What kind of test kit / conditioner?

M

mconrad

AC Members
May 7, 2007
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Virginia
1) What kind of test kit should I be using....I have a Mardel 5 in 1 dip test kit (freshwater) for Nitrate, Nitrite, Hardness, Alkalinity and pH. I have a Mardel dip test kit for ammonia (freshwater/saltwater).

2) I'm also using TopFin water conditioner ... how is this different than "Prime" which everyone on here raves about?

3) I put some TopFin Ammonia Remover in my tank the other day. Can this alter test readings?

(I apologize if this is duplicative...I searched for an answer before posting.)
 
1) Sounds like you got the Mardel Master Test Kit. I would recommend the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. It's liquid based. It's more of a drag to do (takes about 20 minutes or less to run all tests), but it's been pretty accurate. When I used the Mardel Master Test Kit it would always tell me that I had high ammonia and nitrates. Why? The color charts are just too darn close to each other. Is it light orange, lighter orange, orange, dark orange or darker orange (referring to the pH test scale). The liquid ones are easier to decipher when it comes to the colors.

2) From what I gather (I'm using AquaSafe by TetraCare), Prime = TopFin Water Conditioner + Amquel+ (which helps to neutralize harmful ammonia, nitrates and nitrites). It's basically a 2 in 1, sorta. I'm definitely going to get Prime next time. Is the TopFin water conditioner any different? No. It does the job that you want it to do; take out all the bad stuff from tap water. Prime just does more.

3) I'm not sure, but it might as the chemical you put can be affecting the water conditions now, but later it might give different readings. Only way to check is to test the water.

Don't worry about asking twice, I'm a newb as well and I'm sure I've asked a question that someone else has asked before. That's why they call it the "Freshwater Newbie Forum". =)
 
Thanks, hitman. That makes sense (about the Mardel test kit)....My fish are acting totally normal, I'm doing a water change every other day, and my test strips keep giving me really high ammonia (.25) and nitrates (5).....and it reads identical before and after a change....which makes me think this test kit sucks, and my chemistry might not be as bad as I think.
 
We use an API liquid kit and Prime....:dance2:
 
mconrad said:
Thanks, hitman. That makes sense (about the Mardel test kit)....My fish are acting totally normal, I'm doing a water change every other day, and my test strips keep giving me really high ammonia (.25) and nitrates (5).....and it reads identical before and after a change....which makes me think this test kit sucks, and my chemistry might not be as bad as I think.
Click to expand...

Same here, no matter what I did, the water always measured the same. That's why I got the new test kit. The only reason I use those test strips now is to test Alkalinity and Hardness with the 5 in 1.

As for your second question about buffers, I have no idea.
 
prime is also cheaper, the 8 oz bottle treats 2500 gallons while the 16 ox top-fin does 480 gallons, so if you want to compare with each other half the top fin or double the prime. a 16 oz bottle of prime treats 5000 gallons while a 16 oz top fin does 480 gallons, for roughly the same price (prime is a bit more expensive but a lot cheaper than 10 bottles of top fin + 10 bottles of amquel or something)

Same goes with the liquid test kits, you generally save more money with the liquid kits since there are more tests, but this isnt ALWAYS true.
 
Topfin is fine to use for your water conditioner if that is what you have, but I would recommend Prime. It not only dechlorinates the water, but it also gets rid of ammonia, and detoxifies nitrites and nitrates. It also does not effect the pH, hardness, etc.

As for the test kit, I have always used the API master test kit. It is the most accurate kit that you can buy in my opinion, although it does cost a lot. If you can get it, then you should go for it, but if you can not, the test strips should be ok, after all, you are an aquarist not a scientist, the results don't need to be perfect.

I would not recommend adding ammonia remover. This is because if there is ammonia in your tank, then there is a problem with the tank, and even though you are getting rid of the ammonia, it may not totally solve the problem. The ammonia could form by a lack of water changes or a mini-cycle. The best way to get rid of ammonia is by doing water changes. Happy fishkeeping!

-Dave
 
I use API Freshwater Master test kit and Prime. Prime works great and just a little bit goes a long way, so you get much more for your money.


Ammonia "removing" chemicals may alter your test readings. What it does is convert toxic ammonia to a less toxic form. So it won't hurt your fish but will still show up on tests.
 
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