NT Labs Test Kits - Water Quality Test Kits

The PondLab 200 Test Kit gives you a wide variety of tests that can be used for your pond or aquarium.

If you are looking to stock up on the widest range of tests the PondLab 200 Test Kit is the best choice.

Contains:

• Reagents for over 200 tests of pH, GH, KH, Nitrite, Nitrate and Ammonia.
• 6 pastic test tubes.
• Guide to pond and fish care.

Ammonia is released by most living organisms as part of the break down of organic matter. Fish waste contains a high level of ammonia, and they also secrete the substance at the gills.

Ammonia is very detrimental to fish health; it disturbs osmoregulatory function, irritates the gill and skin surfaces, destroys the protective mucous coating of the fish, causes internal and external bleeding, damages the brain and central nervous system. Even at levels below 0.01 ppm ammonia has been shown to depress the immune system of the fish.

Thus it is essential to regularly check the concentration of ammonia using a PondLab Ammonia Test Kit, in your pond or aquarium, to ensure that the bacteria are functioning correctly and all toxic waste ammonia is being removed. (If using the Ammonia test kit in saltwater or hard water aquaria, the amount of reagent 1 added should be doubled, to counteract the higher concentration of dissolved salts).

Ammonia is broken down into Nitrite, which is then broken down into Nitrate. This process forms the biological filtration system and is called the Nitrogen Cycle. Nitrate itself is relatively non-toxic, and will not cause troubles at low concentrations. However Nitrate can cause problems as the level rises;

1. Nitrate is a plant nutrient, thus the plant, and algal life in the pond or tank will consume it for growth, thus removing it from the system. High levels of nitrate can encourage excessive growth of algae and blanket weed in some circumstances.
2. Marine reef invertebrates are very sensitive, and they can become quite intolerant of low concentrations of nitrate, with some symptoms visible at concentrations as low as 5 ppm. Also many fish keepers are starting to suspect that high nitrate levels may exert an influence on the efficiency of the immune system of the fish, and its health in general.

Monitor the level of nitrate in your pond, tank or reef using a PondLab Nitrate Test Kit on a regular basis. When the level becomes too high for your particular system perform a partial water change to lower the nitrate concentration.

Ammonia is broken down by the pond's eco-system into Nitrite. Nitrite is not as toxic as ammonia, but is certainly the second most dangerous threat that you will face with your pond.

As well as irritating the surfaces and gills of the fish the main factor leading to nitrite poisoning is the corruption of the structure of haemoglobin, the oxygen carrying agent of blood. Nitrite causes the addition of a methyl group to haemoglobin, forming methhaemoglobin which cannot carry oxygen, thus ‘asphyxiating’ the fish. This disease, called meth-haemoglobinaemia can be recognised as the fishes blood turns from red to brown.

Check the nitrite concentration of your freshwater or marine aquarium using a PondLab Nitrite Test Kit or for ponds use the Pond Check Nitrite Test Kit. The nitrite level of the water should always be zero. (Unless just starting up)

The appearance of any colour in this test indicates a warning that the filter system is not working perfectly.

Oxygen is essential for the fish, plants and filter bacteria of your pond or aquarium. The concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water can easily drop to levels that are dangerous to the fish by causing hypoxia stress. This can leave them vulnerable to diseases and in extreme cases cause death. Ponds with consistently low levels of oxygen can frequently become stagnant and unable to support life.

There are many factors that can influence the amount of oxygen that water can hold. In a pond the most critical is the temperature of the water. The warmer the water, the less oxygen it can hold.

Levels of oxygen can become low in ponds at night when the photosynthetic activity of the plants and algae stops, but they continue to use oxygen as part of normal respiration. Ponds with an excessive build up of detritus and sludge in the filters and substrate can become very oxygen-poor as the breakdown of this waste uses up large amounts of oxygen. Ponds can become very low in oxygen in hot, humid, thundery weather as the air pressure is very low so the gas exchange capacity at the water surface is greatly reduced. Use a PondLab Oxygen Test regularly to monitor the oxygen levels in your pond.

Salt can be a beneficial addition to your pond or aquarium, as long as it is closely monitored. Salt can assist in healing fungal infections and detoxifying nitrite. The Salt Test Hydrometer allows you to accurately measure the salt content in your pond or aquarium so that you can make sure you are delivering the proper doses to your fish.