Water testing kits or devices

[herp17]

Are there standard recommended water testing kits or devicse everybody here likes to use to check for pH, ammonia, nitrates and everything else? I currently working off a tetra water kit but was wonder if there's better ones out there?:youtellme:

[bekko]

LaMotte and Hach have really good procedures and quality control. Some of their kits are approved for reporting results to EPA (for environmental work).

-steve

[mikel]

Hi Everyone:

I am new here, and thinking of going into fancy goldfish keeping. I currently have several pairs of Blue Diamond discus in two 40 gal breeder tanks. As you may know, discus are very sensitive to water quality, and I have been using the Sera brand of water testing and they seem to be accurate enough.

But I do like to add that consistency is really more important than any testing. In fact, I used to test my water all the time, but I hardly ever do now. I simply drain 50% of my tank water each day (out the door into the garden), use a capful of Prime for each tank, and use tap water (mix of hot and cold from the tap) and directly add back into my tanks. The discus have grown to 6+ inches and have paired off and spawned (I usually siphon off the eggs from the intake tube where they spawn, because I dont want the hassle of rearing the young). I am fortunate that the NEast of the US (outside of Boston) has great water out of the tap (soft, ph at 7.5).

So testing kits are important, but I think consistency and just hard work in keeping water clean is most important for discus and for goldfish. JMHO mike:)

[small_ranchu]

Michael,
Welcome to GFK. I agree with you. Consistency and water change will give you more.

[suphi]

I used liquid based kits (AP) for better accuracy. But the last time I used it was probably 2 years ago. I have no need to test for anything now with my routine water change. I've been doing WC based on how the water smells these days, lol.

[mikel]

That's exactly how I remembered my grandfather, who was a big goldfish lover, took care of his water quality. I remember being very young and following him around as he inspected his goldfish collection, held in both glass aquariums and big shallow and decorated ceramic jars. He would get real close to the water line and take a big whif, and knew exactly how clean or dirty his water was. He grew out huuuugggge lionheads and orandas with low tech, great experience and lots of love for his fish. Thanks for the welcome, and I am very glad to be here. Black orandas are my favorite fish, along with Blue diamond discus. mike::)

[Corrie]

I agree with Mike.
If you design the fish you keep around the water you have, you stop chasing numbers.
As long as I'm working with biological filters that are in place, up and running, the only thing I test is pH. I do that with a pH pen and not a liquid test.
If you change water enough that your pH does not drift from you source water, you're good to go.