Test Kits

[phillyofish]

What kind of test kits do you guys use to test your water?

[cwnaturescapes]

i use doc wellfish , ive been using these kits for years, and they work well for me

[DJRansome]

API Master Test Kit plus GH/KH and Phosphates purchased separately.

[AlishanAS]

What are test kits? :)

[joe_jaskot]

I use my index finger to test the water temperature when doing water changes. LOL! If you must use one, I would recommend the API Master Freshwater Test Kit. Many pet shops use the Mardel 5 in 1 test strips. Easier to use, but a bit more expensive. I have a pH test kit that I bought in 1978 for $1.39 that I use to test the pH of bag water of newly purchased delicate fish. Otherwise, I do not test water. Speaking of tests, I know a few members on this site who studied two weeks for a urine test. I think they passed.

[phillyofish]

API Master test kits dose work pretty good.

[Afreakin]

Uh-Oh :colrface: :bandit: :shocked:

[Bev N]

Test! We're supposed to test! Why didn't I get the memo?

I'm always the last to know! :cry_ani:

[chris1932]

I use a LaMotte Smart 2 Colorimeter
http://www.lamotte.com/pages/ind/smart2.html
For
Co2
TKN
Nh3
Nh2
Tanins
Gh
Kh
Total Alkylinity
Phosphates
COD

Oakton pH110a meter for pH and Temp

MyronL Ultrameter2 for conductivity, resistivity, orp, tds

Oakton DO110 for Disolved Oxygen

Its nice to get the labs hand me downs :D

[misterted]

Joe,

Don't test kits generally have an expriation date? I would think that a testing kit from 1978 wouldn't be acccurate 31 years later.
Regarding testing, you can also use someone elses urine.

Ted

[YoungAquaticPhotos]

I never use a test kit either. I usually just take a drink right out of the tank and if is tastes like fish piss it's time for a water change! :grhair:

[CJC]

Ohhhhhh man, I have to test water too! I talk to my fish every day, they let me know if somethings not right.:disturbed:

[Bev N]

Wow...a place where I fit in. No high tech labs in the fishrooms here!

I knew you guys were like real fish folks! I guess I'm old school and just can't see the need to go so high tech. I am betting that there are a good number of top breeders that don't go high tech either.


I figure if the fish are happy they will tell me. The last time I used a ph test kit was when my water system failed to backwash and my altum and ufy turned black and layed down on the bottom of the tank after I did a water change. The corys in there weren't looking too spiffy either. That gave me a hint that something might be amiss. The ph in their tank was too high to measure. After two 99% water changes they were fine. I figured if I get yearly maintenance on the water system I should be good. Let them test the ph and tds!

A tds meter would be nice but I would probably use it once and it would sit in a cabinet so not sure it is worth the expense unless I get into very, very rare and delicate species. Then it might get some serious use.

Seriously though I don't do a lot of testing. I have a test kit for nitrites or is it nitrates, one for ammonia and I think that is it. I ran out of the ph test kit and never bought new. I bet it's been 6 months of more since I tested the water in any of my tanks.

I something think that the need for testing is mearly a myth perpetuated by the makers of the test kits to take our money. :shocked:

PS...there may be some that flunked that urine test but it's not nice to point fingers...snicker

[joe_jaskot]

Joe,

Don't test kits generally have an expriation date? I would think that a testing kit from 1978 wouldn't be acccurate 31 years later.
Regarding testing, you can also use someone elses urine.

TedMany reagents in test kits do have expiration dates. The bromothymol blue pH indicator solution works as well today as it did 30 years ago. Shows how much water I tested over the years (1/2 oz. bottle - 15ml lasted a long time).

[CJC]

We shouldn't give people the wrong idea, if your a beginner, you probably wouldn't be able to pick up on those subtle signs that somethings not quite right. It takes several years experience paying close attention to realize things before it's to late, believe me, I know.

[Bev N]

Your absolutly right CJC. Till one developes what my former employer calls a "Wet Thumb" testing will help them get there.

We often talked about the new kids in the hobby and the large amount of high tech testing equipment that they just don't need. I agree basic testing should be done till they know how to read the fish but on the other hand I hate to see new people in the hobby get so bogged down in all the testing they lose sight of the real joy of the hobby.

He said if you took away the high tech toys they would lose interest because they never learned to appreciate the beauty and simplicity of the fish they kept. Good food. Clean water. It's worked for decades.

[chris1932]

I have to say that without accurate test equipment I would not have been able to spawn most of the wild Discus, wild Angels, wild Apistogramma, or Hillstream Loaches. Replication of natural habitat and conditions is incredibly important.
Having the microscope, dish slides, staining kits, and camera allows accurate diagnosis of health issues in fresh arrivals. Without all that un necessary equipment I most likely would not have pinpointed the reason most Altum fail to survive. Thanks to all the un necessary stuff I have a group of 20 Altum out of the 24 that came in during October.

[fischfan13]

Sorry to go off topic...
Chris do you have pics of the Altum?


WHEN ARE WE GOING TO CHRIS' HOUSE FOR A ROAD TRIP!?!?!?!?!?!

[Bev N]

Just a little touchy there aren't you?

I've seen it from one forum to another. A new person post and is hit with an unslaught of how many different things they must test for and how difficult it is to keep one species or another when in reality it's not. They either go out and buy a whole lot of stuff they don't need or just walk away.

If' I'm trying to promote the hobby the last thing I want to do is convince someone that they must have a whole lab to properly care for fish. So I stand by my statement that there is a whole lot of unnecessary crap that someone new to the hobby does not need to keep fish healthy.

The inability to solve the problem with the altums has been studied and debated for a long time. There I am sure will continue to be debates and discussions on exactly what causes them to break down after a few weeks in captivity. This last year the shipments were said to have been the best seen in some time. The year before that the worst ever. I'm hopeful that they have improved their containment and shipping methods and this coming year will prove to be as good. If altums were fetchting the prices of discus we would see them shipped in the same manner. In any case I'm looking forward to altum season.

[Flareside]

I havent used a test kit of any kind in many, many years (as others have stated) but I wouldnt recommend that practice to a newcomer in the hobby

[chris1932]

If having an analytical approach to breeding tough species is considered touchy, then yes I am touchy. I also take great pride in being able to spawn difficult fish. There are two species of fish that I am the first person to breed in captivity. Schistrua cf. Balteata and Misgurnis mizolepis. Accurate testing and record keeping has allowed me to duplicate these spawns by manipulation of conditions. Science is important to the growth of the hobby and I am past the goldfish bowl as are most of the other members on here. Someday soon many of the species from south america that we covet will be protected. Without science and reaserch where does the hobby go? Mabey we just have different goals. Where did science and chemistry get you as it pretains to you're fishroom?

[fischfan13]

I have a lot of respect for anyone who can take Wild Caught Discus and keep them healthy...100x more for someone who can breed them.
Water chemistry with Africans is not rocket science. I am at just 9 aquariums, I was once at 16...still a far cry from many here. Lots of water changes a dash of buffer and a dash of salt and all is well. I have had two groups of Tropheus, did water changes, fed them what I consider good foods and have had much success.
South Americans are much more complex. It is much more than a piece of driftwood, some peat and a little buffer. Being an African-Keeper I got to see a bit of the "other side" this past weekend. I rode with two guys who are SA fans and they incorporate water chemistry into the hobby much more than I do, or that I even have to.
I see if I ever venture into a Discus tank I have a good group of people here to pick their brains.

[Bev N]

I'm sure that science and chemistry have contributed to the imporovement of the conditions that we keep our fish in. That I won't dispute but as neither of us are biologist, chemical engineers, chemists, nor scientist on any level that is probably left to those more qualified. While we could possibly find and after much research even identify some bacteria without a far more sophfisticated microscope we could not even view the viruses much less identify them. If you cannot view them you can neither include or exclude them as the cause or catylyst for any breakdown nor disease. I don't have a degree in either biology or itchology so I must trust the data I read by reputable sources, doctors and scientists that report their findings in journals after such findings have been replicated multiple times. All I am, within my limited but reasonable abilities able to contriute are my experiences. Yes I can keep records but and even write detailed breeding reports. While inducing the difficult species can take a bit of science as far as in providing the most natural of conditions for those wild species. There is however a certain amount of "fish sense" that science cannot account for. This is going way past the beginner stage of the hobby that I initially referred to. Yes we can keep track and repeat the procedures that have resulted in successful spanws. Not just egglaying put the successful raising of fry to marketable stage. I read an artical on successful spawning using hormones but there was no success as there were no fry.


I'm not saying that one should not be proud of ones accomplishments. When I get a species that is rather difficult to produce a successful spawn I have a sense of accomplishment as would every one here. I have quite a few species on my list of ones to work with that will take me years. I've comprised that list based on the point system for some of the clubs. They have a list of some of the top ones to be striving for. Dicrossus and discus wild and domestic hit the 30 point list. Ahhh...but that 50 point range has some toughies. Those are from the cca club. The aquarium club of Lancaster has a quite different list. They have target fish that many will probalby never be met. Altums for one. Although I am in contact with someone that is stating he is crossing altums with peruvians. Should prove to be interesting and maybe a first step to understanding the requirements of altum to condition the females.

Different goals. I have no idea what yours are so cannot say. I know that when Brazil shut down I got as many of the plecos as I could to breed them and will do the same with any other fish that may no longer be available due to restrictions where the country is going to be doing major damage to their natural habitats therefore endangering their very existence. I have no desire to be some famous fish god. It's not in my nature. I just want to enjoy what I do and have fun working and learning with others from all over the hobby. When these countries shut down it won't be the hobbyist nor the medium size hatcherys that will capitalize on the mass breeding. It will be Singapore, Taiwan and even some of the larger farms in Florida.

Altum do survive. Perhaps not here but they do. I had a very interesting converstion with Dick Au about a fish "show room" in Singapore. He was telling how arrowanna are displayed in built in tanks with light and seating in front of the tank. (these folks are serious). They took him to a back room where there was a built in swimming pool....filled with altum angels. The largest he had seen in captivity. So they have it figured out but perhaps they are just not telling. After all they want to be the first to be able to breed them.

Now back to the topic. I still stick by my statement. Too much unnecessary crap. It behooves me to understand that how making a new hobbiest feel that keeping fish is so high tech and requires $300 worth of equipment to keep a $30 pair of fish does anything to promote the hobby, our clubs and our fish.

[joe_jaskot]

Are fresh water test kits a necessity of the hobby? I would say no. The money spent on them would be better off used to purchase some sort of water changing device or live plants to be added to the tank. What are most test kits designed to do? - Test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and water hardness. Unless you have a newly established tank, ammonia and nitrite should be non existent in a cycled aquarium. Since nitrates are the end product of the biological breakdown of waste, they will always be present in an aquarium to some extent. How do you remove nitrates or reduce their level in an aquarium? Through water changes or the addition of plants to the tank. The water changes and live plants would also reduce the level of any ammonia or nitrites present. So IMO, unless you have a newly set up (uncycled) tank, testing for ammonia, nitrite or nitrates is unnecessary and a waste of time and money.

Should a beginner test their water when starting out? Most beginners make four very common mistakes. 1. They add too many fish to their tank too soon. 2. They add too many fish period. 3. They overfeed their fish. 4. They do not perform regular water changes. All the testing in the world will not correct these mistakes. Beginners should set up the tank, add a fish or two, then over a period of time (a few weeks) add a few more. Don't overcrowd the tank. Feed the fish, not the filter. Perform regular water changes. Observe your fish. If something doesn't seem normal, change water. If you want to test your water, go ahead and do it.

As far as pH is concerned, one should know the pH of your tap water. It is easier to keep fish that can tolerate your pH than it is to change your pH to accommodate the fish you wish to keep. It is easier to raise and maintain a higher pH level than it is to lower and maintain a low pH level. Finally, most common fishes can adapt to different levels of water hardness as long as the change in hardness is gradual.

The following is a disclaimer:

The above is my opinion only. I have no expertise in water chemistry. I have kept and bred tropical fish for quite a few years. I do own a pH test kit but rarely use it. I don't recall ever testing my water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate or hardness. I have killed my fair share of tropical fish over the years. I have bred and distributed more fish than I have killed. Keeping tropical fish is easy, but it can also be frustrating at times. One cannot be successful in this hobby without changing water. Read, observe your fish and enjoy the hobby.

[cwnaturescapes]

I definatly agree that with your more delicate species water quality is very important and needs to be monitored on a regular basis ,most definatly with discus and special needs apistogramma species

[DJRansome]

I guess I'm right in the middle. Definitely having to know all about chemistry (and compatibility, illnesses, etc.) scares off the newcomers. So simplification is good. So much aquarium stuff available is not necessary and possibly harmful.

However, I would not be without my test kits. Daily testing during the initial cycle of your first tank is incredibly satisfying and comforting. You know what's happening and why and that the bacteria are growing as they should. Periodic testing while you are new beginner...maybe weekly the first year?

Now I only test when I think something might be wrong (LOL, I'm and EXPERIENCED beginner now!). Couple times per year maybe. Trying to reduce algae and diagnose the source of the problem. More than a fish or two at the surface to rule out a nitrite spike. Also when I set up a new tank with established filter I test it to be sure the bacteria are doing the job in the new environment. (I DID have a newly set up quarantine tank with established filter experience a nitrite spike once, completely unexpected and I couldn't believe the test results. But easily remedied once the problem was confirmed.)

[lonlangione]

It is not that hard to keep wild fish and it is not that hard to breed most of them. You have to have the right water quality for some of the harder species. It is one thing to spawn a fish but a successful spawn concludes with producing offspring. I'm still waiting to see pictures of the tetras and pencilfish fry you talked about in previous posts, as well as adoktea and the wild discus fry Chris. I know you just got a new camera, so quit keeping us in suspense. Post some of those pictures. And pictures of your altum harem would be cool to.