What Kind Of Tests Do You Need?

[Hemigrammus]

What kind of test kits do you need to keep a sucessfull tank set up? I know need pH and dH is there any others needed for a freshwater fish tank?

 

[Davo86]

What kind of test kits do you need to keep a sucessfull tank set up? I know need pH and dH is there any others needed for a freshwater fish tank?

ph, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite are the the main four,
The two brands that are most widely used are the API master test kit and the Hagen mini master kit

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with Davo

 

[Hemigrammus]

Is it ok to use saltwater master test kit? It is outdated because my mom used to use it for her saltwater aquarium. I have the pH and Nitrite but would it be ok to use the ammonia and NitrAte tests on a freshwater aquarium?

 

[Schmill]

To be honest for the price of a NEW freshwater one I'd just get one of those.
Theres always the chance that the saltwater one will give the wrong results (and you'd never know), but also the reagents have a shelf life.
If it's the API kit I believe it is the last 4 digits off of the batch number on the bottles, this gives the manufacture month and year. I think the life of them is only about 2 years after that, there was a thread on here somewhere about it, but I can't find it at the moment.

 

[Essjay]

About API test reagent expiry, this is from an email I had from them in reply to that question -



Quote:

each reagent bottle has a Lot # printed on the bottle. The last four digits are the month and year of manufacture. Example: Lot # 28A0108. This is a pH reagent manufactured in January of 2008. Wide Range pH, High Range pH, Ammonia, Nitrate, Phosphate, Copper, Calcium and GH all last for three years. Nitrite and KH will last for four years. Freshwater pH (low range) and Pond Care Salt Level will last for five years. I would not use or trust these kits after they have expired.



Hope this helps

 

[keenonfish]

I recently got a master test kit on ebay for £17 delivered there have been some for £15 all inclusive my lot number was a month old

 

[waterdrop]

Some of the tests between salt and fresh are decidedly different from each other. I wouldn't use a saltwater kit, and agree with Schmill that expirations should be checked.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

In the API kit, the nitrite is a salt / fresh test. The others are only marked for fresh water. If the kit has passed its shelf life there is no point in trying to save a few pennies on something as important as knowing your water parameters.