Wow! How Expensive Are Testing Kits?

[ellena]

I knew I'd be buying kits, but only just started to look at the cost-a lot higher than I expected!
I think I read the liquid ones are better?
Is there a cheap (er) place to get ehm?
Alternatively, I work in a school science dept, so have access to a wide range of chemicals. Is it possible to produce anything useable yourself?

 

[JenCliBee]

I knew I'd be buying kits, but only just started to look at the cost-a lot higher than I expected!
I think I read the liquid ones are better?
Is there a cheap (er) place to get ehm?
Alternatively, I work in a school science dept, so have access to a wide range of chemicals. Is it possible to produce anything useable yourself?

Ebay is probably the cheapest, i brought mine a few mnths back for £15 posted so quite reasonable

jen

 

[fatheadminnow]

Yes, the liquid test kits are the best, do not get a strip test kit as they are no good and inaccurate.

The API Freshwater Master Test Kit is probably one of the better test kits you can get that is a reasonable price.

It is also a test kit that a lot of us on here use and trust!

Like stated, ebay is your best bet at getting the best deals.

-FHM

 

[rdd1952]

Actually, the liquid kits in the US are quite inexpensive. You can get an API master kit for $25 or less online. That should last a year which equates to only pennies a day.

 

[craig855s]

I got the API master kit from ebay,it had only been used once and it cost me less than £10 posted. Beats paying over £25 at the LFS

 

[Truck]

i would always go salifert, you pay a little extra but theyre the most accurate ive used.

 

[bagu]

my chem department lets me bring in my water and they test it and shows the class lol

A level chemistry 'ey lol

 

[Princesscoral]

i would go on ebay and buy the cheapest one if i was you.if you buy from a shop like pets at home etc you will spend alot of money

hope my info was good use

princesscoral
age 9

 

[ellena]

Thanks guys, will check out eBay.
baqu, do you know what chemicals they use to test?
rdd1952, when you say they'll last a year, I was buying them initially to do the fishless cycle, how often do you test water after you've got it up and running with the fish in?

 

[Truck]

Thanks guys, will check out eBay.
baqu, do you know what chemicals they use to test?
rdd1952, when you say they'll last a year, I was buying them initially to do the fishless cycle, how often do you test water after you've got it up and running with the fish in?

the main re agent is HCL

you need to test weekly

 

[ellena]

Weekly, right, gotcha
Found some API kits at my LFS. Only nitrate available on eBay at the moment, and price in LFS was similar, so I went for it

 

[waterdrop]

i would always go salifert, you pay a little extra but theyre the most accurate ive used.

I believe this is accurate. I did a thorough search of the threads here, way back when, and there did seem to be general consensus that Salifert had the edge on accuracy.

My own feeling is that this makes Salifert a good company to turn to for the more exotic tests (in the sense of elements we expect will be more trace, like perhaps Cu, Fe, Cl.. I don't know what would be the best examples here, but that sort.) Whereas, for the basic beginner fishless cycling bit we have it pretty well established that the API kit not only has worked well for large numbers of people on here and is usually less expensive than the Salifert, but a certain amount of "common lingo" seems to have built up around the API tests and that can help beginners too.

truck, perhaps you could help with one question I still remember: I seem to remember one vague reference to a couple of the Salifert tests being more involved to carry out than the API ones. Is that true in your experience?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Truck]

i would always go salifert, you pay a little extra but theyre the most accurate ive used.

I believe this is accurate. I did a thorough search of the threads here, way back when, and there did seem to be general consensus that Salifert had the edge on accuracy.

My own feeling is that this makes Salifert a good company to turn to for the more exotic tests (in the sense of elements we expect will be more trace, like perhaps Cu, Fe, Cl.. I don't know what would be the best examples here, but that sort.) Whereas, for the basic beginner fishless cycling bit we have it pretty well established that the API kit not only has worked well for large numbers of people on here and is usually less expensive than the Salifert, but a certain amount of "common lingo" seems to have built up around the API tests and that can help beginners too.

truck, perhaps you could help with one question I still remember: I seem to remember one vague reference to a couple of the Salifert tests being more involved to carry out than the API ones. Is that true in your experience?

~~waterdrop~~

the API ones are easier to use, but ive found the ammonia and nitrite API tests to be in accurate, I had my ammonia and nitrite measured at a lab whilst cycling, and the salifert had the edge, there not complicated, i would always go salifert. and theyre cheaper to buy singularly that API too

 

[simon10]

hi, just to let you know i picked up an API Freshwater Master Kit on ebay for £10 Buy It Now and i think there is still one more on there if your interested. This is much cheaper than anywhere else, thanks

 

[rdd1952]

rdd1952, when you say they'll last a year, I was buying them initially to do the fishless cycle, how often do you test water after you've got it up and running with the fish in?

During a fishless cycle, I tested once a day. I didn't test nitrite at all until I saw the first drop I ammonia. I usually started testing for nitrates after about a week just to see that some nitrite was being processed. Once the tank was cycled and had fish in it, I usually tested before water changes. After the first year or so, having not seen any ammonia or nitrite in a year, I all but quite testing as I feel confident that there wasn't any need to be concerned about toxins. I rarely test now unless something doesn't look right (sick fish, etc.). I couldn't even tell you what my pH is in either tank although I have a pretty good idea that it would be around 6.2 - 6.4 in he 29 gallon and 6.6 in the 75 gallon.