General Care Discussion :: What should test results be?

[kikicool]

I bought a f in 1 test strip kit by API. Besides pH, I'm not sure what the resutls SHOULD be. Can someone tell me if these are okay?

GH (general hardness): 30.
KH (carbonate hardness)between 0-40, the first two numbers.
pH 6.5
Nitrite: 0.5
Nitrate: 0-20 (color between first two numbers)

Much appreciated!! Thank you.

[marisa]

Nitrates should be lower than 40 ppm (but lower is better) and ammonia (was there a test for this?) and nitrite should be 0. I've never tested for GH or KH, just ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (and occasionally the ph).

[kikicool]

Thanks for the info on nitrate!

And no, dumb kit doesn't test ammonia. *sigh* is there a separate kit for that? Also if my nitrites are 0.5 is that dangerous? And how can I lower it to zero, do you know?

[marisa]

I've never used strip tests that check for several things. AP makes individual tests for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, ph (as well as some others). You can buy the four major ones as a set in a Master Kit or individually. You have to mix the tank water with each of the chemicals in each test and wait about 5 min. for the results. It's more of a pain to do, but I think the results care more accurate.

I don't think the level of nitate you have is really dangerous for your turtle, but, of course lower is better. Just briefly, as a tank cycles, ammonia is turned into nitrite and then nitrate. You lower the nitrate level by partial water changes/water changes.

[kikicool]

Okay. Thanks. Sometimes I feel like I spend more money on the wrong things, than I would if I just got the right ones to start! *sigh*

I worry because, as I mentioned, I JUST changed about 90% of the water and the nitrate was still above 0. Yikes! Thanks for the info

[pumpkinsherbet]

petco has ammonia tests, at least my petco does. they have the general test strips, which test everything, and then the ammonia test kits. both are about $8.99 each.

[kikicool]

Thanks--I'll head over there today.

[Rickiew04]

Is this a good test kit to get, to test everything I need to test?


http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441782167&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030159&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1173379616766&itemNo=3&Ntt=water+test+kit&In=All&previousText=water+test+kit&N=2

[marisa]

I've never tried that product, but AP is a reputable company. The only thing I can say from looking at the description is that you only get 20 tests for each substance. With the AP testing kits I have, you are able to test many more times than that.

[SpotsMama]

The AP kit I use is called Master Freshwater Test Kit. Here it is for $13.50 from Petsmart:

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_ ... st+kit&N=2

I think this is the same kit you use, isn't it Marisa? You can get many many tests with with. I've had mine since last summer and it's still got plenty of test solution left.

(edit) I don't use the Mini test kit. I think the regular kit is a better buy.

[Rickiew04]

Ok, thanks a lot!!!

[aeo]

Don't take it so serious. RES is very easy to keep healthy. They need food, water ( 25-27 C degree ) and somewhere for basking. That's it. Do not mind about Nitrate because not like fish, RES use their lung for breathing (Nitrate reduces the efficiency of absorbing Oxygen in fish ). That's no need to care about PH, KP , ect ...

[SpotsMama]

Rickiew04, you should keep an eye on ph. While RES are not as sensitive to ph as fish, sometimes they have difficulty shedding scutes if the ph is too high. A ph slightly lower than neutral is considered by some to promote healthier shells because it inhibits the growth of fungi and harmful bacteria.

Also, high nitrates will stimulate the growth of algae, which is not desirable..

It is very important to keep an eye on ammonia and nitrite. These can build up amazingly fast, are toxic and are invisible, so the only way to tell you have a problem is by testing. One of the things that will make a RES sick fastest is having water that isn't clean.

[marisa]

Different packaging, but the contents look the same (I thought I had five different tests in mine, I'll have to check---I haven't used them all, only the 3 main ones (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate). I also have the individual tests as well (bought before the Master Kit).

Spotsmama, have you ever noticed an expiration date on any of these tests? I haven't looked that hard on the Master Kit box, but I've never noticed dates on the individual test kits. There is a number that can be read as a date, but the person at the aquarium shop I bought them at thought that the number/date on the bottles was the date that the test was manufactured.

[SpotsMama]

I didn't find an expiration date but I also saw the apparent manufacture date (part of Lot number). I know in my kit the dates varied from bottle to bottle. Some of the chemicals are pretty reactive so it would probably be a good idea to use chemicals no older than a year or so. Some of my bottles have residue caked around the tops so I'm thinking of replacing the kit pretty soon.

And you are correct, there are 5 test in the master test kit - the extra one is a high ph test.