Are Test Kits Necessary?

Budding fish hobbyists are often bombarded by the variety of test kits available in the aquarium stores. Many would question their necessity and functions.

It is possible to have a healthy tank without using a single test kit. However, test kits are useful when you suspect something is not quite right with your aquarium (e.g. fish appear stressed or weak). It helps to take the guesswork out of detecting the likely problem.

The Four Types of Test Kits

Of course there are many than four basic types of test kit. In this article, I will cover:

• Ammonia test Kit
• Nitrite test kit
• Nitrate test kit
• pH test kit

Ammonia test kits indicate the ammonia (and nitrite) levels in your tank and help to account for problems such as unexplained fish deaths.

Firstly, these are useful during the tank-cycling phase. Regular testing will tell you whether the first phase of the nitrogen cycle has been completed.

Secondly, conducting a test for ammonia will help verify whether your tank’s biological filter is (or isn’t) working properly. Sometimes, even in an established tank, the biological filter can malfunction or fail. These are the common causes of the problem:

• The filter has not been cleansed regularly—water cannot flow through a clogged filter, where the nitrifying bacteria reside.
• Fish medication has been added indiscriminately—antibiotics kill nitrifying bacteria as well as disease-causing ones.
• The filter’s capacity is unable to cope with the fish load.

Ammonia levels are measured in ppm. At concentrations as low as 0.2 – 0.5 ppm (for certain species of fish), ammonia can cause rapid death. Even at levels above 0.01 – 0.02 ppm, fish become stressed.

The standard test kits do not register such low concentrations. Thus, a test kit should never detect ammonia in an established tank. If it does, the ammonia level is too high and will be stressing the fish. Take immediate action to correct the situation—by changing the water or identifying the source of the problem.

Nitrite test kits are used in most of the same circumstances as ammonia kits would be. The main difference is that they are able to provide information that the second phase of the nitrogen cycle has been completed. Once a tank has been cycled, nitrite test kits are pretty much useless.

Nitrate test kits help detect the nitrate levels in established tanks—which is the end phase of the nitrogen cycle. The exception to this is heavily-planted tanks or reef tanks which may be able to consume nitrogen faster than it is produced.

As nitrates become toxic at high concentrations, they must be removed periodically (through regular water changes). Nitrates become toxic to fish (and plants) at levels of 50 – 300 ppm, depending on the fish species. Nitrates can become toxic to fry at even lower concentrations. Using a nitrate test kit would help you determine whether or not the nitrates in your water are being removed quickly enough.

pH test kits are used to indicate whether the pH of your tap water suits the requirements of the fish species you are keeping in your aquarium. Over time, you can use these to check whether there has been any significant decrease or increase in the tank’s pH level.

Sometimes, tank decorations such as driftwood (which can slowly leach tannins) or gravel (made of coral, shells, or limestone) can increase or lower the acidity or alkalinity of your water.

You can find more on Aquarium Water Testing Kits here.

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