What does a good water test kit include?

Question

I'm about to go to petsmart and pick up some things and just wanted to know what kind of water test kit I should get for my 10 gallon aquarium.

Answer 1

The most important tests for you to own are ammonia and nitrite. Close behind those are pH, hardness and nitrate. Any other tests are really needed unless you have a planted tank. Once your tank is up and running well and is stable, you will rarely need any test kit at all actually, but having them on hand for when you suspect a problem with your water, or when you want to get new fish is an excellent idea.

The liquid test kits are far more accurate and reliable that the test strips that are more and more often offered these days. The tests strips appear at first to be cheaper, but the price per test is much cheaper for liquid test kits.

MM

Answer 2

While they do offer other tests, those are for technical things like if you have very sensitive fish who need very specific ph levels, like discus, or if you are trying to grow live plants, but those aren't basic necessities.

The basic necessities are tests for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. They do sell these in master test kits, but those kits come with other things like ph tests, which, as I've said, you don't really need, so if you are trying to save a few pennies, often times it is less expensive to buy ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests separately. Oh, and choose the drops. They're more accurate than the strips.

Answer 3

The one that I found is a Mardel Master Test Kit. It includes everything you need to test pH, hardness, alkalinity, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels. All it really is is test strips that you dip in the water to test it.