StringerBell wrote:

Is there another relatively inexpensive test kit that leaves less variables
to human error?

I'm using Nutrafin, but that's just because two stores recommended this brand as
the one they use in house. The nitrite kit, for example, uses 5 drops each of
two reagents, and I haven't messed that up yet. You still have to deal with a
color card.

I find that the FasTest products from Aquarium Systems are the easiest for me to
read. Instead of a color card, they have a column of colored liquid, against
which you compare your sample. The main drawback to these is that they use dry
powder reagents, which have a limited shelf life (about 3 years). If the kit has
been sitting in the store for 2 years, it won't be a very good buy. The reagents
can be purchased separately, however, so you don't have to buy a new kit when
they go bad. The foil packets are marked with the expiry date.

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/prt...fastestkit.htm has a review.
http://www.aquariumsystems.com has product info.

George Patterson
All successes in conservation are temporary. All defeats are permanent.