Everyone that owns fish should own a good test kit and I am very supprised at the number of people that own fish don't have one.your fish live in water and the condition of your water is the key to keeping your fish healthy and well. you chose to put fish into a tank so you owe it to them to do your best at keeping them in perfect conditions.the only way you can do this is testing the water with a test kit on a regular base. If you have a problem with your tank then you will need to test more often. A reliable test kit will cost around £20-$40. thats very little to what it costs to set up a tank with fish. And it will be a lot less if you end up with a problem as medication for large tanks will not be cheap.
So what should you look for. You need the basic info that will be:
Ammonia, level- should read 0%PPM in your tank
nitrites, level-should read 0%PPM in your tank
Nitrates ,level-should read between 0% & 40%PPM in your tank
PH, oscars can cope with a wide range of PH but around 7 is ok
There are two kit types are on the market that are paper strip type, that you just dip into a sample of water. These are poor as far as I have found and are not that reliable. Liquid type that you take a sample of water and then add a measured amount of fluid,this will change the colour of the water that you then compare to a colour chart. These types are your lifeline in keeping the tank water in tiptop condition. There are a few makes on the market and I cant say that one is better than the other but liquid tests are the way to go. you could also take a sample of water to your local shop but again these sometimes dont give you all the info you will need. If you want to keep fish then buy a good liquid test kit before you buy your fish. below is a picture of the type of kit you should look for. This is the minimum you will need.
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn198/luckyleech_photos/DSCN3714.jpg
This type of kit will give you readings from 0%ppm to 8.0%ppm for Ammonia.
0%ppm to 5.0%ppm Nitrites - 0%ppm to 160%ppm Nitrates-PH reading from 6.0 to 8.8
It comes with all the info in a manaul and is easy to use but some care must be taken as wrong amounts of fluid added to sample water will give wrong test results.It has lasted me a long time for the cost with regular testing and I think its a fair price for a healthy fish tank. I rate it as 10/10
When you have a problem and ask anyone on a web site for advice you will be asked for your water parameters,or tests, Please,Please,Please post what you read off the test chart and not just say its OK or fine. this is very little help for the person helping you.your water condition could hold the key to the problem.
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