[AquaticLife] Are test strips accurate ?
What brand do you have?
I’ve used the Mardel brand and when compared to two other test tube kits, the 5-in-1 strips gave very inconsistent readings on a regular basis. You could even perform three separate tests at the same time and see this inconsistency. I think the reason if that each of the tests use different reagent compounds and when the test strips are packaged and shipped and bounced and jarred around, they rub against each other and there is likely some transfer of compounds onto the different test sections, which then cause inconsistent results. I suppose if you can get a bottle of test strips that were in pristine condition, they may work as good as any other test.
I believe, in this forum (but it could be another group since I belong to a couple of them), there is a user who used the Jungle Brand test strips and compared the results to test tube test results and that user reported positive results. Maybe they got a bottle of test strips that were NOT jarred around very much during shipping… or maybe the Jungle Brand strips do actually work better. I’m not going to waste my money to find out.
Speaking of money… (yes, I planned this segue! lol), that is another very big reason to use a $15-20 test tube type kit since you will get hundreds of tests for the $20.00 where the test strips might only give you 25-50.
Another possible reason for the inconsistencies on test strips is the small sample of water used on each little square. With the test tubes, you are using 5ml or 10ml of water so you have a better sample of your tank. With the test strips, it’s literally less than a drop of water on each little square.
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