js1 wrote:
On 2005-01-16, Elaine T wrote:

I was looking at the Mardel 5 in 1 test strips and they test for the all
water parameters I need for a good price. Has anyone compared the
readings on Mardel strips to tried-and-true tests like Seachem or Hagen?
I'll be testing FW but am interested in anybody's observations. Are
the strips easy to read, accurate, and do they give the same reading on
repeated use?



I think the accuracy of the readings all depend on what kind of
environment you are keeping. If it's a community tank with a bunch of
hardy fish, I think the 5 in 1 strips are accurate enough.


A ram cichlid (M. ramirezi) with some cardinals and a baby SAE in a 5
gal. tank. Community yes. Hardy? Dunno. Cardinals and SAEs are hardy
for me, but I've never kept a ram before. I'm softening my very hard
local water by mixing some rainwater or distilled water in with it, so I
need some sort of gH and kH measure to be sure they're staying
consistent enough for a ram. It's funny - I've kept all kinds of
difficult fish, but rams have such an awful reputation that I'm a
totally worried mother hen over this little guy.

--
__ Elaine T __
__' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__