digital testing

**hoss** · 07-12-2012, 07:38 PM

Is there any digital devices that would test for ph, nitrates, nitrite, ammonia, and or hardness and alkalinity? I'm so tired of little crappy viles breaking on me. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

**Lady Hobbs** · 07-12-2012, 07:48 PM

I've had the same vials for 8 years and never broken even one of them. What are you doing with them? I just throw them in a box when not using them and not one bit careful with them, either.

**Trillianne** · 07-12-2012, 07:55 PM

There are digital meters, but not an all in one type thing that I am aware of. And it will likely be a rather pricey endeavor to track down each kind (hundreds of dollars). Hanna is one brand that makes various digital meters.

May I suggest avoiding chemistry as a profession if you are breaking vials.

**hoss** · 07-12-2012, 07:55 PM

I've got big dumb hands . I have dropped em an inch and they shatter , I squeezed too hard pulling cap off and broke one, and I pushed a cap on once and cracked glass ..make no mistake they are garbage!

**Goes to 11!** · 07-12-2012, 08:02 PM

LOL LH,

At 244$ for a NitrAte monitor you might just want rethink which one you would prefer to drop if you are likely to continue to do such a thing because the vials are far far cheaper. [I guess, Never broke one]

More types available at http://www.drsfostersmith.com/fish-s...t=1&page_num=1

**hoss** · 07-12-2012, 08:19 PM

Sweet that cool device. Nitrate is the one I worry about most. I never trust that I did it right and have to do the test three times just to prove to myself Its done properly. Although I never get different readings but when you have discus you don't mess around.

**Fishguy2727** · 07-13-2012, 12:34 AM

You can get a TDS meter on eBay for $10-15 shipped. You would still want to test nitrate with a liquid test kit for a while to see how they correlate in your tank, but in general they will correlate and it is much faster and easier to use the meter.

**Trillianne** · 07-13-2012, 02:12 AM

A TDS meter reads total disolved solids. It will not tell you how much ammonia, nitrite or nitrates are in the water. It will tell you a total of all solids, such as iron, calcium, chlorides. It does not give information such as individual readings like you have X ppm Ammonia, or Y ppm Nitrites.

**Lady Hobbs** · 07-13-2012, 02:24 AM

Maybe that's the trick. I never use the caps. LOL

**Fishguy2727** · 07-13-2012, 03:31 AM

I know. If the tank is cycled you don't need to worry about ammonia and nitrite. Unless you are screwing with the pH you don't need to know that. Water quality is the only thing you need to worry about long term. We usually test nitrate to gauge overall water quality, but like nitrate TDS goes up over time as well. If you are adding salt (which you should not do on a regular basis in a freshwater tank) or other things like buffers the TDS can go up faster so it is important to test before and after adding anything like that so you know how much it brought up the TDS.

But yes, TDS can allow you to instantly test water quality.