Advice On Test Kits Please?

[maplethistle]

Looking at test kits for my aquarium water .. Tetra do them for ammonia and for nitrite and they look like they'll be easy to use, but do you think they're ok or is there something better? I'm in the UK.
I'd appreciate your advice.

 

[arobinson1984]

There's only one worth having in my opinion, and many members on here will say the same.

The API freshwater master kit which is a liquid kit thats tests for PH, ammonia, nitrITE and nitrATE and will last over a year (800 tests). Don't ever use test strips, they are worse than useless and very inaccurate.

Normally around £25-£30 but you'll find it on ebay for £15, bargain!!

Andy

 

[maplethistle]

Thanks Andy ... going to ebay right now to check it out.
Had really bad advice from LFS, am now in the middle of a fish in cycle crisis with ammonia sky high and have lost some of my fish. Wish I hadn't listened to them.

 

[rdd1952]

There are several good liquid kits. I use the same API master kit that arobinson mentioned but Hagen makes some as do a couple others. As he mentioned though, stay away from strips. They are inaccurate and in the log run are mch more expensive. You will pay roughly th same thing for 25 strips as you will for over 100 tests each with liquid.

 

[rewlyn]

forget the strips get the api master test kit its the only way to go trust me im

currently doing a fish-in cycle, that kit is my best friend, dont listen to the lfs

 

[maplethistle]

Thank you too ...
I didn't see that one in the new LFS today but I'll check again tomorrow when I take another tank water sample in to get retested after the water change and the pH thing too. I know (now) that I need a kit here at home, I just wanted to make sure I got the right type. The first LFS tested the water from my tank (before fish) and recommended the Tetra nitrite kit and I've been using that faithfully, but reading up on here, all the good results I 've been getting was because the tank isn't cycled yet. I didn't realise ammonia was building up. I was given some gravel from one of their tanks, told fishless cycling is nonsense and that everything would be ok. It's not. It's my fault that I've lost fish and I feel so bad about it you wouldn't believe.

 

[rewlyn]

Thank you too ...
I didn't see that one in the new LFS today but I'll check again tomorrow when I take another tank water sample in to get retested after the water change and the pH thing too. I know (now) that I need a kit here at home, I just wanted to make sure I got the right type. The first LFS tested the water from my tank (before fish) and recommended the Tetra nitrite kit and I've been using that faithfully, but reading up on here, all the good results I 've been getting was because the tank isn't cycled yet. I didn't realise ammonia was building up. I was given some gravel from one of their tanks, told fishless cycling is nonsense and that everything would be ok. It's not. It's my fault that I've lost fish and I feel so bad about it you wouldn't believe.

dont stress i got treated the same, majority of lfs are just after your money so if they can
set your tank up to constanly kill your fish, they wont care because they know you will be back to
replace the fish, then they try to make you feel bad by telling you that your not doing it right
and its your fault the fish are dying. So dont beat yourself up because someone wants to rip you off,
if we could we would beat them up instead, but apparently were not aloud, what they do makes me sick

SO REMEMBER THEY ARE KILLING YOUR FISH NOT YOU

 

[daniodaniowoah]

There's only one worth having in my opinion, and many members on here will say the same.

The API freshwater master kit which is a liquid kit thats tests for PH, ammonia, nitrITE and nitrATE and will last over a year (800 tests). Don't ever use test strips, they are worse than useless and very inaccurate.

Normally around £25-£30 but you'll find it on ebay for £15, bargain!!

Andy

I use this also. Easy and acurate. i would reccomend it.

 

[liserini]

Normally around £25-£30 but you'll find it on ebay for £15, bargain!!

Thanks for the tip, just buying one now!