Master Test Kit with Multiple Tanks

[Stef]

To the folks with multiple tanks, when you’re testing more than one tank, do you have the extra test tubes and add the drops from one test as you go down the line or do you run the test for one tank then rinse the tubes and repeat for the next tank?

I was testing 4 of my 6 nano tanks today and it was rather time consuming doing the rinse and repeat method. Plus I’m never sure if the excess tap water left in the cleaned tubes dilutes the results or I’m just being paranoid. 

[Lyca_Watyre]

I bought extra test tubes for my other tanks. I was worried that not allowing them to dry after cleaning might skew results. It probably doesn't, but I'm a bit of a worry wart when it comes to my water babies. It also just sped up the process since I don't have to stop and clean out the tubes in between tanks now.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Hi @Stef I have 5 tanks and test them all on the same day. I rotate which tank I start with first and the tubes being a little wet does NOT seem to skew the results. I rinse them and tap them out on a clean towel which gets them pretty dry- not perfect. Plus when you've been doing this a while and buy more master kits you'll naturally accumulate more tubes. I wouldn't worry about it. 🙂 

[Atitagain]

When I had 3-4 tanks I would clean each tube with tap water between each test, use a kabob stick with a paper towel to dry as much as possible. But when I got up to 6-7-8 no way I had time for that so I bought test strips. Would break out the master kit if there was any kind of issue on a single tank. Those got really expensive, then good ole’ aquarium co-op test strips came out.😃 

[Guppysnail]

My set up bought one on amazon hubby built the second. I get all my water from tanks then I go down the line with one test then hit the timer. Go to next test hit timer etc. I love it so quick…well quick relative to doing individual 

I have also never seen a touch of water skew tests in a noticeable manner I just shake out water 

[Stef]

Cool little racks. So is one rack for one tank or is it for one test, like ammonia? (E.g., all tubes collected from 10 tanks are in one rack and that one rack becomes the ammonia test)

[Guppysnail]

I run 6 each test am nitrite and nitrate then whatever else. 

[gardenman]

As a rule, I don't test my tanks at all. I know, I know, bad fishkeeper! I've been keeping fish forever and my tanks have been up and running forever, and I know how my fish typically behave. As long as they're acting normal I just assume everything's good. And it usually is. Right now, in the overcrowded tank three feet to my right, there are six newish swordtail fry swimming among the roots of the dwarf water lettuce. I've got a male pleco with his tail stuck out of a cave who hasn't left the cave for a few days, so I'm assuming there are eggs or fry in there. The fish are happy and reproducing. I'm happy. The plants are happy. So, why test? 

When you test all the time you end up falling into the trap of "needing to do something" because a test result is off. As long as the fish are happy and doing well, that's what I worry about. And my fish are very happy and doing well. When you start "doing something" based on a test result you tend to destabilize things and make things worse rather than better. Develop a system that works for you and your fish and as long as you and the fish are happy, that's what counts. Does my water test perfectly? Probably not, but bear in mind, probably no water in their natural habitate tests perfectly either. Everything living in the water is doing well so I'm happy. If I started to chase perfect parameters I'd be more likely to screw things up than make things better.

 

[Guppysnail]

On 9/26/2021 at 9:21 AM, gardenman said:

As a rule, I don't test my tanks at all. I know, I know, bad fishkeeper! I've been keeping fish forever and my tanks have been up and running forever, and I know how my fish typically behave. As long as they're acting normal I just assume everything's good. And it usually is. Right now, in the overcrowded tank three feet to my right, there are six newish swordtail fry swimming among the roots of the dwarf water lettuce. I've got a male pleco with his tail stuck out of a cave who hasn't left the cave for a few days, so I'm assuming there are eggs or fry in there. The fish are happy and reproducing. I'm happy. The plants are happy. So, why test? 

When you test all the time you end up falling into the trap of "needing to do something" because a test result is off. As long as the fish are happy and doing well, that's what I worry about. And my fish are very happy and doing well. When you start "doing something" based on a test result you tend to destabilize things and make things worse rather than better. Develop a system that works for you and your fish and as long as you and the fish are happy, that's what counts. Does my water test perfectly? Probably not, but bear in mind, probably no water in their natural habitate tests perfectly either. Everything living in the water is doing well so I'm happy. If I started to chase perfect parameters I'd be more likely to screw things up than make things better.

 

I agree I only test once every week or two test unless I make changes or added fish. Yesterday I made changes and started spreading the pleco babies out to other tanks is what I tested today. I never chase numbers that usually causes fish stress and crazy issues. Except my one snail tank with elderly snails declining I have not tested kh/gh/ph in probably 6 months. I have a very regular maintenance schedule that keeps things close to where they need to be. 

New tanks I test daily though

[Tanked]

I use test strips almost exclusively now. As I mentioned on a different topic, my numbers really don't move.  But when doing drop tests, I generally use only one set of tubes, and perform 1 type of test at a time, rinsing each vial with the water that I will test next.  It takes a little more time, but I never worry about which tube came from which tank.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I happen to really enjoy this aspect of fish keeping, and I don't tend to chase any numbers- it's just interesting to see the changes if any. My aquarium app does all the timings for me and I get to see charts that show the changes and comparisions from when I started all the way to now. It's fascinating! (I track temps too and not running heaters this is interesting- these numbers go into my weekly tests)

Edited September 26, 2021 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Stef]

Appreciate the feedback and tips all.  A while back I had some extreme test results on a new tank, and was testing like crazy. It scarred me for life 🤪

[Zenzo]

I used to use the tubes, test, rinse, and repeat. I do have multiple test kits with lots of tubes, but with 20-30 tanks, it became a hassle. I have since moved to the strips for the bulk of my testing. So much easier than the other process which I would end up not doing because it was arduous. 

[Kathy F]

I bought a whole box of tubes after I broke one of the tubes.  This is what I bought  Amazon.com : API REPLACEMENT TEST TUBES WITH CAPS For Any Aquarium Test Kit Including API Freshwater Master Test Kit 24-Count Box : Aquarium Test Kits : Pet Supplies  Each tank had its own set of test tubes.   I switched to Aquarium Coop test strips once they started making their own strips.   I'm so glad I made the switch because I find I test a lot more then I used to so I'm catching problems quicker.   I hated using the master test kit because it took 10 minutes to test one tank, now I can test all my tanks in 10 minutes with the test strips.   Aquarium Water Test Kits for Tanks with Freshwater Fish & Live Plants – Aquarium Co-Op (aquariumcoop.com)   It did take me a few tries to get the hang of the test strips but now it is second nature.   

Edited September 27, 2021 by Kathy F
Sentence got deleted and it didn't make sense until I put it back into the post.

[Patrick_G]

On 9/26/2021 at 8:29 PM, Zenzo said:

I have since moved to the strips for the bulk of my testing. So much easier than the other process which I would end up not doing because it was arduous. 

I’m with you. The strips are a great time saver if you have multiple tanks. 

[ARMYVET]

To ensure not to skew any results after rinsing tubes in tap water I rinse in the tank water Im currently testing so no possible way to skew. 

[Brandon p]

I  cant trust the strips . I get to many question able results. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by Brandon p

[ARMYVET]

On 9/27/2021 at 8:20 AM, Brandon p said:

I  cant trust the strips . I get to many question able results. 

What strips are you using

 

[Zenzo]

On 9/27/2021 at 5:20 AM, Brandon p said:

I  cant trust the strips . I get to many question able results. 

@Brandon p Which strips are you using? Ever since I switched to the Aquarium Co-Op strips, I have not had any irregularities in testing. I have compared them to a couple of my different master test kist as well (including my high-end Sera Aqua-Test Box and API Master Test Kits), and the strips always performed well in comparison. 

[Odd Duck]

I was testing a bunch when I started back into the hobby (once I got the Jack Dempsey fry moved out, I didn’t even want to know how toxic their water was - crazy overcrowded before they were all moved out).  Then I’ve gradually tested less often as I’ve gotten confidence back in my “feel” for fishkeeping, and I’ve switched to almost always strips (when I do test).  I haven’t broken out the master kit in months, now, honestly.  Well, I got it out last month, got interrupted, then ended up not using it.

If I had something off kilter on a strip, I might confirm it with an API test set, if I couldn’t quickly figure out what was off and fix it.  Usually I see something off (for me usually some algae growth shows me nitrates are probably high) and I just figure it out and fix it.  I may or may not even feel the need to do a test strip if a close look, or knowing I tend toward overfeeding, doesn’t show me the issue.

Maybe I’m just lazy, too!

[Torrey]

I'm a lazy fish keeper, lol.

I know my fish and my snails.

I know my plants.

I can see when something has shifted out of balance. 

I **love** the Aquarium Co-op test strips. I use them regularly as a quick test of tap water and double check tanks are staying stable despite my flares that prevent consistency in my care.

I also use the API liquid test, to confirm my test strips are still accurate, and mostly because the scientist in me loves testing.... about once a month or so.

My stepmom used to work for a company that subcontracted with the CDC Pandemic people. Her department did water tests: they looked for viruses, bacteria and other pathogens in wastewater, in open bodies of water, and in tap water. 

I enjoy maintaining this nostalgic part of the hobby.

I have several orange test tube trays, more than enough test tubes (I buy in bulk), and each row is labeled a specific tank.

The part that takes the longest is collecting water from each tank in its dedicated collection container. 

Each tank has a dedicated infant medicine syringe, 5 mL.

I set up my table, squirt the appropriate tanks' water into the row of tubes, dump the water out of each tube into the 5 gallon bucket at my feet, and then properly fill the row.

Takes ~ 10 minutes to collect water from all 13 tanks, and fill all the test tubes for each tank. (Wouldn't take as long if all the tanks were in one room🙄)

Then about 3 minutes for the drops, leaving nitrate rows for last.

Add solution 1 for nitrates, cap tubes and shake (literally the longest part! I do one rack with left hand and other rack with right hand, so I shake-shake-shake 7 times. I told my parents an agitation rack would be an excellent gift for me 😅).

Then shake the solution #2 bottle, add drops to every nitrate vial (straight up the rt edge of the right rack, then down the right edge of the left rack), cap the vials, set the timer to shake, and repeat the shake method listed above.

Reset the timer as I pick up the next 2 vials, until all 13 (6.5 pairs) are done, then set 5 minute timer and start recording data for pH, ammonia, nitrites, gH and kH.

By the time the nitrates are ready to be read, everything else is recorded.

The results don't degrade on the drops as rapidly as the test strips results with exposure to air.

So for me, it's more effective to spot test with AC strips if flora or fauna aren't behaving properly, and use API for monthly tests.

 

[ARMYVET]

Sooo @Torrey....... Shake with the left hand.....shake with the Right hand.....Up...Down...Upp...DOwn.....Big Circles....Oh sorry was having a flashback to Mr. Miyagi and Danielsan!

Edited September 27, 2021 by ARMYVET

[Torrey]

On 9/27/2021 at 3:45 PM, ARMYVET said:

Sooo @Torrey....... Shake with the left hand.....shake with the Right hand.....Up...Down...Upp...DOwn.....Big Circles....Oh sorry was having a flashback to Mr. Miyagi and Danielsan!

🤣🤣🤣🤣

ODR

[Guppysnail]

On 9/27/2021 at 5:39 PM, Torrey said:

Add solution 1 for nitrates, cap tubes and shake (literally the longest part! I do one rack with left hand and other rack with right hand, so I shake-shake-shake 7 times. I told my parents an agitation rack would be an excellent gift for me 😅).

I would laugh but I’m painfully in tune with the double hand shake. I started leaving 6 tubes in the acrylic holder and laying my fingers over the lids so I could shake the nitrates all at one time. 😆🤣

[ARMYVET]

While I have been an aquarist on and off for most of my life…I have been an avid modeler all my life.  This is a area where some of my modeling tools help with my aquariums.

Meet the typhoon mixer…

it is an industrial mixer used to mix modeling paint. But it also has an adapter for test tubes. 
No tendinitis in these arms😁