Best fresh water test kit?

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strollo22

Siamese Tiger
MFK Member
May 21, 2012
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I've always been told that the Api liquid test kit is the best, but I would have to disagree. It always seems to be on point when it comes to ammonia and nitrites but nitrates are another story. I have never been able to get an accurate nitrate reading using these kits. My Nitrates consistently test at 160 ppm and I can assure you that's not correct. My tap water tests at 40-60 ppm even though my water report shows it in the 4-6ppm range. I've tried all the BS shaking of bottle 2, tried no shaking, tried swirling and no matter what, I get 160 ppm. This is also my second kit since I thought the first was defective. Any other suggestions for an accurate, possibly easier to use test kit for nitrates? Don't feel like wasting another $30 to get the same results.


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Strips man, 20 of em is like 12 bucks then you can get seperate ammonia strips if you feel the need for that. Always accurate, i am also a fan of those suction cup in tank ph meters and ammonia meters that give you a constant ph and ammonia reading. Really useful seeding tanks too

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I've had bad experiences with strips, really inaccurate imo

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letstalkfish said:
I've had bad experiences with strips, really inaccurate imo

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What kind of strips? I had the marine land test kit and always used the API strips to check, they were always spot on for what the test kit said.

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Problem I have with API Master Test Kit (liquid) is the nitrate readings are all orange. It's yellow at 0 ppm, orange at 5,10,20 ppm, and then red at 40. The same brownish orange over a wide range of Nitrate levels. It's kinda useless to me at the nitrate range that I'm trying to monitor. not real precise reading I guess is what I'm trying to say. I'd like to try another nitrate test kit. Curious to hear what others use.
 
Bump this up- anyone use any more reliable kits? I'd also be willing to buy an expensive digital kit if they exist
 
I have the same issue with API's liquid Nitrate test. I always thought it was 'user error', so I just stopped using it. I stick to my water changes, do all the same stuff I've done for the past 20 years, and all my fish seem healthy. Guess what I'm saying is I found life is going well without testing Nitrates for me. If there was a more reliable test out there that was 'affordable', I'd give it a whirl.


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I have never really been on to test either as I watch all of my fish on a daily basis and I know how they are supposed to act. That being said, I want to know what my nitrates are because I'd like to know if I should change more water. I want the best for my fish, and for me, it's not the API kit.
 
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