the controversy (sort of) test strips

Amen on the pH strips being useless. I'm somewhat colorblind to begin with. My wife always has to give me her "opinion" on what she thinks the test strips read for the pH. As someone stated above, it always seems to be on the higher end 8.2-8.4 range.

And about the colorblindness. . .I don't know if anyone else is like this but on those tests with the hundreds of multicolored dots in a circle that form a number or letter--I can NEVER see a number or letter. Yet, I can tell wire colors apart with no issue. I have some mild brown/green issues, but I can clearly tell the difference b/w a brown and green wire.

As an electrician, one must NOT be colorblind. For my testing in the beginning of my apprenticeship, those tests determined that I was "colorblind." When it came down to business, I had the board test me personally using wires, and I identified every one without issue.

I've never quite understood it. ????

Sorry for the rant, but for this reason, it's been titration tests only for me. Strips are useless. Salifert has been a lifesaver for this guy.

I sure am glad

 

In the case of ammonia etc my main concern with the strips is whether they are accurately registering a zero or not. If they are not very accurate and are showing nothing when there really is something present. Maybe that's not possible I'm not in a position to really critique the science behind it, but with inaccurate methods I don't like assuming that they are correctly registering zero.

 

pH maybe useless but test strips are acurate at a 0 or positive or positive plus reading.. no number just a positive or positive plus (in terms of nitrate nitrite).

 

For me with the strips they always show a higher amount, they will show ammonia or nitrite, but when compared to a liquid and backed up by another type of liquid they where both at 0. SO for me the are wrong by being a false high reading, not lower.

 

I agree with pgoodsell. The strips seem to read high for nitrates.