Which Kind Of Water Testing Medium Do You Use?

[BLACK DDOG]

Nurafin for Nitrite, Ammonia, & Nitrate
And one that I picked up for free (Stock clearnce at lfs) a pH Acidity test kit by Colombo. www.colombo.nl

 

[TwoTankAmin]

For TDS and pH I rely on digital testers.
 
I have the API master kit but is is not real accurate, imo, and I am debating getting a lab grade ammonia tester (at about 16x the cost of an API type kit). While I tend to trust the API nitrite test the most of their kits, its range is extremely limited due to its reading total ions rather than only the nitrogen ones. The levels given for where nitrite will inhibit or kill a cycle or where it might harm lifeforms in the water are normally given in nitrite-n (i.e. nitrite-nitrogen). 1 ppm of nitrite-n tests out as about 3.3 ppm on a total ion scale like the API kit uses. That means to know if I may be stomping on the cycle due nitrite levels, the kit would have to read to at least 16 ppm. It goes up to 5.
 
While GH and KH are of passing interest to me, I am much more concerned with total dissolved solids, so those two kits are almost never used. While their pH kits is OK, I do some things at pH levels at or below 6.0 which is where the API kit stops, hence my use of the digital meter.
 
Just so folks are aware, while most aquarium type dip strip tests are not very good, lab grade test strips do exist which are likely more accurate than aquarium grade liquid tests. You get what you pay for

 

[This Old Spouse]

Where does one get these lab grade test strips?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Start by looking here:
http/www.hach.com/test-strips/category-products?productCategoryId=14371222342&secondPageNumber=1&pimContext=USen

 

[Metka]

API Test kits here. Now they've started to actually print the SBD on the box too - helps to maintain accurate readings.