I can't get a test kit because my parents said I don't need it!

[Colin_T]

I have one cycled tank and another in the cycling process. Also, I get asked a lot on here about my water parameters, so I do need to know what they are to the full amount.

Water quality is important if you have a sick fish because a lot of fish health issues are actually caused by poor water quality (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate or wrong pH). So if you get a sick fish, then we ask for the water test results so we can rule out any water quality issues.

The same deal with new tanks that are cycling (developing the beneficial filter bacteria). We ask about water test results to see how far along you are in the cycling process.

If you can't afford the liquid test kits, then go for the paper ones. They aren't as accurate but do give reasonable results that are close enough for most purposes.

 

[Sanityassassin]

This hobby is a bottomless pit at the best of times in regards to forking out for this, that and the other. And the fact you don't have your own money is going to be a huge hindrance for you. I feel for you.

Moving forward I'd be trying to get at least one of my parents on board with the hobby, get them interested in it, it can be quite addictive as we all know!

With a bit of luck they'll both get the bug and then they'll understand when you say you need something and may put their hands in their pockets more readily.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I hardly ever test my tank, and when I do, I only use test strips. Learn how your fish behave and when they are not happy then water change or maybe test your tank. If the fish are happy your tank doesn't need testing.

For once, I actually agree with you, B!

I do have a liquid test kit, and use it if I suspect a problem, but if that wasn't available to me, then the best thing to do is make sure you stay on top of maintaining water quality through regular water changes, lots of fast growing live plants if you can swing getting those, and if there's a problem, immediately do large water changes. That's the same recommendation whether you have a test kit or not, since water quality is most often the issue. Even when it isn't, the water change only helps and doesn't hurt.

If you can't get a liquid test kit, then so be it. People kept fish for a long time without them, and a dip strip tester is still better than nothing. It does make cycling a tank harder, but when you're doing a seeded cycle and the tank is only for one betta fish anyway (so not a heavy bioload, not that it doesn't matter if it's a betta), then it's not a big deal in this case.

 

[itiwhetu]

For once, I actually agree with you, B!

I do have a liquid test kit, and use it if I suspect a problem, but if that wasn't available to me, then the best thing to do is make sure you stay on top of maintaining water quality through regular water changes, lots of fast growing live plants if you can swing getting those, and if there's a problem, immediately do large water changes. That's the same recommendation whether you have a test kit or not, since water quality is most often the issue. Even when it isn't, the water change only helps and doesn't hurt.

If you can't get a liquid test kit, then so be it. People kept fish for a long time without them, and a dip strip tester is still better than nothing. It does make cycling a tank harder, but when you're doing a seeded cycle and the tank is only for one betta fish anyway (so not a heavy bioload, not that it doesn't matter if it's a betta), then it's not a big deal in this case.

 

[anewbie]

Once your tank is fully cycled, you might just test for nitrates occasionally. You only would need to test for ammonia and nitrites if your fish seem ill.

Well ... in my case I want to measure tds drift (of course the liquids don't test for tds but that is a different issue). I'm setting up an automatic system to do a drip system that mixes ro and tap water for some sa fishes that do much better in lowish tds.

 

[GaryE]

People repeat things without testing them - when I have put test strips up against liquid kits, the results were... exactly the same, consistently. The test strips I had tested for many more things than the kits did, and if it weren't for price, I would consider them far superior.

I only use either if I am going out somewhere in nature to look for fish, and never use test kits in aquariums. There are things you need to know when you become very serious about fish and maybe try to breed them, and there, kits can be useful.

They are quite expensive to buy and unnecessary. I know you get a lot of conflicting info from everyone here, and there are a lot of people who swear test kits are essential. I tip my hat to them and ignore them.

They tell me I only get away with this because I am very experienced, but I have never used test kits much (I had one for a few years in the 1990s). I stock lightly. especially in a new tank. I do my weekly water changes every week. I have good tap water, so that works well. I never allow myself to skip those 25-30% water changes. That's really important. I feed the fish lightly, and skip days. I have live plants, although nothing fancy and nothing difficult to grow.

So while it will be good to have control of your own money, for now, you can easily work around problems. 90% (my guess number) of the problems people blame on the cycle come from overstocking and newly purchased fish arriving in poor health. If I owned a pet store that sold farmed fish I'd be pushing test kits really hard, because shifting the blame works.

So common sense will sort this out. I was around 30 when test kits came into stores. Before that, "new tank syndrome", where impatient or not very clued in people would fill a sterile tank with too many fish was a thing for sure. There have always been people who didn't care at the right time, and don't read. But very few tanks set up in a slow but steady way crashed. Fish survived and thrived. Relax, you've got this.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

It's been mentioned quite a bit already but just to jump on the band wagon, after my tank is cycled I very rarely test my water. If the fish seem off or if one dies then I'll test, but even then I may just do a big water change depending on the circumstance. I only keep fish that are suited to my area, as in, the hardness and pH and I try to be consistent with water changes. Like others have mentioned, your LFS will test your water for you if you get in a pickle