Nitrate Probes.....ph Probes Etc Etc.

[Tiger Tiger]

Are they worth the money?

A ph tester is around £50 sh
And a Nitrate probe around £150 sh although this can go to £500

Anyone use one?

 

[nukeonekitty]

no idea what those are??? maybe I am just being a newb?

 

[beesnees]

Are they worth the money?

A ph tester is around £50 sh
And a Nitrate probe around £150 sh although this can go to £500

Anyone use one?

wots wrong with buying test kits? or is that me being stupid

 

[Majjie]

I've wondered about these too - so would also be interested in anyone's experience.

With six tanks the test kits can get a bit tedious! Although don't usually need to test them all at once.

 

[nukeonekitty]

What exactly are they?

 

[Dorkhedeos]

its just a probe that tests the water. gives you a digital reading so its more accurate and you can use it over and over again. its also quicker

 

[nukeonekitty]

Thats cool... do they last forever? How much are they? (American dollars)

 

[Dorkhedeos]

well, if you can use them over and over again and they are digital, you would think they would last you a while wouldnt they? i think they are about 100 bucks a piece, not worth it imo unless you have a hell of a lot of tanks

 

[nukeonekitty]

Oh yeah... maybe if I was a baller I'd get one, but my test kit works fine!

 

[Tiger Tiger]

Are they worth the money?

A ph tester is around £50 sh
And a Nitrate probe around £150 sh although this can go to £500

Anyone use one?

wots wrong with buying test kits? or is that me being stupid

Nothing.
Nothing wrong with buying test kits, but i have three tanks like majiie has 6!
Now that's a lot of testing and can get very expensive.
If it where one tank i would stick with the tests but a couple of probes would in the end overide the cost of kits plus the convenience aswel and saving of time would be advantageous.

 

[Underwurlde]

The drop test kits are very subjective and not very accurate. I (and many others I note) just cannot seem match the colours to the charts provided. (To wit: ask the wife).

The digital meters can be a lot more accurate and for repetitive testing are a must have, but their major draw back is calibration (espcially the cheaper pH meters) - again it all boils down to cost. I have a cheapo digital pH meter 'From Hong Kong' works well enough, but then again I have nothing more accurate to test it against. My low & high range drop tests appear to concour with it.

If you have the money, do a lot of testing, know how to use them and what they testing for and know how to calibrate them, then possessing them is a no-brainer.

Andy

 

[InaneCathode]

i think all you have to do to calibrate them is submerge the probe in distilled water for a period of time. At least thats how the ones for public water work.

 

[paul-discus]

I agree with Andy, I too have a digital pH meter and oddly eneough i always test it agains't my normal test kit. But yes they are accurate but as pointed out you have to buy callibration fluid as you need to re-callibrate them every so often as you do with a TDS meter. I have no experience with the digital nitrate one so can't help you there but all these things are a lot of money and i personally would just invest in a good kit but stay away from the strips as the colours leach into one another. I have the Hagen (big box) which has every test kit needed in it and when one runs out i just buy a refil.

 

[Ferris]

I have a digital Ph meter but i would only reccommend them for saltwater tanks or tanks where a specific Ph is very important. It cost £25 and is actually very good but not neccessary in most cases.

 

[Tiger Tiger]

Very Mixed Views there.
I do not like the Dip sticks for Nitrate at all. They are a very wide approx reading. If you have very expensive fish in your tank or any fish (i apologise) a more accurate reading is needed.

As for the PH test kits its the same principle.

I am now not convinced but then again i......