Test Kits

[Poot]

Ive read all these posts with people confidently stating their amonia/nitrite/nitrate levels, yet when ive tested mine with the test kit i find it hard to match the colour in the bottle to the colours on the cards with any great accuracy. Any tips? Can i buy a meter that gives me a reading rather than having to rely on my dodgy visuals

 

[Alien Anna]

Some test kits are better than others. I personally find the Tetra tests the easiest to read. Also, some peoples colour vision is better than others. I have very good colour vision but my dad is as close as you can get to colour blind without actually being colour blind!

 

[Kossy]

Yes I find many test kits also unmatchable. Usually I check the colours before I buy.

 

[Nik]

I have also thought similar thoughts on how people get such specific readings from their tanks.

I have 2 different types of test kit:
Interpets - Easy Test
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals - Dry Tab Master Test Kit

Both give similar results which is good! I use the test kits as a guideline to how the tank is behaving.

But how do some of you guys get such specific results?

 

[Death Penguin]

This is something that has puzzled me for a long time. How do people quote water para's with such confidence. The first test kit I used was made by "TAP" which I think stands for "Totally Arse Product". It uses tablets that are supposed to dissolve into the test water, but the tablet has a half life in the test tube of about 3million years. So the only remedy is to crush the tablets, MAJOR MAJOR pain, even then they don't totally dissolve. The colours produced don't really seem to match any on the chart. And then the chart is made of paper which when it gets wet (can't see how that could happen) becomes near useless.

So my general impression of this test kit is very poor to be avoided.

I now use Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc. liquid drop test kit. In comparison its infinately faster, and the result are vivd making colour matching less of an art. The wierd thing about the test kit is it doesnt come with a nitrate test you get, Ammonia, Nitrite, pH, High pH, Carbonate hardness and General hardness. But the nitrate can be purchased separately. And to make it even better it was actually cheaper than the TAP test kit I used to use.

Has anybody done a comparsion between test kits? I'm sure its something everybody will be interested in.

Maybe worth doing market research into which is the ultimate test kit, in terms of quality and accuracy?

 

[Poot]

At least its not just me then, trying to distinguish between two very similar looking shades of purple, one for amonia 7.8 and one for 2.5 or something ridiculous has been a bit of a 'mare.

 

[Nik]

DP - how much was the liquid test kit?? I thought these were the expensive end of the test kit market?

 

[Death Penguin]

I think it was about £16.99. It was from a Pets at home chain store. Anyone in the Leeds area it is in Colton, there is also one at Clifton Moor York. There will be more I presume.

I was suprised when i went in the first time how well the fish were kept. Usually these sorts of places have muppets working there who know nothing about everything. Even the staff I spoke kept fish themselves so could give good advice. I like to ask basic questions, act dumb and see what the they say. usually get a good idea if people know what they are talking about then.

As for the test kit, i think the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc test kit is awesome, highly recommended.

 

[millym]

hi
i hate the test kits we've been using. as you say matching the colours i also find hard & all that faffing with counting drops etc - ooops did i do 12 drops instead of 11 from bottle No 1 or was that bottle No 3!!!!does it make a difference??? who knows. what im looking for is a test strip that you can just dunk in the water (or some of the water out of the tank) does anyone know of any of this type of thing you can buy in the uk??? i know you can get test strips for human urine that give you all sorts of levels of things, do they do them for fish??
ta.

 

[Alien Anna]

hi
i hate the test kits we've been using. as you say matching the colours i also find hard & all that faffing with counting drops etc - ooops did i do 12 drops instead of 11 from bottle No 1 or was that bottle No 3!!!!does it make a difference??? who knows. what im looking for is a test strip that you can just dunk in the water (or some of the water out of the tank) does anyone know of any of this type of thing you can buy in the uk??? i know you can get test strips for human urine that give you all sorts of levels of things, do they do them for fish??
ta.

Tetra 5-in-1 test strips are new on the market so I haven't used them, but are reputedly very good. I have used eSHa Multi-sticks and find them very good for quick testing. Hagen also make a dip-stick test but I haven't seen it for a while.

Try looking on the Aquatics Warehouse Online Shop for details.

 

[guppymonkey]

This is something that has puzzled me for a long time. How do people quote water para's with such confidence. The first test kit I used was made by "TAP" which I think stands for "Totally Arse Product". It uses tablets that are supposed to dissolve into the test water, but the tablet has a half life in the test tube of about 3million years. So the only remedy is to crush the tablets, MAJOR MAJOR pain, even then they don't totally dissolve. The colours produced don't really seem to match any on the chart. And then the chart is made of paper which when it gets wet (can't see how that could happen) becomes near useless.

I had the exact same problem! My test was for ammonia and I had to crush 2 tablets and shake it up to "dissolve" (term used very loosely in this case) the tablets. After the five minutes I was supposed to wait I still had bits of tablet on the bottom. I wonder if that test was accurate?

 

[subopposite]

I had a Master Test Kit and it worked, but the ammonia always showed up the same, showing just trace amounts while when using other tests, it was high up. Anyhow, I now use the Mardel test strips and I can tell their colors rather easily. I like those strips.

 

[Kissifish]

Mardel makes 5 in 1 strips; but, the ammonia strip has to be purchased separately.
Excellent readings. Similar to what I use in my pool. They are manufactured here in the states and Canada. DKITH

 

[subopposite]

Very true. Mardel needs to make a 6 in 1 strip.

 

[WingedWren]

Mwahahaha.... Check this out! http/cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...8&category=3212 No...they're not the same strips, but it comes all in one package!

Laurie