Seachum Ammonia Alert???

Question

My fish store was out of ammonia testing kits that I usually use and I was out at home. I bought a Seachum Ammonia alert thing that sticks inside the tank and the middle disc changes colors. I am getting a 0 reading on ammonia, which is what I expected, but how accurate are these? They seem so much simpler and cheaper than traditional testing. The instructions say that they will work for a year. I don't test ammonia often at all, basically a day or two after adding fish or if I notice any changes in nitrite or nitrate and once a month just to be sure. So am I ok relying on this, I have never used anything like this before or seen one. Thank you

Answer 1

I doubt they would be very reliable at all.  I would buy the test kit that has the bottle with drops you put in the test tube of tank water for the most accurate results. Even these can be off sometimes. The test kit could be expired, or just a bad batch and you wouldnt know the difference. As long as you arent over feeding or overstocking, and keeping a regular maintenance/water change schedule you shouldnt have anything to worry about.  Just perform a test when things seem wrong and you are trying to figure out whats going on. If something dies in your tank, remove it immediately to prevent a buildup of ammonia as well