[AquaticLife] test kits
While the Hagen kit is fine, some of the tests are more important if you are planning on having a more advanced planted tank. Iron, calcium and phosphate are not as much of an issue with non-planted tanks or lightly planted tanks with easy to grow plants, where the fish will provide all of the plant nutrients (pee and poop).
I’ve never had to use or felt the need for the above three tests. If you start having unexplained algae problems, then knowing these other things can possibly be helpful. If you have public utility water, you can get a report from them with the levels of these and any other compounds in your water. As long as they are not out of line and you don’t add anything to the tank that would raise any of these compounds, those three tests are not really needed.
The Tetratest-Laborette kit and/or API kit, either for under $20.00 (Walmart.com) will do fine. The T-L kit does ammonia, nitrite, pH, GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and CO2.. so a separate nitrate kit is needed (API’s under $5.00). The API kit will do ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH (low and high) so a separate GH and KH kit would be needed (under $10.00). Since the kits should be replaced annually and either of these kits will last a year for the average hobbyist, there’s no reason to overspend.
So.. you can spend the $99.00 or you can spend $25.00 to $30.00 for the basic 6-7 tests needed (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH and KH… CO2 can be figured out with the results of pH and KH, if needed) and save the $75.00 for that bigger tank setup that you need. 
We haven’t really talked about it much in this thread, but the group has in other threads, but if you have a FreeCycle.org group in your area or Craigslist.org or Garage Sales, other want ads, etc., you might be able to find a much larger tank for a much lower price than buying new. We even had a member out here recently get an entire 55G setup (stand, tank, lighting, filter, etc.) for free off of FreeCycle. The big ones don’t come up often but I have seen smaller tanks, 10G to 20G, for free on a more regular basis.
WalMart.com also sells a 55G kit for $135.00 here in the States, which has the tank, filter, heater, hood, lighting.. so all that would be needed is the stand and you could move the goldfish to the 55G while you rehome the big pleco’s. Then you could use your 29G for a tropical fish tank since you’ve expressed an interest in some tropical fish. I’d rather see you spend that $99.00 you were considering for the Hagen kit on the bigger tank and go with the better priced test kit.
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)
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
