Can You Trust Ammonia Test Strips? Is Your Aquarium Actually SAFE?

Ammonia. It's the enemy of all fish keepers and very little in your tank can be disaster for your fish. There's many ways to ensure ammonia is controlled, but how do you know if your testing kits are actually trust worthy?
the post on the Co-Op forum:
forum.aquariumcoop.com/topic/...
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[@gbenoit761]

I have pretty hard water, and the Aquarium Co-op ammonia strips still failed me miserably. I had fish dying and couldn't figure out why. I'd been told by my LFS that the AC strips were the "only test strips you could trust," so was relying on those to tell me whether I had toxic levels of ammonia, nitrite, etc. Ammonia consistently read zero, so I was thinking I had other problems in the tank (disease, etc.). After dosing a 2nd new tank with liquid ammonia to start a fishless cycle, I found a second bottle of the AC ammonia strips still reading zero, which made no sense to me. So I finally broke down and purchased the API Master Kit. Ammonia on that test read >2ppm on the stocked tank, and 4ppm on the new tank. So I threw the strips out and vowed to stick with the API kit going forward for ammonia. I wrote this all up in a 1-star product review on the AC site, and they blocked the review from being published. I will say that the AC multi-test strips seem to track much better with the API test than the ammonia ones. So I still use those as a very quick-and-dirty check to see whether I have issues with the other params. But if I have a real concern, I still rely on the API master kit for a more precise reading.

[@BentleyPascoe]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@pattykake7195]

API master test kit …it has never let me down …👍🏽

[@vycex]

Got back into the hobby a few months ago. I saw the test strips and figured that was a good way to get me back in when it came to testing. For the most part, it seemed that the testing strips were giving me the information I needed and I acted accordingly. Unfortunately, for some reason, I can't keep cherry shrimp alive for a few weeks at most. I thought it was just because the cherry shrimp enclosure was completely different than a standard fish tank and it was solely because of my lack of experience/ knowledge of shrimp enclosures on my part. But because of this video, I sent for an API master kit like I used to use back in the day. I appreciate the information you gave in this video because it helped me realize that the test strips shouldn't be my go-to, but rather than a supplement to keeping my aquariums healthy. 👍🏽

[@adamselectricuniverse]

EXCELLENT! Thank you, insane person.... I will keep using the ACO strips, but will likely add using the TETRA as well... just not really wanting to mess with the drops and tubes! lol

[@stevecox8066]

Thanks Bentley. Just what I wanted...more crap in my head to remember hahaha. Seriously, this is great stuff and is more in line with really understanding water quality and our tanks in general. Far too many folks looking for a one size fits all answer when things are rarely that simple. I will definitely try to find that article you referenced. Have a great day my friend 😀

[@Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Thanks for dedicating the time and money to explain this. I broke up with ammonia test strips and went back to API liquid. Granted, one issue I had with test strips is I had the misfortune of getting a defective batch. It would not react, and I believe that, despite the silica gel, at some point the strips were exposed to moisture (but the container was sealed when I received it). This test would only read yellow which is the same color the strips were to start out with and was not a color on the chart. Up to that point I was actively using/trusting test strips, but found them hard to compare to the chart. As I had fish in the quarantine tank, and harmful ammonia truly was present, inaccurate testing put them in jeopardy so that was my final strip purchase. I do use and like multi strips and have compared them to the liquid test and found them to be accurate. My pH is 7.5. Lastly for the folks using any kind of strips, you can cut them in half and make double the strips. Saves money.

[@SolomonJukes]

thanks for the video and link to the forum post Very happy to learn this now since i have some low PH aquariums and got the co op strips

[@Redwave2020]

Thank you for doing a video on this topic. Up here in western NY, our tap water sits at pretty much a pH of 7. I use, for the most part, the API liquid test kit when it comes to Ammonia. I have always found it to be the best indicator. Is this a possible mini series? Maybe comparing strips and liquid test kits for other parameters? Either way the fish nerd in me loves these!

[@slickwillie2288]

In this wild world of fishtubers I might just say you are my favorite crazy person. Thanks for this. I was actually thinking of getting some ammonia test strips, so I will go for Tetra. Keep up the truth telling. I think as you do the channel as a hobby it really keeps the information solid and not too markety. I understand those who need to do it bc it is their job, but I really appreciate your style. Pectec is similar and the shrimp King are similar. Sending all the best from Freiburg Germany.

[@peanut2343]

I bought aquarium coop strips and asked them directly what is being read, they replied total ammonia

[@pawesd2734]

Great background Bentley 😂

[@davidspangler-dk8ug]

Great post. Short of using LaMontte kits, there are strips out there that reasonably do the job for both. Sure helps when you live with low PH. Again Great post.

[@AquariumFun-sy2jt]

From a practical standpoint, if you have a low pH and, therefore, mostly ammonium (NH4+), then all of the strips will accurately tell you that your tank is "safe" at the moment. Now, if that pH rises and you didn't have an accurate reading of your total ammonia nitrogen level, then that could lead to dead fish...

[@Vincent-kx9ze]

Good job friendly internet crazy person! I'll be digging into the details later tonight. Love this stuff.

[@dusk1947]

I always giggle about how much accuracy hobbyist's want on hobby-grade test kits. Those strips are what 10-20 cents a piece? Test strips are not something you use to get an actual hard measurement, they're far better to simply detect if something is present or not. They're cheap for a reason. Don't expect a high quality reading from what are the lowest entry level test's (strips). They have low accuracy, and lower precision. However, even the higher quality titration based hobby kits are still just that, hobby-grade. API is a great entry level kit, but accuracy varies batch to batch. But, it has far higher precision than a strip. Something like a Hanna checker can set you back $60 and be well over $2 a test, and it still has accuracy issues. However, at least they typically have far better precision. So while the value may be off by half a point or greater, it's precise and therefore successive tests over time can reveal an accurate pattern. And that ability is where hobby grade kits provide value: Patterns over time on the same aquarium/system. And manufacturers know this. And will typically provide the variance listed as a '% accuracy' somewhere on the label. If they don't even bother to list the expected variance, I don't bother buying it. But the other question is then? Do I need that level of accuracy? For most, the answer is simply no. Do I care if I'm measuring Nitrate 5ppm at a time. Do I need to measure it by 0.5ppm or even 0.05ppm? Probably not. Which is why it's still great to reach for a test strip. When 'ball-park' is good enough. But when it's something that can be toxic at low levels like Ammonia or Copper in a marine system. Ya, accuracy starts to matter. However, how you framed this was very well done.

[@onlywei]

Wow that’s a lot of potted plants in fallen forest.

[@BentleyPascoe]

Prep for upcoming tanks

[@robbzolson]

Oh snap!

[@laurabustos6560]

So with a buffered pH lvl at 6.6-6.8 my aquarium co op ammonia strips are maybe a quick test and if they show anything, do pass go and go go directly to a liquid master test if the steps even show a sort of safe but still registering lvl of ammonia. And when those aq co op strips are gone, get tetra strips! 😅✌️🙏 Also someone who's more tech savvy than I should link this vid and the aq co op forum post on the r/ group of aquarium science I think it's called. There's a fairly new group all about the various science-ey aspects of the hobby.

[@alt7244]

I,have three different types of test strips. I get different results. Sometimes they are similar, sometimes very different

[@Trainmedic]

Are the little ammonia monitoring tags that hang by suction cups on the inside of the tank any good for anything?

[@BentleyPascoe]

Yes, but like some strips they don't show everything

[@lukewang1997]

As far as I know, all test strips and liquid kits only test TAN (total ammoniacal nitrogen) and none of them test TFA (true free ammonia)? I thought they'd all require a ph/kh calculation to really understand TFA?

[@lilybeaumont683]

I’ve never used one..I’ve never tested the water in over 40 years of fish keeping..

[@MattyP650]

This is the way

[@Aquatic_Amigo]

Aquarium coop test strip do not have ammonia test on the strip why ?….. is this is why?

[@BentleyPascoe]

With most strips, ammonia is a separate strip because it needs to be tested slightly different. If you read the thread from the aquarium co-op Forum it goes into a bit more detailed to explain why ammonia testing is so much different than the rest of the other tests that are on a strip.

[@darkstars-torpedoes-of-truth]

Test strips, made by the same manufacturer, perish the thought.

[@aaron12693]

You failed to take into account the relative hazards of ammonia and ammonium, which is important. Ammonia is very dangerous to fish and can kill them within a day, while ammonium is and will not. Arguably, a product which does not obscure ammonia results by including ammonium is a more useful product to the average aquarist.

[@BentleyPascoe]

Actually, ammonia versus ammonium is dependent on pH. Depending on the pH of your tank will depend on which one becomes dangerous.

[@XxSwagGamersxX]

Nice try lol