Tropical Fish Forum

Think Fish Tropical Fish Forum => Welcome to our Tropical Fishkeeping Forum - Please Read => Topic started by: RachelN76 on July 23, 2014, 09:35:05 PM

Title: Hello everyone
Post by: RachelN76 on July 23, 2014, 09:35:05 PM

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie here, and have just got a tank and fish, mainly for the children, but I'm a bit besotted with them to be honest.

We got the tank a few weeks ago, and we've had the fish in it since Sunday.  We got six harlequin rasboras to start with, and they're lovely little things!  They're quite sparkly, which I like, and they seem to really like playing with the water coming out of the pump, and when I change the water and pour the new stuff in, they really like that as well!

I've been reading all the information about cycling and cleaning and water changing, and I hope I'm getting it right so far, but I could really do with a recommendation for a water testing kit that will test for everything I need to, and be reasonably good value.  I don't mind a reasonable initial outlay, if what I'm buying is good stuff.  But it's paying £5 for four rubbish test strips that I object to!

I've also looked at several of the photos in the gallery, and you all have some lovely, lovely tanks and fish!

Title: Re: Hello everyone
Post by: dbaggie on July 23, 2014, 11:16:19 PM

Hi Rachel and welcome to the forum  :wave:

The API Master test kit is quite widely used and covers the key basic tests of pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. It isn't dirt cheap, often in the region of £30 in shops but I got mine off EBay for £18 delivered (new). They're liquid tests rather than strips so are both more accurate and you get a lot of individual tests out of them.

Beyond this you could also consider testing for things like hardness, although you can usually get approximate figure from your water company's website.

Title: Re: Hello everyone
Post by: Rich_D on July 24, 2014, 05:36:00 AM

Hi Rachel, welcome to the forum, im the same as dbaggie and use the API test kit, and have done for all my tanks and its never given me a problem. Do shop around though! Ive seen it as expensive as £32 and as cheap as £20.

Title: Re: Hello everyone
Post by: chris213 on July 24, 2014, 07:34:10 AM

hi rachel  welcome to the forum  :wave:

Most people do use the api test kit as people have said here it does pay to get it online and shop around a little for it .What are you using to test your water currently and was the tank cycled before you added your fish.

Title: Re: Hello everyone
Post by: ColinB on July 24, 2014, 09:18:32 AM

Hello Rachel, and welcome to the forum. You're in the right place here.

Title: Re: Hello everyone
Post by: RachelN76 on July 24, 2014, 11:50:15 AM

Thanks for the welcome. :)

I've ordered an API  kit, found it for £20 at amazon. :)

So far I've just been using some strips that came with a starter pack, and taking water to Pets at Home for them to test.  But that's getting very tedious, so it would be a lot easier to do it myself!