Should you use test strips or digital testers for aquariums?

Measuring the essential parameters in your fish tank gives you the information needed to manage and dose the water accurately, creating a healthy environment for your fish and plant life. Testing strips and digital testers are two of the most common options for monitoring key aquarium parameters. Read on to discover which option is best for your fish tank:

What are test strips?

Test strips for aquariums are pieces of paper that are embedded with different chemicals that react to parameters within the water. This reaction causes the chemical on the testing paper to change colour. This colour can then be compared to a colour wheel or chart, requiring personal perception to determine a general range for the levels of each parameter in your fish tank. Test strips may measure multiple parameters or a single parameter.

What are digital testers?

Digital testers for aquariums are an electronic solution for measuring important aquarium water parameters, including ammonia, nitrate and alkalinity. 

The range of popular Checker testers from Hanna are single-parameter colourimeters. When a sample of aquarium water is introduced to a reagent in the supplied glass vial, a reaction occurs that is then measured by the meter to provide an accurate reading of the levels of the individual parameter in the water.

Multiparameter testers, like the Marine Master, provide an accurate and practical solution if you’d like to measure all of the key aquarium parameters for saltwater fish tanks in one instrument. This aquarium photometer also utilises reagents and a sample of water from the aquarium for precise, digital results to monitor water quality.

Are test strips or digital testers better for aquarium testing?

Testing strips are often considered a cost-effective way to test aquarium water. However, the reliance on personal perception of colour to determine the results of testing can cause problems with effectively balancing aquarium water. 

In fish tanks housing corals or fish with strict parameter requirements or higher sensitivities, general test results can lead to underdosing or overdosing beyond the correct range. This can harm the aquarium's inhabitants and may result in costly or time-consuming remediation, such as draining and replacing the water in the tank.

What are the benefits of digital testing?

Digital testers are an easy-to-use, reliable method to keep track of parameters within both freshwater and saltwater aquariums. Some of the benefits of choosing electronic testers for aquariums include:

• Accurate results: Checkers provide a high degree of accuracy when testing aquarium water, providing the precise results and insight needed to effectively manage the water in your fish tank.
• Simple design: A single button and easy step-by-step instructions make using digital testers like Checkers a quick, practical method for the measurement of important parameters in freshwater and marine aquariums.
• A long-term solution: Digital testers can be used many times for testing aquarium water, with reagents as the only required day-to-day consumables.
• A wide range of parameters: The range of electronic Checkers from Hanna covers many common and niche parameters, providing a way to check all of the levels that are important for the care of specific fish, plants and corals.
• No guesswork: A digital tester provides clear results on an LCD screen, with no need to rely on personal and colour perception to determine the results of testing.

Shop digital testers from Hanna Instruments today

Hanna stocks digital testers for both marine and freshwater aquariums, including our bestselling Checker range and the advanced Marine Master for accurate, reliable measurement of key fish tank parameters.

Shop our range of digital testing options for aquariums online now.