What brand of nitrate test kits do you use? I've tried three different kits with widely varying results.
I tested every two days the first month I had the tank setup. Then once a week for the next several or when something looked "off." I was looking at my bottles of reagents the other day, and I noticed crystals have formed around the base of the caps. I presume they're not worth much anymore. And I feel kind of cheated because I sprung for some of the more expensive ones, and I had about half the bottles left. So . . . before I go buy more, what do I really need to be testing for?
In my small (46g) overstocked aquarium, something is feeding the algae and I'm betting it's Nitrates. I've tested for phosphate in the past and it was undetectable. My makeup water is filtered by an RO/DI filter with TDS around 2ppm when fresh. So far IMHO, the best remedy for controlling algae is regular water changes.
Hmm, suppose a fellow wanted to test his water for a few things, like TDS, phosphate, etc. Where could he go and get that done for a nominal fee?
I got my TDS meter with my RO/DI filter kit on eBay. It was included free. Search for "aqua-safe". We mounted ours under the kitchen sink witth a 25-ft water line and valve. It has made top-off and water changes easy.
