What is Reddit's opinion of API 5-in-1 Test Strips Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Test Strips 25-Count Box?

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This is the test kit.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHOAIY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_BBA7DD9J6AN63WT34FSQ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Everything was at the highest so I did three water changes over the course of a week and now pH is back down to normal as well as nitrate and nitrite for most part. kh too. gH still a little high.

you can get a pack of like 25 strips for $10. Sounds way better than bringing the jar

https://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater-Saltwater-Aquarium-25-Count/dp/B000HHOAIY/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=aquarium+test+strips&qid=1601399029&sr=8-5

Thanks! I'm thinking about getting this test kit Is this good enough or should I do a more thorough water test?

No worries! That'd be ideal, but it may be that there is nothing wrong with your tap water once you dechlorinate it. Do you have any dip strips such as these?

How deep do you want to go? There are whole books on the subject. And Jim Schulman's insanely long water faq

Step one - test your water. Using a simple water test you can get from your local pet store or online, check pH and hardness. That will at least tell you if you're in the lucky minority with good water, or if you need to look further.

There are several bottled waters that can be used - Gerber Pure Purified water is cheap and widely available, and is good for limiting need for de-scaling. Third Wave Water is available from Amazon, Prima Coffee and others, is optimized for flavor extraction, but will require periodic descaling.

Or you can build your own water from distilled / RO water and (the correct) household chemicals.

I use a mix of distilled, tap, and baking soda, based on results from a simple water test you can get from your local pet store or online. Check pH, general and calcium hardness. That will at least tell you what you're working from, and whether you can use something simple like that.

edit: to add a reference to Jim Schulman's insanely long water faq in case you want to understand the chemistry you're aiming for.

Gerber Pure Purified water is cheap and widely available, and is good for limiting need for de-scaling. Third Wave Water is available from Amazon, Prima Coffee and others, is optimized for flavor extraction, but will require periodic descaling.

U mean like these?

Aquarium test strips can be found in any pet store. Example : https://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater-Saltwater-Aquarium-25-Count/dp/B000HHOAIY

Get these to check your test.

API Test Strips

https://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater-Saltwater-Aquarium-25-Count/dp/B000HHOAIY/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=api+test+strips&qid=1613376446&sr=8-2

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I use these. They go on sale pretty often, I got 3 for $3ish a pop a few months ago. These are pretty convenient, though they don't test ammonia.

Deal link: Amazon

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i would also try to buy some beneficial bateria bottles such as Fluval Cycle Biological Enhancer https://fluvalaquatics.com/us/product/cycle-biological-enhancer-3/ to help the spread of good bacteria colonies in your tank, it helps the breakdown of ammonia as without bacteria that breaks down ammonia your fish's poop will poison the water.

you could also buy water test strips such as Api 5-in-1 Test Strips Deal: API 5-IN-1 TEST STRIPS Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Test Strips 25-Count Box https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000HHOAIY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_dlT_y.WPFbA3521ZY to keep track of your water parameters because 9/10 if your new buddy is ill, itll be the water quality.

Last of all you can buy an air pump such as this one VicTsing Aquarium Air Pump, Fish Tank Air Pump Oxygen Pump for Fresh & Saltwater with 2 Air Outlet/Stones/Tubes/Check Valve/Adjustable Air Valve and 3-way Connector https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MSJSH4S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_udXPFbSXJJAXY to help oxygenate the water and help with the water quality. Hope your new buddy sits well with your new tank!

Dip Strip

https://www.amazon.com/STRIPS-Freshwater-Saltwater-Aquarium-25-Count/dp/B000HHOAIY

You could test it with something like this, which I do after cleaning my tank: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHOAIY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FQeuAbJ71HEKG

The “Kh” indicates water hardness

It basically tells you if your water is to hard in terms of minerals. If I’m correct for example Discus fish require soft water so therefore it wouldn’t be wise to fill your tank with to much stones, because it will fill your tank with minerals and therefore increases the hardness and ph. It really depends on the type of fish your keeping, because some can stand hard water and some absolutely not.

Read these 3 links for more and better insights:

1. http://m.liveaquaria.com/article/60/?aid=60

2. https://www.thespruce.com/hard-water-and-aquarium-fish-1381887

3. http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/hardness.htm

The sidebar can be really helpful. You'll want to look at tank cycling.

Java fern is a popular low maintenance plant. I just started about 2 months ago and I've got dwarf grass planted in sand, two java ferns, some elodea (stalk like plant), and floating duckweed. I'd like to replace the duckweed for larger floating frogbit when I can.

You can find water test kits on amazon for a reasonable price.

My house gets pretty chilly and I want to encourage my guppies to breed so I use a water heater. I bought these two items for my first tank. Water HeaterCorner Filter You will also want an air filter though I've found with live plants and the flow from the water filter, the fish are fine without one in my 30 gallon tank.

With you being gone often it might be worth while to look into an auto-feeder.

When I set up my first tank I bought some feeder fish to test the waters. Didn't know what I was doing. Didn't let them acclimate to the temperature long enough, didn't know anything about tank cycling, and ended up losing all but 5 of my rosy red minnows. (Bait shop minnows with an orange coloring basically.)

Also mystery snails like to climb out of water to lay eggs. I'm a fan of ramshorn snails and bladder snail myself but some find their reproduction habits to be annoying and numerous.

API 5 in 1 Aquarium Test Strips https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHOAIY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3l6dybPSBX7GP

Is that the type of kit to test?

If you want to make it all much easier, just get the ten gallon tank and then get him to squeeze his filter sponge into your filter. If you do that and wait a few weeks you should be ready to rock. You could even add the fish right away if you can commit to testing the water every day. You only need two things for testing the water.

5-in-1 strips

And ammonia strips

And one thing to fix it.

Basically, the squeeze from your friends tank will give you the bacteria you need. Putting a fish in will give those bacteria something to eat (fish poop breaking down) until the bacteria colony is fully established. pH isn't a real issue with bettas as long as it stays roughly the same.

You just have to use both test strips every day, if anything spikes (nitrites will spike right before you are done) then change the water 30% and replace it with new water treated with that dechlorinator. A couple weeks in, all of the sudden you won't be getting any ammonia, you will have no nitrites, and you will have just a little nitrate meaning you are done. From then on just test and replace a gallon of water per week (always using dechlorinator).

The heater is the easiest thing! Most are set up to automatically sit at 78 degrees which is perfect for a betta. They like still water so if you can, grab an internal filter like the Whisper 10i. It moves the water less.

I'm fairly new at this, so if anything up there is inaccurate someone please chime in!