Hagen Test Kit

[djdubdub]

Has anyone tried the Hagen Aquarium Master Test Kit????

It has 10 different tests: low and high pH, iron, nitrite, phosphate, nitrate, calcium, GH, KH and ammonia...

Cost is $59.99 on LiveAquiaria...

[Troy Valentine]

DJ-

I've been using Hagen kits exclusively for a couple of years now with some success. However, IMO if your tank has already cycled, I wouldn't recommend buying the whole kit, just the more popular ones that you would use; such as, Calcium,Alk,Nitrates, and maybe Phospates. The reason for only buying the ones you will need is so that you don't waste your money on a reagent that has a very limited shelf life. By the time you might need to use your ammonia kit, for example. It will most likely give a false reading, and in-turn lend you a false sense of security. IMO you would be better off going out and buying one, when the situation warrants it. I find that the best test kit for my aquarium (other than Calcium, and Alk) is to watch it daily, as if I am watching the television. The tank will usually tell me when something is wrong. I also found that the more test kits I have, especially trace element test kits. The more trigger-happy I became when it came to adding those trace elements. It has taken me years, and more money than I would like to admit, to realize that "Less is More" time is the key.......

Hope this will help, ;)


Troy

[Tim Marvin]

I'd have to agree with this. I can't even remember the last time I tested for ammonia or nitrite. If you set up a tank, let it run for a couple months and you should not even need to test for these type things. Also a good bio-diversity and refugium will eleminate these elements in your water.

[djdubdub]

Thanks Troy and Tim!!! This is the exact answer I was looking for...

Like you said Troy, I feel "trigger happy"... I just got a couple of frags and the last thing I want to do is "go nuts"... I just want to make sure that everything is going good...

And Tim... The tank is looking great... My 2 Damsels are happy, my critters are multipling in the fuge... Everyone/everything looks really healthy... I just get nervous about the things I can't see (Ca, alk, pH, etc)...

Thanks again...