[AquaticLife] Alternative to API test tubes?

January 10, 2009 @ 2:15 pm · Filed under Philippines Internet Koi Society

The API test tubes have the 5ml marking line and as you already know, are round and only 1/2″ in diameter so they are not very stable on their own (that’s why they provide the little waxed cardboard tray for holding them.. lol). If you are careful, the cardboard tray seems to last a long time. I still have the same one from about 5 years ago. For something more durable and stable, you could make a better tray by taking a piece of scrap wood (1″ x 4″ by 8″ long would work great) and drilling appropriate sized 1/2″ holes 1/2 way into the wood to hold the test tubes. This would be water resistant and should last more than one lifetime.
The Tetratest-Laborette Master Test Kit comes with a couple of rectangular plastic test tubes… or would that be test rectangles? LOL They have a slightly wider plastic base on them and they are graded in 1ml increments up to 10ml. From front to back, they are the same thickness as the API test tubes so the color grading stays the same… at least to my eyes and I’ve compared them. I’ve used these for my API testing… especially when I want to do a 10ml test instead of the 5ml test, which insures a little more accurate test results, or if I’m only testing one or two tests. If I’m performing all six tests, then I have to use all four API tubes (two have broken over the years) and the two T-L tubes. I did notice that on a recent replacement kit for the API Nitrate kit, the test tube came in plastic and not as tall…. but still no wider base on it. With plastic, they could have easily set up the mold to include a wider base to make it individually stable but maybe they bought the plastic tubes from an existing inventory to cut costs.
The main thing you would need is something that is clear and something that has the same depth/diameter as the 1/2″ API test tube since going less or more would change the color when looking through it for comparative purposes when it’s in front of the color card.
You could also go to a school supply outlet that might sell chemistry and biology department supplies and they probably sell various sized test tubes and holders. Once again, the key is to get a test tube that has the same 1/2″ diameter (or depth if a square or rectangle). I’m guessing they also sell plastic test tubes nowadays but I’ll confess that I’ve been out of high school for a couple of years. Of course, the plastic ones would not fare well over a bunsen burner so maybe they don’t sell many of them in school supply outlets. Do they still let high schoolers use bunsen burners… or is that considered too dangerous nowadays? I only remember creating a hazard a few times… and I think only one resulted in an actual evacuation. LOL
Lenny Vasbinder Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com (Links to any articles referenced in above reply are listed on the right side, alphabetically under Labels and also under Archives by Year, Month)