# Testing Kits?



## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

Beyorn said:


> I have almost gotten everything I need to start my tank. The last thing on my list is a test kit. I was wondering what type of parameters I would need to watch for in a planted tank (75 gallon tank, 1.6 watts per gallon). Also I was thinking of getting an electronic one. I had a chemical test kit for the last all fish aquarium I had and I hated it (messy). Any suggestions?



IMHO, a nitrite, ammonia, and to a lesser extent a PH test kit are a must. I have seen mini-cycles happen even with fully planted tanks that had been running for months. And a fish death is a good reason to test ammonia and nitrite and to do this quickly and address a possible ammonia or nitrite spike you need or should have these test kits handy.

A consistent PH high or low does not necessarily harm fish and most plants have a fairly wide range of PH they can tolerate. PH swings can cause your fish to go into PH shock and die, so again it is not a bad idea to have a PH test kit handy to mo itor the possiblity of PH swings should fish die. Such swings can also cause stress and acclimitization issues for plants.

GH and KH test kits are handy if you are monkeying around with water that is too high or too low in GH and KH. Again, from what I understand, the range of KH and GH that plants can tolerate and is considered idea for plant growth is pretty wide.
KH: 50-120 ppm, depending on plant species
GH: 70-150 ppm, again depending on plant species

Depending on your goals, the types of plants that you are going to grow, plant density, and whether you set up a low light plant(nutirents are not as critical due to lower plant growth) or high light, high tech, pressurized c02 tank where ideal nutrient levels are a must, you may or may not need nitrate and phosphate test kits. Generally speaking if you follow a fertilization scheme like Tom Barr's Estimative Index with a high tank tank, such dosing will ensure that you always have some excess to prevent nitrate and the phosphate deficiencies. The recommended 50% water changes weekly will remove any excess. Having said that if you don't want to use the Estimative Index or you have a low tech tank that you will not be adding fertilizer to, you may want to have phosphate and nitrate test kits on stand by in case your plants beginning showing symptoms of nitrate or phosphate deficiency that you need to confirm. Iron test kits are not generally reliable and considered a waste of money. Also, many suggest that you are better off buying expensive reputable test kits vs the cheap ones as the more expensive ones will be more accurate. You also have to calibrate nitrate and phosphate test kits no matter which ones you use. That is a whole different topic in itself.

Generally I don't put as much faith in test kits as I used to. I discovered through my own experiences that your water parameters can test perfect as far as fish health and plant growth should be concerned but you could still end up with very poor plant growth and unexplained fish deaths. It seems that there is more to plant growth than just ideal water parameters and direct observation of your plants and fish to gauge how well they are doing, may be the best way to go.


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## KevinC (May 24, 2004)

As far as electronic tests, you are pretty limited. You can do pH, TDS (not too useful for planted tanks, but if you are using RO water it checks the quality), calcium, ammonia, and nitrate using ion-selective electrodes. You are still stuck with color-based tests for nitrite, alkalinity, phosphate and total hardness.

Plan on at least $1200 for good results. Take a look at the Vernier LabQuest. And you still need some "chemicals" to calibrate the probes.

No joke.

Kevin


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

I have one of those "Master Test Kits" and quite frankly, I cant remember the last time I tested for anything. Save yourself some money and dont get one. If you find yourself in the position of needing something tested just take a water sample down to the lfs and have them test it for you. I have never been charged for getting my water tested.


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## Fishytales12345 (Apr 12, 2008)

In my last location, I used the test strips for approximate indications as suggested by the LFS when I started. After moving and presently restarting the three tanks, I bought a "master" test kit, plus extra tests for KH and GH. The total for these ran about US$80. It may be a bit of a pain if you don't have the time, but I like to take the time to keep track of what is happening in the tanks. To me, it is part of the work that is necessary, like water changes and all, to then sit back and look at the fruits of our labo(u)r.:smile:


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## mgamer20o0 (Mar 8, 2007)

someone starting out i think tis a great idea to test the water. this way you can have some clue as to whats going on. you can get a api master test kit at petsmart by price matching to their web site for $30 i think or less.


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## ColeMan (Mar 9, 2008)

mgamer20o0 said:


> someone starting out i think tis a great idea to test the water. this way you can have some clue as to whats going on. you can get a api master test kit at petsmart by price matching to their web site for $30 i think or less.


The problem is you have to spend hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to get accurate results. If you're testing using cheap test kits that don't give you good results, what's the point?

Check out this thread, in particular post #12...http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/swap-n-shop/64315-wtb-test-kits-planted-tanks.html


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

When I was switching my 20g over to a planted tank and tearing down my 5g to re-start it as a planted tank, I bought tests for ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte and pH so as to check for cycling. The 20g was fully cycled and well established, but with all the changes I figured testing it wasn't a bad idea, and the 5 i started again from scratch so i wanted to make sure it was cycled before adding fish. Now that they are cycled and have happy fish I don't test very often...i was having some fungus problems in the 20 so I checked the params, but like Homer said, sometimes your parameters are perfect and you still get plant or fish deaths, but testing ammonia and nitrIte is a good place to start. If the API master test kit comes with more than those 4 tests (or even if it doesnt) it's probably worth getting that for $30 instead of buying the tests individually because i paid i think $30+ purchasing them individually. As far as electronic tests...i think it's true that you won't get a reliable one unless you're willing to spend a good chunk of $$. Most fish stores will test your water for free, but they're most likely going to use the same API kits so i guess it's just a decision of what seems like less of a hassle to you, bringing in a water sample or using the drop kits yourself. good luck!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I personally think test kits are very useful... when used properly. They may not be all that useful/sensitive when trying to compare specific amounts for determining fert dosing, but IMO they're very useful when trying to diagnose tank issues... and especially useful when cycling a new tank.

And if you have concerns about their accuracy, you can always make and keep reference solutions around:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/water-parameters/65027-mixing-reference-solutions.html

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/water-parameters/63617-fun-test-kits-overcome-visual-matching.html


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## Fishytales12345 (Apr 12, 2008)

Additional info about test chemicals.

I bought a KH and GH API test set in January 2008 at the only non-chain LFS of any size in the area. There seemed to be a lot of customers all the time. When I got home and tried testing the water, I could not get any readings after a whole bunch of drops being added. I tried tap water and got the same results. I contacted API via e-mail and received a quick reply from them that was most informative. They told me how to read the code on the bottles, like 56A0107 means product 56A and bottled in January 2007. When I looked at the test bottles, they were of the year 2000 vintage, eight years old. The store took them back without question.

So if some of your tests are not too accurate, you may want to at least check the product date before reaching a final decision. I would ecpect that other chemical manufacturers use a marking system as well. You may want to open the package while you are still at the store if you are purchasing chemicals.


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## classclown (May 11, 2008)

Did API tell you what their shelf life is? It's nice to be able to tell when their test kits were made, but did they give you any indication of how long after manufacture their test kits can no longer be considered reliable?


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## Fishytales12345 (Apr 12, 2008)

classclown said:


> Did API tell you what their shelf life is? It's nice to be able to tell when their test kits were made, but did they give you any indication of how long after manufacture their test kits can no longer be considered reliable?


The following was received from API:

"Pond Care Wide Range pH, Ammonia, High Range pH, 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."

The last sentence was their statement.

Thanks for asking. I should have posted it with my first reply.


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## ColeMan (Mar 9, 2008)

I went in to one of he massive "chain" pet store yesterday to get some pH reagent to use with my drop checker. After searching through the test kits, I realized they only had 2 in stock that weren't expired. I bought one, and then told the manager about it. He told me he was aware of the problem and tired to dispose of the old ones (one was a wardley kit that, no joke, had a 1994 copyright (granted the copyright doesn't give info as to whether or not it's expired, but still), but upper-level management didn't want to do anything about it "yet." He was very nice, and, believe it or not, somewhat knowledgeable as well. One of the first things out of his mouth was "you know these things are about as accurate as guessing, and it's a lot cheaper to guess." I liked him even more after he said that.


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