I'm cycling my 55 gallon, and know I'll need to regularly test the water parameters. Here's my question: Since my strips test nitrate and nitrite, do i still need ammonia strips? I know that nitrate and rite are by products of ammonia, so if theyre low, ammonia will be to, right?
It is possible to have an ammonia spike, I guess, that cannot be detected until a day or two later with a nitrite test. Also, if ammonia spikes and your bio-filter bacteria can't handle it for some reason (maybe the bacteria was accidently destroyed?) you may never know it. So ammonia could go through the roof and there would never be any nitrite or nitrate. ...as with a completely un-cycled tank. (This is worst case, but possible.)
Ammonia is also your pre-warning for nitrites. Nitrite isn't going to happen right away and you can avoid health risks to your fish if you react to an ammonia spike instead of later when the nitrites spike.
PS
When you get a chance, replace your strips with a liquid kit. They are much more accurate and a kit will last a year or so. I went through my strips in a month, easy.
Just a small note about the strips, I used those at first and I was getting OUTRAGOUS reading with my trites and trates, everyone here suggested I get the liquid testing kits so I did...the results, my reading were way less. So I would say definatly get the liquid testing kits and try them your levels may not be as high as you think. "IMO"
If for some reson you damage your biofilter, you will not find nitrites and nitrates, only ammonia. You do need ammonia tests. Not often, but in an emergency, that is the first thing to test.
