Water Testing Options

[PrincessFish]

Hi everyone and especially you long-time hobbiests out there,

       I am curious to learn more about the preferred testing methods everyone uses.  I have only used the Hagen Nutrafin MiniMax and individual test kits and have found them great.  But . . . what percentage of people use them versus other options?  And what are the other options? 
       I have seen some pretty high-tech gizmos in the TFH ads.  I'm guessing that they're fairly high priced and don't last for very long (only a couple of months) but I am still interested in hearing of anyone's experience with these as well.

Princess Fish

[darkdep]

There are tons of water tests out there, but how often you test, and WHAT you test is very individual.

I hate liquid test kits; thus I don't test with them often.  That being said, I keep a wide variety around, usually consisting of the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals and Nutrafin kits for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, GH, KH, and PH.  I've kept others, but have rarely used them.

Two electronic devices I've picked up are a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meter, and a pH meter.  The TDS Meter sort of provides the function of a combined GH/KH test; it gives me an idea of how much is in the water in the way of dissolved minerals.  Gives me something easy and quick to go on for trying to maintain harder water.

The pH meter gives me a pH reading that is more accurate than the liquid kits.


Overall, I would have to say that I have found the liquid kits pretty blunt instruments;  There are some no brainers (with the ammonia/nitrite kits it doesn't matter how accurate they are; what matters is your levels are either Zero or Not Zero), but the others such as pH really could be quite different than what the kit says.

I watch my fish now to tell me if there is something wrong.  My test kits sit in a container in a cupboard, collecting dust most of the time.

[PrincessFish]

Thanks for that DarkDep!  Can you tell me more about your pH meter?  Does it just sit in the tank always?  Do you have to replace it every few months or is it permanent?  How accurate do you think it is?  What brand is it?  $$$?

And is there a specialty store to look at these types of instruments?  Or do the lfs have em?

 

[homestar726]

Sit on the self collecting dust eh??? Maybe you might wanna donate to the "Homestar: fish are more expensive than I thought and can believe i spent almost $800.00 since my start up a month and half ago" fund 

[homestar726]

Does there exist an electronic test kit for the basics? Like Ammonia/NitrIte/NitrAte ?

[kennyman]

I have a couple of liquid tests,

The AP master for PH high/low and the requisite cycling tests for Ammonia,Nitrite,nitrate

But at this point I am leaning more to the liquid tests for the actual parameters that control PH. That would be KH,Ca and Mg. My present way of thinking is that tracking PH is important but you really don't know what to do about any changes you see in PH unless you know the values for these three measurements. I am having a tough time grasping Water Chemistry and have much to learn but so far I use a Sailfert KH test kit quite a bit in an attempt to understand why my PH is whatever it is.

Say In a planted tank say you want to adjust pH. do you add more Co2 or lower the Hardness? In a reef tank should you use a calcium supplement or a total alkalinity supplement? These are the kind of questions that the KH,Ca,Mg tests help answer.

[darkdep]

I was using a Hanna pH meter; it's a stick in the water when I want to do a test kind of thing.  If kept moist the pH sensor should last for years.

You can get degrees in water chemistry; so there is enough information to absorb to drive you up the wall.  But, at the same time, don't overdo it.  People who go too crazy adding things to the water often make things worse.  Stable water is more important than Perfect water.