581
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #27,957 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★★
Accurate test that takes around 10 minutes to do
I recently bought my first fish tank, Tetra ColorFusion 20 Gallon Aquarium Kit, and quickly learnt about the importance of testing the water. In case you do not know, a new fish tank needs to go through a cycle where the waste becomes ammonia (dangerous for fish); then, bacteria will grow and convert it into nitrite (also poisonous); and then additional bacteria will grow and convert it into nitrate (not dangerous). To ensure that your fish survive in the long term, you need to monitor these three parameters and make sure that the ammonia and nitrite do not remain high for too long.
I decided to buy this kit so I can do tests every two days, as I read that it is more accurate and inexpensive than using strips. Overall, I am very happy with it. Every test I do takes just a few drops. The manufacturer claims 800+ tests, but be careful that is the total number (adding all the different tests together). If you look at just one type of test, like nitrate, the one that requires the most drops, you will be able to do 50-60 tests (as another reviewer has calculated). Most of the tests are very easy to do, with the exception of nitrate, that requires shaking the bottle for 30 seconds and the water sample for 1 minute, and it is somehow tiring. I found running all the tests took me around 10 minutes. I have taken a video so you can get an idea of the "effort involved".
Overall, I am very happy with this kit. Over the last few days I have seen the ammonia climbing, then nitrite and now nitrate, so I can perfectly understand what is going on in my tank!
January 2017 · Pet Supplies · verified purchase