Digital Water Tester Kit

[delta200]

i am a real newbie to this fish thing , i have had 2 fish die due to dangerously high nitrite ( i think , might be nitate )

i was told to add CYCLE and hope for the best !

is there any digital test kits that give a Much clearer display ?

 

[Underwurlde]

If they exist they will cost a fortune and be just as difficult to calibrate.

You can get cheap pH meters via ebay 'from Hong Kong', but again, it's not just a simple case of just sticking them in the water and getting a result - the cheaper they are the harder they are to use i.e. calibrate.

The test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are crap, granted. They are very difficult to get an accurate measurement from.

But don't look at it as trying to get a very accurate measurement from them, be more subjective: Is there a presence of the chemical you are testing for and if so has it dropped or risen since the last time you tested for it? In other words use it for relative measurements, not absolute meaurements....

If in ANY doubt, i.e. 'crikey those ammonia / nitrite readings look high!!!' The feedback / advice you'll get will be the same anyway: Do regular large water changes until the levels drop.

Those drop test kits you get from the shops DO have their uses!

Andy

 

[crazie.eddie]

I agree, don't worry about getting precise, labratory results for testing. Your off the shelf test kit should be sufficient.

One thing to keep in mind is to acclimate the fish slowly to your tank and not to overstock or quickly stock a brand new tank. This brings up ammonia & nitrite levels too quickly, which could be harmful to the fish.

What fish did you add?

How big is your tank?

I'm not fond of those bacteria starters. The reason is, there is supposed to be live bacteria thriving in those bottles. Bacteria need food and oxygen to survive. I'm just wondering how long the bacteria can last in there and who knows how long the bacteria has been sitting on the shelf. The best way to jump start an aquarium with bacteria is to obtain used media, gravel, etc. from an already established tank. Then slowly cycle the tank with hardy fish.

 

[delta200]

I agree, don't worry about getting precise, labratory results for testing. Your off the shelf test kit should be sufficient.

One thing to keep in mind is to acclimate the fish slowly to your tank and not to overstock or quickly stock a brand new tank. This brings up ammonia & nitrite levels too quickly, which could be harmful to the fish.

What fish did you add?

How big is your tank?

I'm not fond of those bacteria starters. The reason is, there is supposed to be live bacteria thriving in those bottles. Bacteria need food and oxygen to survive. I'm just wondering how long the bacteria can last in there and who knows how long the bacteria has been sitting on the shelf. The best way to jump start an aquarium with bacteria is to obtain used media, gravel, etc. from an already established tank. Then slowly cycle the tank with hardy fish.

i added mollys and gourmis ! 2 mollys have died !
the tank was 65 litres and the gourmis and mollys were added weeks apart !

 

[kribensis12]

They have them. The nirate is 200 dollars I think.

 

[crazie.eddie]

The thing is, why spend that much money when you can buy a simple nitrate test kit for less than $5.00 (USD). Unless you are concerned about nitrate levels staying between +- 20 ppm, then an off the shelf test kit can work. Actually, if you perform your regular water maintenance, you won't need test kits too often.