The Puffer Forum

I had ordered liquid test for ammonia for my SW tank, and now the webshop has sent me a little mechanical thing instead. It's called Ammonia alert, and is a little thing with a sucksion cup, which is supposed to stay in the tank all the time. Am I right in my belief that this thing is just trash?

I'm not sure, I bought one a few years back for freshwater, and it never changed colors the whole time I had it in the tank. So I took it out to return it to the store, and while it was dry it changed colors. I don't know if I got an old one, or if it was just a bad batch, but I feel like most of Seachem's products are pretty good. So I don't really know. I've always wondered if anyone had tested them.

If i am honest it sounds like a big steamy pile of poo to me.

I have an ammonia alert little doohickey, and just the other day I wondered if it still worked and held it over an open bottle of ammonia and it turned blue immediately. These things don't last forever though, so you're still better off with a liquid test kit and doing regular water checks. Even still, they can tip you off to ammonia spikes, so they're kind of nice to have.

I've heard that they are OK. But I have also heard that they're not a replacement for good liquid kits, just a handy supplemental tool.

Get the liquid test kit.

Completely agreed. One of my tanks came with an Ammonia Alert, and the ph it shows has always been .3-.4 different from my liquid tests. In the long run I believe you will save money with the liquid tests, as you are supposed to replace the ammonia alert every 6 months. Not to mention how important accuracy is.

I have a Seachem Ammonia Alert in both my tanks, but still test with my API kit weekly or anytime I think I might be experiencing a cycle bump. I consider them a worst-case scenario warning system if something goes drastically wrong when I'm not expecting it.

Lol, I just realized I was talking about my ph alert.