Ember Tetras at Pets At Home

[Essjay]

I wonder what your test kit would show about their tank water - you didn't by any chance test the water in the bag

 

[Country joe]

No I didn't, I should have done

 

[GaryE]

It is a myth that test strips aren't accurate. They degrade over time, but I have done tests with both side by side and gotten the same results consistently. Strips are expensive and you can't keep them anywhere damp, but they are accurate if used properly, and stored properly. Those are fair "ifs".

At my lfs, they demand a time stamped photo of the dead fish in the bag. Once it's in the tank, it's your problem.

 

[Colin_T]

Standard protocol at the shops I have worked at when customer's fish died were:
Bring the fish in so we can see it.
Bring in a separate sample (about a glass full) of tank water so we can test it.

You would be surprised at how many people try to steal fish by saying they died. Then they make up excuses as to why they didn't bring the body back. And their aquarium water is perfect (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate, perfect pH), and sometimes it contains chlorine. Customers would bring in a sample of tap water and say it's their aquarium water so it tested perfect but a chlorine test would say something else.
Me. "You have high levels of chlorine in your tap water".
Customer. "No that is my aquarium water"
Me. "Do you use a dechlorinater?"
Customer. "Yes, of course I do"
Me. "When did you last do a water change?"
Customer. "About a week ago"

 

[Country joe]

It is a myth that test strips aren't accurate. They degrade over time, but I have done tests with both side by side and gotten the same results consistently. Strips are expensive and you can't keep them anywhere damp, but they are accurate if used properly, and stored properly. Those are fair "ifs".

At my lfs, they demand a time stamped photo of the dead fish in the bag. Once it's in the tank, it's your problem.

I have good quality strips stored properly, which I don't use, but reading your post I gave them ago,they seemed OK but,when they came to nitrate, I think they were off, on my two tanks one was 40, the other 80, I then used my NTLabs liquid test, and nitrate came up zero, on both tanks I have quite a few live plants in both tanks, both tests were done properly.