So, which is better? I'm starting a new tank that I will be cycling by borrowing 1 of my turtle tank filters and some substrate as well as live plants. I want to test the water (obviously) and I was curious as to which would be better/more accurate?
Liquid vs. strips for water testing
- Thread starter mighty mouse
- Start date
Most of us here us API Liquid Test kits. The liquid tests are much more accurate than strips. The strips can be very unreliable.
I doubt you will find anyone on this site that would reccommend test strips.
Most of us use API (Aquarium Pharmacuticals) test kits, there are other liquid tests available that are still more accurate than the test strips.
Most of us use API (Aquarium Pharmacuticals) test kits, there are other liquid tests available that are still more accurate than the test strips.
I would recommend Test strips... ... to wipe your bum with- but only if you have a very small bum... otherwise- I'd even prefer the liquid kit for that purpose too! Ahhhh... the joys of a GH test bidet!
I started out with the strips... I didn't find mine to be unreliable- in the sense that they kept giving me the same results- and when I finally found a liquid kit- it gave the same result.
However, the test strips are horrible to have to read. I suspect a lot of their "unreliability" is the difficulty it is to read them in comparison to a liquid kit... the colours almost never match what's on the comparison chart- there is massive amounts of room for human error, it's usually a case of
"is this this green-or that green... it really doesn't look like either?"
I think I usually asked my wife and my son to confirm each strip because I could never detemine "which greeny bluey yellow is this?"
Liquid kits cost more to start with but you get so many more uses out of them they end up being cheaper in the long run.
I started out with the strips... I didn't find mine to be unreliable- in the sense that they kept giving me the same results- and when I finally found a liquid kit- it gave the same result.
However, the test strips are horrible to have to read. I suspect a lot of their "unreliability" is the difficulty it is to read them in comparison to a liquid kit... the colours almost never match what's on the comparison chart- there is massive amounts of room for human error, it's usually a case of
"is this this green-or that green... it really doesn't look like either?"
I think I usually asked my wife and my son to confirm each strip because I could never detemine "which greeny bluey yellow is this?"
Liquid kits cost more to start with but you get so many more uses out of them they end up being cheaper in the long run.
I've used both strips and liquid kits. I've personally not seen any difference in the reliability of either if used right. In the long run the liquid kit is much cheaper though. I use liquid usually, but if I'm in a hurry or just not feeling it one day I'll use a strip.
It is very important to keep the strips dry. No humidity or anything. Then I find them to be great. I still use an API kit unless i am testing twice a day for some reason.