Water Test Kit

[spitfire]

Can anyone recommend a test kit for water hardness?

 

[apistoireland]

I use the Tetra kit since you get two for the price of one kH and gH and ease of use. But most of the kits on the market will do fine. I don't know what's available in the US but from what kits we get over here I don't think there is much differnce between the various kits

 

[aquaticclarity]

I'm a fan of Sera Brand test kits out of Germany (I've also had excellent success with their plant fertilizer line). They make both a gH and a kH kit. Both tests are titration style, you add x amount of a base chemical and then add the color changing reagent drop by drop until a color change is achieved. This is the most common style of hardness tests. If you are colorblind these tests may prove difficult to use. I had a genetics professor who had this issue. The second style of test on the market is the simple dip stick test, where you take a stick that has one or more pads on it. Mardel is known for marketing these. You dip the stick in the water and then pull it out for color comparison to a chart for a reading. Because you are dealing with color comparison as opposed to color change the results are a little more subjective. I’ve also had issues with the sticks “going bad†before I got to use them. I think high humidity started to effect the pads and start the color change before I actually ever stuck them in water.

As a side note, most of the test kits sold by American companies are made by Lamotte. Some of the packages state this in the small print, many don’t though. This means that in a lot of cases there really is no difference from one test kit brands chemicals to the next. The only difference that really matters would be the quality of the color comparison charts included with the kit, which doesn’t really apply for your hardness tests just ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, phosphate etc.

Jeff

 

[spitfire]

GH and KH

I know this is general hardness and calcium hardness - which one is most important?
Does hardness have a huge impact on apistos or other fish? Does it lessen their life span?

Thanks for the information - good stuff

 

[apistoireland]

Carbonate hardness is more important especially if you are planning on breeding your fish. Most test kits test have two separate tests, one for general hardness and one for carbonate.
Since most apistos originate in very soft water hardness has a great bearing on they life expectancy. If your water is too hard it could lead to a blockage of the kidney tubes in many fish. You will also have an issue with egg development