cl in my tap, GH, phosphate) and just test the more variable stuff with API plus KH.

Sadly, most fish stores use strips. Out of 5 stores around here, I have only seen one use a liquid test. Strips are the worse for accuracy.

That would make economical sense. I just thought that some of these fish dudes were sniffing from the wrong bottle, but I guess there's no bottle involved, as it hint hint were.

Now, anyone test for ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential)? I used to before my testing electrical thingy went kaput.