Customer Reviews

API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a good all-purpose test kit for someone beginning freshwater fish-keeping. It's also the most economical way I've found to purchase a wide variety of tests (it contains test solutions for pH, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates) in large volume. The directions are clear and concise and the color coded cards make readings easy.

I recently started up a freshwater tank and am learning the ropes as I go. I was doing some research on what to expect and what supplies I needed. I came across this product in a search and after reading other product reviews I decided to splurge and get this test kit. I think out of all the ones I reveiwed this is the only one that had all the 4 major tests in one case with ease of use that even a child can do (with supervision).
I do have an added tip for all you PetSmart/PetCo shopppers. Print out this page and take it in and they will price match. The PetSmart (instore) price is $29.99 and after showing them the ad I saved over $13, and I didn't even have to pay for shipping! :) GREAT DEAL!!!

Four of five tests are fairly straightforward. The ammonia test, however, requires mixing the 5ml of tank water with 10 drops of one solution, shaking a second solution bottle for 30 seconds, adding 10 drops from it, then shaking the test tube for one minute, and then waiting 5 minutes to test color against a chart. Seems a bit much, no? That being said, this process isn't any more difficult than any other system I've seen, and it seems to be accurate. The color chart is waterproof, though the instruction manual isn't, and due to the moist nature of its application, make sure to memorize instructions quickly. API is by far the most highly recommended test kit on every freshwater tank forum I've read, and I found it here a good bit cheaper than at my local (chain) pet store. Be aware that the test tubes are glass and will occasionally shatter when trying to juggle all 4 at once, but I've only once needed to test for everything - the first day the kit came in. Nitrates are probably the only regular (weekly) test you'll have to do outside of changes to the tank, such as adding fish or changing substrate or filter media.

FYI each bottle has a printed "Lot Number" on the back, the last four digits of which are the month and year of manufacture. Anything over three years or so is getting old, and you'll probably want an exchange unless you test with great frequency. These chems definitely have a finite shelf life.

Oh, and anyone who has live plants in a tank will want phosphates and KH test kits as well.

Got it, and everything came all organized and very neat.

Little glass vials and solutions, plus cards to tell you exactly how to do each test, along with color coding to show you the results. Everything was really simple to use, plus there were a variety of tests, enough to check the vitals on any freshwater tank.

The Master Test Kit comes with 8 small bottles of chemicals, four plastic vials, and a number of testing cards. For each test, you take a vial of aquarium water, put in the required number of drops (it says on the bottle) and compare the color to the card. The tests are simple, and something like this is a good first step in righting water problems that can kill fish or cause algae growth.

My gripe with this kit, however, is just how fragile the vials are. Simply trying to put a cap onto one of them caused it to crack right down the side. When capping them, remember to not over-tighten them.

This test kit is the best on the market. Instructions are well explained and also teach in detail why this step is so important. The more you perform the test the quicker it goes, and before you know it, it becomes like second nature.

This kit is a must-have for any aquarium. Very easy to use, the instructions are excellent: you really can't go wrong on how to perform the tests. I think it isn't hard to tell if the color chart matches your test tube, if you have problems try looking at it in different light conditions (I have found it easier on a room with white florescent lightning instead of incandescent lightning, for example) or ask a woman (most woman perceive color better than men!).

There are a few excellent points about this test kit:

1) buying here saves you about 50% from the retail pet store
2) you get 800+ tests for ~ $17 vs. 25 tests w/ strips
3) results are far more accurate with liquid test kits like this one when compared to dipsticks


Note that of the 5 tests you can do with this, three of them require 5 minute waits before you read the colors, so it's not as fast as a dipstick. But honestly, this is such an economic choice, and it's accuracy far exceeds quick strips that it's ridiculous to buy them. Get this kit!

I bought this product after receiving advice from [...] When I tested for the first time everything came back perfect. I then decided to add more fish to my tank and after a couple of days I had a huge Ammonia spike. This test kit saved all of my fishes lives because I was able to do a water change right away (after finding out that I had Ammonia in the tank.)

I also was having a problem with too much Ammonia in my tank even after a water change. I decided to test my tap water and I found out that I had 1ppm of ammonia coming from my tap. That is a crazy amount.

Buy this product and you will not be disappointed. The only negative I have about it is that the Nitrate test takes a while. It is a lot of shaking the bottle of test solution 2 and the test tube. It is still pretty easy and you can have all of the test preformed in a few minutes.

This costs much more at the store, buy it here instead! Kit works great, much better than test strips, although it does require a bit more work. The only thing I would buy in addition to this kit is a water hardness tester, something like the API GH&KH Test kit.