API 800 Test Freshwater Aquarium Water Master Test Kit

I moved away from test strips and bought the API 800 Test Freshwater Master Kit. One of the best decisions I have made for my aquarium. Test strips may look convenient but once the container is opened and the strips are exposed to air the clock is ticking. Moisture and oxygen start degrading the reagents immediately. After about 30 days the accuracy drops off badly. At that point the readings are questionable and you may as well consider them unreliable. For something as important as water quality, that simply is not good enough. The API Freshwater Master Kit solves that problem completely. The reagents are stored in sealed bottles so they remain stable and accurate for a long time. Using it is straightforward. Fill the test tube with tank water to the line, add the correct number of drops from the bottle, cap the tube and shake. For nitrate there is a second bottle and a longer shake but it is still very simple. Wait the specified time, then compare the colour against the chart. That is it. What you get in return is far more reliable information. The colour changes are clearer and the scale is more precise than strips. You can properly track ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH rather than relying on vague strip colours that can be difficult to read. Each kit also lasts a very long time because you get a large number of tests from the bottles. It ends up being far better value than constantly replacing strips that degrade quickly. If you want accurate, repeatable readings and a clear picture of what is happening in your tank water, this kit is excellent. Simple to use, dependable and well worth the money. Highly recommended for any serious fish keeper. 🐟

Superb product. API is one of my resources for many of my aquarium essentials. Never had any problem with any of there items. Great value for money, with many products giving you size options for what you need. All products from medicated to water parameters and plant care. These products are made with an ease of understanding for what that purpose is and will help you on your fish keeping journey.

The only freshwater master kit i will use. Test strips i never used due to there poor accuracy. There are some other brands like Seachem for example that do great water testing products but much more expensive to. If you want good accuracy for a reasonable price that will last a reasonably long time then overall value and quality is definitely given to the API Freshwater Master Kit. You can perform the following tests with this kit: - pH - low range - pH - high range - Ammonia - Nitrite - Nitrate Comes with easy to follow instructions and colour chart. The most annoying are the test tubes, i always end up breaking them and having to buy spares, i also hate they are push caps and not screw on as you have to keep your thumb on top of the cap when shaking as it tends to leak out otherwise, i also wish the case layout was better as well as it's a bit annoying and fiddly specially the position of the test tubes. I also purchased the API liquid Kh and Gh kit to make it a true master test kit. I think they should be included as standard as this is called a master test kit after all. Make sure you shake the plastic liquid bottles very well before using, i shake longer than the instructions state to ensure it's mixed well, specially the nitrate bottle as it's very thick formula and prone to giving inaccurate readings simply because the bottle was not shaked enough before using, so take note shake and shake again. I recommend this kit for any fish keeper whether you are newbie or advanced user, this kit is suitable for most peoples needs. I tend to only test frequently when cycling a tank and for approx 6 months after cycling complete whilst beneficial bacteria still colonizes in the filter, i don't test often from then on as i find observing the tank and fish can give you good indicators of problems, but nonetheless still a great kit to have to hand for as and when needed. Check readings in natural daylight if possible as can sometimes be hard to judge colour of tested water against colour chart. Best kit for overall price accuracy and price. Highly recommend. Tips: - Check expiry date is well in to the future on case when it arrives as they last ages. - I find placing the colour chart up against a window with natural daylight (but not direct sunlight) and then placing the tube by the side of the test i'm testing enables me personally to take a better reading. - Another way some people find easier is to place the colour chart down flat on a surface in a room with natural daylight, then remove cap from test tube and then place the testing tube on top of the colour chart and test they are testing for, then look straight down the test tube and compare colour. - Some people complain of the colour in the test tube changing over time and not sure which reading was correct, this will happen hence why it's important to follow instructions. If for example you are told to compare the test tube with colour chart after 5 minutes, then ensure you compare after 5 minutes and not for example 10 minutes, as overtime the colour will continue to change and people then get confused which is the correct reading. - Shake the Nitrate bottles as it's very thick formula and prone to giving people false readings, read the instructions very carefully, a number of people do the Nitrate test wrong and get inconsistent inaccurate readings. You must shake this bottle excessively. I always shake the bottles longer than the instructions state to ensure they've been shaken enough, if you don't shake them enough you can end up with inaccurate false readings.

Test kit - my old kept showing high Nitrates which I was suspect of, it was near the use by date. New kit shows they are fine thankfully. All in all a good kit and easy to use, with instructions. Tests - Ammonia, PH and High PH, Nitrite and Nitrate. Each bottle says how many drops to use, but refer to the booklet. *Nitrate test* you must put the first drops on and shake vigoursly for 30 seconds, then the second drops and shake vigoursly for 1 minute or the test won't work. Test tubes - New plastic tube in picture on the left, and the old glass one on the right. New ones have a snap top which is flimsy and will no doubt break off at some point.

Good 👍 Work's Well

love my testing kit has always help when i ran into problems

منتج ممتاز ومهم جدا لحوض السمك انصح في والأهم طريقة الاستخدام ترجم الكتيب

You will find this freshwater kit is far more accurate than test strips. The soaking of a tiny doped pad method of test strips just isnt an accurate way to test. This is the industry standard water test kit that most aquarists swear by. 1st, be sure the test chemicals you get are not near expiration. You should easily be able to use this kit for up to a few years before the chemicals included lose their effectiveness. The expiration date is on the kit box and on each bottle of solution. The glass test tubes that used to be included in this kit have been replaced by plastic ones. The glass tubes made cleaning up a breeze and were far better than the plastic ones that don't clean up as well. Also the 5ml fill line is a bit difficult to see on the plastic tubes. It was always inevitable though that you would eventually break a few glass tubes before you got through the 800 tests this kit can provide. They now just assume that by the time the plastic tubes get permanently stained, you'll be on to a new test kit with new tubes. While not a deal breaker, I prefered the glass tubes. Be sure you purchase the kit best suited for the tanks or ponds you keep. This kit is the freshwater version. This kit tests pH in two different ways. If you have ph generally higher than 7.4 you use the high pH test solution. If you have pH below 7.6 youll use the standard pH test kit. This is great of you are keeping multiple tanks with different pH levels or if your one tank tends to bounce around between 7.4 to 7.6. Once you figure out which test best suits your aquariums, youll likely not use the other solution. This kit tests for total ammonia using 2 solutions in one test. Ammonia is a very hazardous chemical to your fish and plants. Use this kit to keep these levels of ammonia at or near 0. This kit tests Nitrites using 1 solution. This is the second step in the nitrogen cycle. While not as harmful as ammonia, it's still something you should strive to get as close to 0 as possible. Now some people using heavily planted and fertilized tanks will actually strive to have this level low but present. This kit tests for nitrates in two solutions for 1 test. While nitrates are not as harmful to fish as Ammonia or Nitrite, most fish keepers still strive for low readings. Long term exposures to high nitrates can still cause harm to fish. Generally youll get rid of nitrates by water changes or heavy plant growth. Many people with heavily planted and fertilized tanks prefer this value to be a little higher to feed the plants but still low to protect the fish. With this test kit testing 4 of your most important chemicals in fresh water, it is a necessity to have on hand. Test strips might be more convenient but are seldom very accurate. This liquid master test kit is the standard if you want true values at an affordable price. It comes in several varieties, depending on whether you have freshwater, marine, reef or ponds. Its a great way to see what is going on in your setup before any loss of life occurs.

There is a reason why this test kit is considered the best amongst aquarists and fishkeepers. It is more on the pricey side and there are definitely more cost effectivr kits in the market. However, it very simple to use and the instructions are easy to follow. Highly recommend this kit for individuals starting out in the hobby as testing the water is essential for keeping your fish alive.