Lets talk about aquatic test kits for a minute. We see a lot of the same questions asked and wanted to answer a few. The most popular questions we see around test kits are:
Is the API master kit all I need for my tank?
What test kits should I get?
Are test strips ok?
What if I have a hard time reading a color coded test kit? (color blindess)
Now we want to start out with saying that we are huge fans of API's test kits. They are a great value for the accuracy we get on the freshwater side of planted tank. You could get a cheaper kit, but its going to be less accurate which we think is a bad idea. You could get a more expensive and more accurate test kit, but its really not needed for freshwater tanks. So we stick with API liquid titration kits. So lets start with the first question.
Is the API master kit all I need for my tank?
You would think so as the name implies that a master would use one, right?! And the short answer from our perspective is, no. The kit is incomplete at best. Let us explain. API's master test kit comes with the follow test kits.
PH
High PH
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Some of the above tests are great for cycling a tank. For example, have a PH test kit to ensure your PH doesn't drop below 6.0, which can stall your cycle, is great to have. And we need to confirm our tank is done cycling by testing for ammonia and nitrites, so those make sense as well.
Yet AFTER your tank is done cycling, the master kit is lacking some test kits from our perspective. For example, if you find out that your PH is sky high after using a High PH test kit, you'd need an API KH test kit to fix it as a high KH generally leads to a high PH. Is the API KH test kit in the master kit? Nope. Ppppfffff! Well, what if you ran into an algae issue? You could test to see if you have high nitrates which can lead to green dust algae. But what if you have srting/filimental algae, or green spot algae which are both phosphate issues. Is the API Phosphate test kit in the master kit? Noperz. WHAT?! What if your fish or plants were struggling, and you suspected that you have really hard water. Is the API GH test kit in the master kit? Not a chance. So then what the heck API?! So this leads us to the second question...
What test kits should we get?
We are not saying that the Master Test kit is a poor kit to buy as it is great for cycling an aquarium, and it can be fun to act like a chemist and test all of your reading from time to time to watch the cycling process. But we just think the name is misleading and more kits are needed to truly ensure you have a "master test kit".
Below is a list of all the test kits that come in API's Master Test kit, and some additional test kits we'd suggest pick up to make your testing more comprehensive AFTER cycling a tank. We'll tell you how often we use these kits and also explain what each of them do and why they are important (or not) to have on hand:
PH - (Used all the time) We mostly use the PH test kit for dialing in our CO2 using the PH drop method. PH pens are another way to do this, but those are more costly. The PH test kit can also warn us if our PH is too low or high. Too low, like a 6.0 or below and that can stall the cycling process as mentioned above. Too high of a PH means your KH is probably high as well, in which then we'd just test and adjust the KH. A low or high PH reading generally indicated something else in your tank is off, in which you'd need another kit to confirm, but still great to have on hand.
High PH - (Situational use only) The only reason we would use a High PH test kit is if you had livestock that required a PH higher than 8.0, like cichlids. But then we'd suggest you test your GH/KH to get that right, and PH would just fall in line with those values. So this kit we would not suggest buying alone unless your goal was the keep high PH livestock.
Ammonia - (Situational use only) This test is great for confirming your tank is done cycling. When cycling we add enough ammonia to get your tanks reading up to 2-3ppm. After a few weeks nitrifying bacteria should consume it all and you should not see any more ammonia. And if you've set your filtration up properly, as we've instructed inn our filtration video, you'll probably never test ammonia again. So if you get a master kit, its not a waste, but your local fish store could probably test your water for you and tell you its cycled or not, saving you from buying this test kit.
Nitrite - (Situational use only) This test kit is like the ammonia kit, its great for confirming your tank is done cycling. When cycling, after a few weeks the ammonia and nitrites get converted into nitrates. You should not see ammonia or nitrites in your water ever again unless you've managed to kill off your nitrifying bacteria. So again, if you get a master kit its not a waste, but your local fish store could probably test your water for you and tell you its cycled or not saving you from buying this test kit.
Nitrate - (Used all the time) Nitrates is a great test kit to have in your aquarium. After your tank is cycled you fish are going to be producing waste and this waste is converted into nitrates. Now nitrates are not bad. They are actually 1 of 3 macro nutrient plants need to grow and be healthy. However, too many nitrates can be an issue so we can test those with this kit and process water changes as needed. Furthermore, if we have very little livestock in our aquarium, we can test our nitrates as a way to see where our fertilization table is at. We can dose the ASG fertilization kit and know that your plants have all the micros and macros needed for healthy plant development by your nitrate reading. Pretty cool huh!
Phosphate - (Used all the time) The biggest cause of hair algaes we see in the hobby is generally from phosphates being too high in comparison to nitrates. We teach to keep your nitrates and phosphates in the RedField ratio. This is 10ppm of nitrates for every 1ppm of phosphates. When phosphates get closer to a 5:1, or even a 1:1, this can cause hair algae like string/filimental algae, and even black beard algae. But what is funny is when your phosphates get too low, this can cause green spot algae. So for all tanks its good to know where your phosphates sit in relation to your nitrates to help troubleshoot algae issues.
General Hardness (GH) - (Used all the time) Now we understand that this is going to be a little more complex than most want to get, but we like to push everyone to learn and grow in the hobby, and GH is an important kit to have for both your fish and plants. If you water is too hard or too soft, this can lead to livestock and plant death. For example, plants love a GH of around 4. If your GH is in the high teens you could be stressing your plants out, inviting algae to take hold. Or your water could be too hard killing soft water fish like neon tetra and or caradina shrimp. Inversely, if you water is too soft, as in a GH of 4, it could kill neocaradina shimp, nerite snails, or even cichlids which all require harder water to thrive. It is important to understand and design our tank's water chemistry around the inhabitants which live in the tank to make sure everyone is happy and healthy! GH is one of the most overlooked test kits in our hobby, aside from KH.. which is next.
Carbonate Hardness (KH) - (Used all the time) This simply tests your carbonates. Carbonates and bicarbonates are what support your PH. The higher your KH the higher your PH will be. If you want to lower or raise your PH, you can raise and lower your KH. Its that simple. Carbonates like, sodium carbonate (soda ash) have a larger effect on PH than bicarbonates. If you KH is low, yet your PH is high, add a little acid, like white vinegar and it will pull down your PH because there isn't a high PH to keep it elevated. We don't want a KH of zero as carbonates help keep your PH from swinging, but we also don't want a sky high KH as it can cause an issue with softer water plants and livestock.
If you'd like to learn more about water chemistry, specifically how to test and adjust your tank's GH/KH/PH, check out our video below...
Are test strips worth it?
This leads us to a larger topic of the accuracy of test kits. Our initial response to the above question is going to be no, test strips are not worth it from our perspective due to reduction in accuracy over time. We see their appeal as they are easy to use and cheaper than liquid test kits, but over time they can become les and less accurate. What causes this is humidity. Depending on where you are in the world, we all deal with more or less humidity, so this makes everyone's experience with these test strips very different. But if you live in a really humid climate, and happen to leave the lid off on your test strip bottle a few times, the accuracy of your test strips can be greatly reduced. And if you live in a dryer climate, yet have had the test strips for a handful of months, the light humidity over time can start to make them less accurate. Because the accuracy of the test strips can drop very quickly, we strongly suggest you stay away from them and go with a liquid titration kit.
But we also think that other test kits can be a bit overkill. A great example of an amazing titration test kit is Salifert. Salifert is probably more accurate than API, but its fees a little overkill for freshwater. Salifert test kits cost more, use more tank water to get a more accurate reading, and are generally more complicated than an API test kits. So this is why we stick with API for freshwater setups. However, if you want more accuracy and don't mind spending the money and time on a Salifert test kit, go for it! They provide a great provide at a fair price if you can read the color difference they provide. Which leads us to the last question for this article.
What happens if you have a hard time reading a color coded test kit? (color blindness)
So this gets us into the most accurate test kits the hobby has to offer, which also happens to be the most expensive option on the market, Hanna checkers. Hanna checkers are hands down the fanciest test kits on the market. They provide amazingly quick read outs with no colors. Hanna checkers have a little screen on them which give you digital read out instead of a color. Cool huh! But they come at a hefty price as most checkers are around $60 just for the unit, and you still need to get the reagent which is around $16 for a handful of uses. They are the best at what they do, but are really expensive. However, if you are color blind and don't have some else around to help you read an API test, they might be your only option.
Conclusion
We hoped this article gave you a better understanding of what test kits we think one needs to set up and maintain a healthy aquarium. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them at the bottom of this article, or jump on over to our form and create a new thread. Late scapers!
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