Test Kits

[WayneVT08]

So I was looking on Petsmart.com and petco.com and they just have like strips to put in the water. What should I get? To where I can get an actualy reading in numbers?

 

[ncjharris]

Most people would reccomend that you avoid the strips and use the chemical liquid test. The strips loose their effectiveness quicker than the liquid ones, and its quite easy to contaminate them.

I (and many others, I am sure) use the Master Test Kit from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals.

 

[WayneVT08]

Yea... where can I get that, since I am in the US...

 

[ncjharris]

Erm pass.
Have you googled?
Let me see.

Yes, lots of US mail order internet sites.

 

[WayneVT08]

What did you google? Master Test Kit from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals?

So what do you do with em? You drop a little of the solution into the water and it turns a certain color? Or what?

 

[ncjharris]

So what do you do with em? You drop a little of the solution into the water and it turns a certain color? Or what?

Essentially, yes. You get test tubes with the kit, into which you add pre-designated dosages of each testing chemical. You then compare the colour the water turns with the enclosed cards.
I googled Aquarium Pharmaceuticals.

 

[WayneVT08]

OK and then you clean them out with what? Is there one with a digital reading? Or is this the best one around? I'm gonna wait for more replies.

 

[Triumph]

OK and then you clean them out with what? Is there one with a digital reading? Or is this the best one around? I'm gonna wait for more replies.

I use the aquarium pharmacuticals kit as well and find it easy enough to use. It tests Ammonia, PH, High range PH, Nitrate, & Nitrite.

Afterwards I just wash my tubes out with tap water and dry them so there is no chance of the results being affected when I use them again.

Some of the colour cards have very similar colours which can make interpreting the results a tad hard (nitrate in particular) but I got the hang of it.

Don't know of any digital water testing devices apart from ones for PH.

Billy the Fish

 

[WayneVT08]

Hmmm okay. I'll probably buy one off of Amazon.com.

 

[ncjharris]

Digital reading equipment does exist, but, it is very expensive, to the tune of about £2000 here in the UK (this was a couple of years ago), which is what - $4000 odd.

A good idea is to rinse your test tubes with tank water you are testing before you test, incase there has been any contamination why they have been drying!

 

[soggyhome]

I use the aquarium pharmacuticals kit as well, have found it very good although the colours can be a bit hard to read at first, all depends what kind of light you have in your room.

Hold the colour chart so the colours are vertical, then hold the test vial against the white background of the chart

 

[WayneVT08]

Looks like I'll be ordering off of Amazon.com then. Thanks guys. =]