API Test Strips

Dip strips give you a water reading in under a minute, which is why they tend to get used far more often than the kit sitting in a drawer.

Key features

• Dip, wait, and compare against the colour chart — no reagents, tubes or counting drops
• The 5-in-1 strip covers pH, carbonate hardness, general hardness, nitrite and nitrate in a single dip
• A pH-only strip is available for keepers tracking that one parameter
• Supplied in a desiccant-lined tube with a snap cap, which keeps the unused strips dry

Options

• 5-in-1, in a tube or a box
• pH strips

The trade-off is worth being straight about. Strips are quick and convenient; liquid reagent kits are generally regarded as more precise. Strips suit routine checks and spotting a change, and when a reading looks alarming it is worth confirming with a liquid kit before acting on it. Note too that the 5-in-1 strip does not read ammonia, which is the parameter that matters most in a new tank.

Liquid kits and separate ammonia tests are in our API collection. Local pickup at our Lethbridge store.