Regular Member maddy1997 Posted September 3, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted September 3, 2008 do I need testing kits, my monthly allowance is $10, can I go witout test kits? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Megan Steele Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 I would recomend getting test kits because if the ammonia level is high you will know, and ammonia kills your fish. I got my test kit for $6.99 at nnnn. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member maddy1997 Posted September 3, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 3, 2008 (edited) I would recomend getting test kits because if the ammonia level is high you will know, and ammonia kills your fish. I got my test kit for $6.99 at nnnn. so I would only need ammonia? and how could I afford that? Edited September 3, 2008 by goldfish1997 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member lynda441 Posted September 3, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted September 3, 2008 If your tank is new and uncycled, yes, ammonia would definitely be the one you'd need to buy first. If your tank is new and uncycled, it will take maybe 2-4 weeks before you have a nitrite reading. But, ultimately, you do need all three. Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates. You really also need ph. If you've had your fish and tank running for a while, chances are you have at least ammonia and nitrites or nitrites and nitrates. Or, maybe it's cycled and all you have is nitrates. It's hard to know. So, you'd really need to have all three so you can know what your water is doing. Giving us some information on how long it's been running and the water changes you've been doing might give us a little insight. Maybe. Perhaps you could ask your parents for a loan or advance on your allowance. Perhaps you could ask for the test kits as an early Christmas present. Did you buy your own fish or did your parents buy them for you? If you explain to your parents that these test kits will help you keep your fish healthy and that if you don't keep your fish healthy, they could die and then that would be a waste of money, then they might understand and help you buy the test kits. These kits are a bit expensive to start with, yes, but they last for quite a while, so over the long run, they're worth the investment. You won't have to buy them again for quite a while. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member kittyfiends Posted September 3, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted September 3, 2008 the ammonia kit on Pet * smart* dot com is 5.49$. if you can find it on the web site, you can print it and they honor the online price in the store. For now all you will need is the ammonia kit, until you start not getting any ammonia readings. Then you will need the Nitrite kit $6.49 online, and then the Nitrate kit $5.09 online. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Orandaa Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 The average test kit will run you $7-15, usually. Most of the ones around here give 250 tests per bottle, and its not a test you do daily. Do the math and one bottle will last you a long time. So its definitely worth it. The point of a test kit is to check your water quality and overall living for your fish. So you want to make sure they're in a good environment to live and are as healthy as they can be. So I would get one if you can. Although, I've heard some fish stores will actually test for you if you bring in a sample of your water. I don't think my local fish store does that, so I'm sure someone can give you more information on that. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member mardaokansi Posted September 3, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted September 3, 2008 (edited) imo test kits are priority #1!! you can go to pets mart or pet co to get your water tested, but you need to have at least 4 tests done (amonia, nitrAte, nitrIte, and pH). so bring plenty of tank water, each test needs 5 ml. go to their websites to see how much individual tests cost and over at drs foster and smith .com they are having a sale of $15 for a whole freshwater test kit!!! Edited September 3, 2008 by Martha 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member mardaokansi Posted September 3, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted September 3, 2008 well, I'm not sure which post you'll be checking (you have this and another by the same name)...but I think you should check out drs foster and smith .com for their freshwater test kit on sale for $15. pets mart and pet co do test water but you'd need to bring enough for 4 tests; amonia, nitrAte, nitrIte, and pH. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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