02-20-2007, 02:46 AM
The liquid test kits give you more bang for the buck and are accurate (100+ tests each compared 25 in the 5 in 1 strips). The three main things that are important are pH, ammonia, and Nitrites. These are the things that go bad quickly and/or kill the fish. I like the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals brand of liquid test kits.
Nitrates, Hardness, and the other things are nice to know but may not be that important unless you are trying to breed the fish or decide to keep delicate specialized fish.
Essentially you could/should buy the Ammonia test kit first (since that will be the first thing out of whack), then buy the Nitrite kit the next week (second deadly thing), and then follow with the pH kit.
Also a good Local Fish Store should be able to test your water for free or little cost.
EDIT: Most local fish stores tend to keep their freshwater at the same pH as the City Water supply unless it is a specialized fish. Over the years, for a community tank, I find that keeping the pH the same as the tap water is usually best (unless area has an extreme pH or hardness). Detroit tap water comes out at about 7.2 which is great for most fish.
Nitrates, Hardness, and the other things are nice to know but may not be that important unless you are trying to breed the fish or decide to keep delicate specialized fish.
Essentially you could/should buy the Ammonia test kit first (since that will be the first thing out of whack), then buy the Nitrite kit the next week (second deadly thing), and then follow with the pH kit.
Also a good Local Fish Store should be able to test your water for free or little cost.
EDIT: Most local fish stores tend to keep their freshwater at the same pH as the City Water supply unless it is a specialized fish. Over the years, for a community tank, I find that keeping the pH the same as the tap water is usually best (unless area has an extreme pH or hardness). Detroit tap water comes out at about 7.2 which is great for most fish.