hi, anyone seen or used this product before?? It is a disk with 4 indicator that requires to be soak in the water.. leaving it inside, the indicator wheel changes color if ammonia goes up and with it, you know when it is still safe and when it has reached unsafe or dangerous level..
it is claimed to be active up to 1 year and it cost S$9.00.. around US$5 and AU$8..
my question is, does it works and is it accurate???
Full Version: Ammonia Detector/indicator
similar to this product
http://www.petsr4u.com/proddetail.asp?prod=SC50
http://www.petsr4u.com/proddetail.asp?prod=SC50
I have a couple of those. You can buy a replacement disc to fit on the indicator plastic pad each year for far less.
They work exactly as they are supposed to work. They do not give you a very accurate reading, but they are not meant to. They are simply meant to give you a heads up if something is happening that you did not expect.
I use them when I am doing weird stuff to my tanks - cycling them, using meds that might affect a cycle, adding fish, changing filters/pads/sponges, etc. They will not tell you anything about minor changes in your water chemistry, but will certainly allert you to something drastic that is crashing your cycle! I find them very helpful, for it is easy to get complacent about a tank's cycle, and forget that different meds, food, fish, and timing can seriously change a water's chemistry in a very short amount of time. They are particularly good at alerting you to a problem if you only test once a week, for a tank can turn bad in a matter of hours if there is a change or problem or treatment. Treat them as just a warning, though. They signal that it is time to TEST the tank and find out what is REALLY happening.
The other use I have found for them is to make believers out of non-believers of cycleing a tank. I have given these to a fair number of newbies. They then become convinced that the sensers are wrong and never register anything but high, toxic amounts of ammonia. Then I move the same senser to my tank and show them that it REALLY works. That has helped convince a number of people that "cycling" really exixts and really works.
They work exactly as they are supposed to work. They do not give you a very accurate reading, but they are not meant to. They are simply meant to give you a heads up if something is happening that you did not expect.
I use them when I am doing weird stuff to my tanks - cycling them, using meds that might affect a cycle, adding fish, changing filters/pads/sponges, etc. They will not tell you anything about minor changes in your water chemistry, but will certainly allert you to something drastic that is crashing your cycle! I find them very helpful, for it is easy to get complacent about a tank's cycle, and forget that different meds, food, fish, and timing can seriously change a water's chemistry in a very short amount of time. They are particularly good at alerting you to a problem if you only test once a week, for a tank can turn bad in a matter of hours if there is a change or problem or treatment. Treat them as just a warning, though. They signal that it is time to TEST the tank and find out what is REALLY happening.
The other use I have found for them is to make believers out of non-believers of cycleing a tank. I have given these to a fair number of newbies. They then become convinced that the sensers are wrong and never register anything but high, toxic amounts of ammonia. Then I move the same senser to my tank and show them that it REALLY works. That has helped convince a number of people that "cycling" really exixts and really works.
Thanks for the information Daryl.....I just may buy one of those!
Keekee
Keekee
I use one by SeaChem. About $8, but I live in an expensive area.
same here as jabber jaw i think they work there good to have sheesh i paid 2.99 for mine 
you must live in an expensive area
you must live in an expensive area
Yup, I swear by them. They are not meant to take the place of regular weekly water testing, but as someone else said, they can alert you to problems before they become out of control. I have them on every single tank.
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