# "Testing the Waters"



## Danyel (Mar 20, 2006)

I have "quick dip" amonia test strips, can I just dip thiese directly into the tank or do I have to put some tank water in a dish first?


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## Puffer Pita (Jun 16, 2006)

Do NOT put them in the tank, they have chemicals on them that are not good for the tank. Put some tank water into a cup or container to test. 

Test strips are notoriously inaccurate and shouldn't be relied upon IMO. Liquid test kits are much better.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Read the directions. My nitrate test say dip in tank, my ammonia test has a little tube and is says to fill the tube and move the strip up and down for 30 seconds. Needless to say, I don't use the ammonia strips--they are more trouble than the liquid. I don't think test strips are horribly inaccurate if they are fresh, but there is really no way to know if your strips are outdated. You'd have to make an ammonia solution to test the accuracy.


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## Danyel (Mar 20, 2006)

Ok, the ammonia came with a tube, but it says not to reuse so I wasn't sure. I have been using a cup. 

I also have 5-in-1 strips that I have been using, these one did not come with a tube, so I am asuming they can go into the tank? Unless I missed something they say "dip strip into aquarium water" , they dont say how though...

As for inaccuracy, I only have the strips right now. They say use before 5/08 and 4/08. What do you guys suggest?


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## Mazzy (Dec 16, 2006)

Well, I'm sure some will disagree with my opinion here but for me, it depends on what kinda tank I have as to what tests I will buy - reg. ol' freshwater tank with common fish; I'll just buy the run of the mill liquid tests at the pet or Walmart type stores, for my salt tank, I ordered test kits that were ridiculously expensive that I can't even remember the name of now - they were German or Swedish or something and you had to mix several powders to get your results AND none came in a kit, seperate purchses for each thing you wanted to test - but they were guarenteed to have this incredible accuracy and many salt people gave me the "if you can find those, that's what you should use" shpew, so I did.
For my new planted tank (eventually a discus tank) I will again just use common liquid tests that you can buy in the store except that I'll order a full kit so I can test hardness and such too (in stores you mostly just find amonia and pH and maybe nitrate/nitrite tests) that will most likely be Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc. brand cuz I like their ease of use.

So, for that long shpew, I guess I'm saying "you get what you pay for" so the more costly/difficult your fish, the better the test kit you should probably go with 

PS my friend and I tested the Tetra kit against my "super accurate over seas test kits" and the results were very different but I guess mine could have just as esily been the ones that were wrong - I choose not to believe that though.


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## pokagon55 (Jan 31, 2006)

I'd say just use what you have to you have better. Freshwater don't have to be on the money as saltwater dose. If the direction says to dip the just dip and take out and read.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I like the mardel five-in-one test strips. I only stopped using them because they are so expensive compared to the liquids and I got pH and TDS pens to test pH and hardness. Use what you have, studies show the strips aren't inaccurate, just imprecise. You can't tell if you have 0.3 or 0.9 ppm. Always check the dates, liquid and powder test kits can also get inaccurate when too old. I find the easier the test, the less human error I introduce. 

On your ammonia test, I think "don't reuse" means the strip, not the tube. If you want to use that test kit, rinse the tube in tap water, then in the water to be tested, then fill. I found them to be trouble than the eight drop liquids, but any test is better than none.


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## Mazzy (Dec 16, 2006)

I agree that any are pretty much fine for fresh. I do now have a bad opinion of the Tetra kits though since testing them against the ones I used to have, but whatever you choose I'm sure will be fine. Those ones I used for my salt tank were called Salifert. I don't recommend for fresh though as they are too pricey - cheapest is $12 for pH up to $36 for Stronium (salt only for that test) and you have to buy each one individually. Since I was new to salt though I am still glad I paid that extra money, it helped a little with the whole beginner issues.


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