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Thread: testing kits.

  1. #1
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    testing kits.

    Good evening,

    only 2 weeks away from our pond build commencing.... i need to buy a water testing kit, unsure what one to buy, being a complete novice one that is simple and easy to follow probably the better until i become more acquainted with it all, is there anything else i need to purchase? thanks Steve.



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    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai hippo's Avatar
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    Hi Steve .

    Your right to consider this . It`s vital to keep a check on your water perameters - especially in the early stages of your pond`s development .

    As with most things koi related - which kit you buy depends on budget . They start at a few pounds for the "dip strip" type , and go to hundreds of pounds for sophisticated meters with digital readouts ect .

    At the very least , you`ll need to check PH , Nitrate , Nitrite , Ammonia and General Hardness(GH) . So if your buying one of the various kits on offer , make sure these checks are included .

    I would avoid the paper strip type checks , as they are quite hard to read , and not very accurate . As a basic , reasonably priced kit , I would go for one of the chemical types which you add to a test tube .

    The next level up , would be the Hanna pocket checkers - which are used to perform single checks . They`re a small meter that gives out an accurate digital reading . At around £70 , might be a bit pricey to buy them all individually . I have the one for Nitrite , as my ponds fairly established , and that's the thing which can give me most problems .

    I also have a cheap PH meter - only cost a few pounds - which you simply dip into the water and it gives out a reading (no chemicals required) , and is surprisingly accurate !

    Hope this helps
    Colin

    2500 Gallon Fibreglass Pond
    Draco Solum 16 , 400l Bio Chamber

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  4. #3
    Senior Member Rank = Yonsai Mode's Avatar
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    I have just ordered the JBL Testlab Koi - seems to have everything in it - £70 ish.

    Anyone know if they are any good?

    I also have the Seneye Pond Pack - not installed yet though! https://www.seneye.com/devices/seneye-pond

    Cheers

    Mode
    Last edited by Mode; 23-04-2019 at 05:09 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by hippo View Post
    Hi Steve .

    Your right to consider this . It`s vital to keep a check on your water perameters - especially in the early stages of your pond`s development .

    As with most things koi related - which kit you buy depends on budget . They start at a few pounds for the "dip strip" type , and go to hundreds of pounds for sophisticated meters with digital readouts ect .

    At the very least , you`ll need to check PH , Nitrate , Nitrite , Ammonia and General Hardness(GH) . So if your buying one of the various kits on offer , make sure these checks are included .

    I would avoid the paper strip type checks , as they are quite hard to read , and not very accurate . As a basic , reasonably priced kit , I would go for one of the chemical types which you add to a test tube .

    The next level up , would be the Hanna pocket checkers - which are used to perform single checks . They`re a small meter that gives out an accurate digital reading . At around £70 , might be a bit pricey to buy them all individually . I have the one for Nitrite , as my ponds fairly established , and that's the thing which can give me most problems .

    I also have a cheap PH meter - only cost a few pounds - which you simply dip into the water and it gives out a reading (no chemicals required) , and is surprisingly accurate !

    Hope this helps
    Thanks Colin, much appreciated...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mode View Post
    I have just ordered the JBL Testlab Koi - seems to have everything in it - £70 ish.

    Anyone know if they are any good?

    I also have the Seneye Pond Pack - not installed yet though! https://www.seneye.com/devices/seneye-pond


    Cheers

    Mode
    Thanks Mode, the seneye device looks a nice bit of kit.... cheers Steve

  9. #6
    Hi Steve. I have tried a few different test kits and I like the Colombo kit. Easy to do easy to read and think it is only £30 ish for 02 I use a tetra drop test kit.

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    Quote Originally Posted by -Craig- View Post
    Hi Steve. I have tried a few different test kits and I like the Colombo kit. Easy to do easy to read and think it is only £30 ish for 02 I use a tetra drop test kit.
    Hi Craig,
    I hope your well, i will have a look at this kit, all the best Steve..

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  13. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by -Craig- View Post
    Hi Steve. I have tried a few different test kits and I like the Colombo kit. Easy to do easy to read and think it is only £30 ish for 02 I use a tetra drop test kit.
    Craig, how do you get on with your Tetra O2 kit?

    Last year I got the first kit and it gave a high reading of 11 then a very low reading 2 then a reading of 5 and no matter where, when or how I tested with it it never changed from a reading of 5 even when I used Manky Sanke's aerated 2 tub method of checking the test kit. I got another kit a couple of months later from the same supplier thinking it was a bad batch so would be a different batch by now and got the same reading of 5 then tried a different supplier and got the same reading so gave up on it I was testing exactly how the instructions said to test, rinsed out the test tube after each test in pond water, then washing the test tube out after each test and then rinsed the test tube out in pond water before each test. The only thing I was using to take the water from the pond was a very large syringe which was washed out in pond water before and after each test. It was a brand new sterile one when I bought it. So can't work out why I kept getting the same result every time even though I added extra aeration to the pond after the first low reading

    I was only using the same test tube for the O2 tests and nothing else. All my other tests were OK and not effected
    Last edited by Frimley Koi keeper; 26-04-2019 at 12:09 AM.

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    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Don't know if this is of any help to anyone but last year after I'd been testing water every day for Months due to a stubborn nitrite issue I decided to review the 3 main kits I'd been using:

    https://www.koiforum.uk/product-revi...test-kits.html

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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    Don't know if this is of any help to anyone but last year after I'd been testing water every day for Months due to a stubborn nitrite issue I decided to review the 3 main kits I'd been using:

    https://www.koiforum.uk/product-revi...test-kits.html
    thank you RS, Very informative.... cheers Steve.

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  19. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Frimley Koi keeper View Post
    Craig, how do you get on with your Tetra O2 kit?

    Last year I got the first kit and it gave a high reading of 11 then a very low reading 2 then a reading of 5 and no matter where, when or how I tested with it it never changed from a reading of 5 even when I used Manky Sanke's aerated 2 tub method of checking the test kit. I got another kit a couple of months later from the same supplier thinking it was a bad batch so would be a different batch by now and got the same reading of 5 then tried a different supplier and got the same reading so gave up on it I was testing exactly how the instructions said to test, rinsed out the test tube after each test in pond water, then washing the test tube out after each test and then rinsed the test tube out in pond water before each test. The only thing I was using to take the water from the pond was a very large syringe which was washed out in pond water before and after each test. It was a brand new sterile one when I bought it. So can't work out why I kept getting the same result every time even though I added extra aeration to the pond after the first low reading

    I was only using the same test tube for the O2 tests and nothing else. All my other tests were OK and not effected

    Sorry for the late reply, I have been getting readings of between 6 and 8 consistently using the exact same method as you have. You have now got me thinking though as I have tested at various times of the day and even leaving the air of for a few hours and still getting the same results
    going to now have a read through the link that RS has put up.

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  21. #12
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    Craig I think if you are getting different readings between 6 & 8 then your results are genuine and your kit is working as I was getting the same reading of 5 no matter what I did so maybe something I was doing or using was effecting my results. The only thing I am wondering now is it could be the syringe I use to get the water from the pond

  22. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Frimley Koi keeper View Post
    Craig I think if you are getting different readings between 6 & 8 then your results are genuine and your kit is working as I was getting the same reading of 5 no matter what I did so maybe something I was doing or using was effecting my results. The only thing I am wondering now is it could be the syringe I use to get the water from the pond
    i also use a syringe. But I use the one that came in the Colombo test kit, I have used hospital issue ones as well and not noticed any difference to be honest.

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  24. #14
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    OK thanks I was just trying to work out what was going on with my fixed readings of 5

 

 

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