best type of water test kit
- Thread starter ccondardo
- Start date
The "best" would come from HACH.
However, those are not really practical for home hobbyists so I would strongly recommend this kit from API.
However, those are not really practical for home hobbyists so I would strongly recommend this kit from API.
thanks i'm getting that master kit, it has everything i need! thanks.
also i have the same brand ph test, and ive never let it sit for any longer than a few seconds, should i wait longer? i thought the test was supposed to be done instantly but i saw other reviews and such that said it took up to 3 minutes.
also i have the same brand ph test, and ive never let it sit for any longer than a few seconds, should i wait longer? i thought the test was supposed to be done instantly but i saw other reviews and such that said it took up to 3 minutes.
IMO Seachem for Ammonia/Ammonium and Nitrite/Nitrate (comes in the same kit). In freshwater for all the other tests API.
The main reason I say Seachem is because you can't beat the accuracy AND they come with a referance vial. That way if you are getting "suspect" results you can do a test with the referance solution to confirm the kit is still good.
Chris
The main reason I say Seachem is because you can't beat the accuracy AND they come with a referance vial. That way if you are getting "suspect" results you can do a test with the referance solution to confirm the kit is still good.
Chris
neither, its a product of poop...kind of like Microsoft...OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..
What i think Vahluree was saying is that no matter how much ammonia you have, the pH is unaffected by it. So say you had a ton or a little, the pH would be the same. i believe thats what it means.
Also, from reading another post I had, pH isn't quite as important as many might think. From what I have gathered as long as it is stable the fish will adjust to it.
What i think Vahluree was saying is that no matter how much ammonia you have, the pH is unaffected by it. So say you had a ton or a little, the pH would be the same. i believe thats what it means.
Also, from reading another post I had, pH isn't quite as important as many might think. From what I have gathered as long as it is stable the fish will adjust to it.
So after a little review about ammonia, I think I need to rephrase what I said. Ammonia (NH3) actually is a base in certain conditions.
When pH is less than 7, ammonia (NH3) is able to pick up hydrogen ions from the water and become ammonium (NH4+). This effectively is a property of a base.
As the pH approaches 7, ammonium (NH4+) gradually loses that extra hydrogen and is then replaced by ammonia (NH3). When pH is greater than 7, ammonia (NH3) predominates.
So in acidic solutions (pH<7), ammonia has a slight ability to increase pH because it removes hydrogen ions from the water. But in basic solutions (pH>7), ammonia cannot take up the hydrogen ions, therefore it cannot increase pH. When we are talking about high pH conditions then, it is certainly not ammonia that contributes to it.
When pH is less than 7, ammonia (NH3) is able to pick up hydrogen ions from the water and become ammonium (NH4+). This effectively is a property of a base.
As the pH approaches 7, ammonium (NH4+) gradually loses that extra hydrogen and is then replaced by ammonia (NH3). When pH is greater than 7, ammonia (NH3) predominates.
So in acidic solutions (pH<7), ammonia has a slight ability to increase pH because it removes hydrogen ions from the water. But in basic solutions (pH>7), ammonia cannot take up the hydrogen ions, therefore it cannot increase pH. When we are talking about high pH conditions then, it is certainly not ammonia that contributes to it.
Do the drop tests expire? Do they become less accurate? A neighbor gave me a master kit but I think it several years old. I did some side by side tests and there was some difference in the results but not enough that I could definitly say the master kit was bad, just different. Would you trust an old test kit?
