Water Testing, Opinion please

Still getting all the bits together for planted 180L
Next thing on shopping list is water test kit.

Ive noticed the different brands have very different tests in their kits.
The real question is how far to go with water testing, and what are the essentials.

Below is what im going to test for:

- PH
- GH & KH
- Nitrite (not testing for nitrate or ammonia as if nitrite is high, so are these as they are all parts of the nitrogen cycle, ive also heard ammonia at levels undetectable by tests can still cause damage)
- C02

Are there any other essentials i should be testing for in a planted set up, at least initially, what about iron?

There are several brands of test kits available whereby one kit will cover most of what you need. API master test kit for example will test for the following, ph / high ph (ph up to 7 and high ph is for alkaline / hard water measurement, depends on your water source), ammonia, nitrate and nitrite.

You mentioned GH and KH, not harm to get your water tested in your lfs to get a baseline and see if you realistically have a need for these. If you have soft water with lo levels of calcites and you are not adding any calcite based decor to your tank, then its unlikely to become a problem.
As far as I am aware, co2 can have an impact on GH and KH in your tank where the dissolved co2 reacts with the calcites and can dramatically reduce the levels.

Testing for co2 is typically done with a drop checker, will let you look into this yourself
Regarding Iron, this would realistically depend on the method you plan to use for fertilising the plants. If you go with EI (Estimative index) then you only need to test for iron if you are actually adding Iron. you may then also need to test for phosphates, phosphorous, etc depending on what EI ferts you add.

This has probably thrown up more questions than answers for you, but worth giving some thought and doing a bit of research. The basic master test kits will do your key parameters perfectly well, the drop checker will cover your co2, but after that, its up to you and what you actually need to monitor.
Pesticides

Thanks BillG, Yes more questions!

Has anyone used the tetra laborett test kit?

Also is the C02 test in kits different from the drop checker, which i understand to be "the way" to meaasure c02 for planted aquarium

I only recently asked a few questions about drop checkers, so I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure they are the way to go, as they are working away 24/7 in plain sight. It becomes obvious very quickly if something is wrong in the tank. This could be a big help avoiding a pH crash, particularly at the start when first adding the CO2.

As for other tests- as Bill said, the API master kit is the one I use and never had a problem.

Another good thing to have around the tank is the 7(6?)-in-1 test strips. Although they are no substitute for regular checking with the test kit, as they are not as accurate, they are handy to do a really quicky test on some of the main parameters of the tank. They give an indication if something is amiss in the tank. I do a full test with the API kit once every 2 weeks in established tanks. But between that time I will check the water twice with one of these strips.

Hope this helps,

LoB

You go to the n-th degree in testing for this or that, and still not be testing for what actually matters.

The logic mentioned about testing for nitrites and not for ammonia or nitrates is not really valid: you can have high or low ammonia with high or low nitrites as there is no common rule regarding their ratios.

The reality on the accuracy of the different test kits is that 'accuracy' is not guaranteed. The common test kits sold are extremely cheap compared to the cost of a full chemistry lab, and we shouldn't really expect things to be super accurate when that comparison is taken into account.
But, even if one did invest silly money in lab-quality kits then they are more prone to giving massively wrong results if not used or maintained correctly.

Hence, the majority of the standard test kits will do and do give something that is often more important than accuracy: they give a good degree of precision if used correctly.
Also, to be accurate, you'd also need to make sure that the temperature of the water during the test is exactly the same as it is in the tank as a few degrees can affect a number of parameters.

On the type of test kits, ones where you have to compare to colour chart are prone to how precisely you judge the colours....especially ones where there is a fine difference on the test card.

More important than all that, though, is what to do about the test readings and to make sure that test tubes etc are cleaned properly between testing.

ian

It is an unfortunate fact that the average aquarist has to depend on the range of marketed test kits.
I too find that the colour charts provided are difficult at most times to read when the test tube with your tank water is compared. Having said that they do give you an indication as to whether you are in the general desired range for the fish being kept based on the documentation provided.

As Ian says the problems and real complication arises when you decide you want to make adjustments to the tank readings. The more one reads about the subject the more complicated it gets and the range and variety of marketed products out there is mind blowing.

Ian is the man I do not any answers. All the average aquarist can do is to try their best and hope their pets do not suffer as a result.


Greg

The test kits available do quite an effective job for the money.

I just checked out some prices of second hand test equipment.....starting at 2000 to 3000 euro you could get a basic UV spectrophotometer. Then an extra 200 euro for the book on how to use one for testing water. Then on top of that, a chemistry PhD (and they cost quite a lot ...maybe several hundred thousand) plus the ability to buy the applicable test reagents, and weighting scales and volumetric flasks (all quite pricey)...... 20 to 40 euro is not a bad trade off for a standard test kit for aquariums that does not require a PhD to use. !!

I had the original TetraLab in the 70s....it was actually rather good. It had a set of see-through colour wheels and you compared the colour of the test against the colour wheel and the aquarium water without any test reagent.
Then some of the tests also used a drop-by-drop count system.
Really, very plush with a velvet-lined box.....and it cost a lot more (and that actually price tag) in the 70s than many full kits have on their labels now.

As for complexity.....there are 2 ways of doing things:
a) either simply follow the instructions of setting-up a tank and using the kit (that makes things easy); OR
b) start asking questions.....then it is that that brings in then complexities of the whole story. It need not be complex (just like you don't need to understand the process of digestion to enjoy a good madrad curry), but querying it will, by default, need an answer.

ian

Like the madras analogy