I love these things so much! I got one recently and it's given me such a peace of mind. My betta tank recently had a cycle crash, so unfortunately now I have to do a fish-in cycle. I have really bad anxiety and it was a huge distraction worrying about if Prime was binding all of the ammonia since my test kit only tests for total ammonia. Being able to look over at the tank and see the yellow sticker has saved me from a lot of headaches and panic attacks. 10/10, would definitely recommend.
Found one of these in an old box of aquarium gear I had stuffed away. At least 20 years old. Granted it hasn't been in the water all that time, but it still works.
Great video! Thank you! I unfortunately watched this video after I did exactly what he said and ruined my badges immediately. But I got new ones and I love them! Definitely don’t overlook the instructions 😅
"Nice and very informative video! This unboxing video is thorough and detailed. You've covered all aspects of the product and explained everything clearly. After watching this video, I decided to purchase the product, and I’m happy to report that it’s working perfectly fine. Thank you for such a helpful and insightful review..
Thanks for clarifying that Free/Bound Ammonia issue... I was worried my badge was faulty precisely because my API Water Test kit was showing Ammonia present, but the badge showed a Safe reading. 👍
It’s great that I was able to help you clear that up. While researching my video, I found that there was tons of confusion around free & bound ammonia too. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions and thanks for watching.
Damn I have been testing my new tank using Ammonia test kit from Seachem and all this time I was testing for Total Ammonia instead of Free Ammonia 🤦♂️
By far the best You-Tube Video on Ammonia! I bought one yesterday! The API Kit was actually driving me insane. (LOL) Thank you so much! I actually have 0 Nitrates & Nitrites!
I have used these for a number of years without any problems but I recently read some bad stuff about them. This revue is excellent and very informative. It's settled my mind after reading the bad stuff.
Thank you for clearing up how to read it. It turns out I was reading it right. I recently got a fresh water sting ray pup an have been worried about the ammonia levels with in the tank. You have really put my mind at ease
Aa great as this product is the quality of the video is even better and I have seen everything on the? Seachem Ammonia badges. 🌏💚💙 Please make sure that you will be making a lot more!!!
Thinking to buying this type of alert badge or not, but after watch your video i will considering buy this type alert badge. Again very helpful and thanks.
Thanks. I actually threw one out because I thought it wasn't working. I feel stupid but, but I have another that I just moved into a problem tank because I understand now and am much more confident that it will begin doing it's job. Appreciate it.
Thanks for the comment and I am glad to hear that this video helped you. These badges can get confusing if you don't understand all the tips and tricks to correctly use them. So, don't feel bad about tossing that last one, I bet that happened to a bunch of people.
What a great narrative video. I wasn't going to get one because of poor results and reviews. But you explained perfectly why people don't like it. Thanks for a top notch job and im off to get one
Thanks for this. I've put Ammonium Chloride in my tank that should get it to about 4ppm (fishless cycling a new tank) but the Seachem Ammonia Alert is only showing 0.05ppm. I couldn't figure out where it had all gone, as it's too early to have been converted to nitrite/nitrate. This video clarified that it's because I also have Prime in the water and it's been bound. Thanks for solving the mystery!
Thanks so much for clarifying the free/bound ammonia thing - I haven't installed my sensor yet, but I bet I would've compared the reading to my API test & freaked out! Whew....crises diverted!
I bought the test strips for my betta 9 gallon nano aquarium and forgot to test the ammonia test.. doing water changing till I get this badge. love it already! and thank you a lot for this video!
I have two badges one for ammonia and one for ph you're information was very helpful to me to understand how it works and second to see that test with the ammonia glass cleaner. Thanks alot we'll appreciated
Thank you for your very informative video on the use of the Ammonia Test kit Badge in your fish tank. I have two of them that I will place in two of my ten gallon tanks with my betta and Otocinclus catfish.
Great now I get it! I was confused by the badge reading compared to my test kit result. This shows that my seachem prime binds the ammonia in the tank. Test kit shows a high reading of Ammonia but the badge shows it’s in safe zone. So this badge is useful to show the amount of free ammonia in my tank. Thanks!
Very helpful. I’m quarantining for the first time, a Royal gramma, and my badge has been consistently yellow, but my test kit said 0.8 total ammonia. I did a hefty water change, but was perplexed and the fish showed no signs of stress. I had added some bacteria in a bottle, but no ammonia binding agent. Sounds like I can rely on this badge a bit more than I thought.
I have one in each of my three tanks, they are seriously good value and can prevent something terrible from happening. I have a real small tank up in my office so parameters change quickly, its just 5 litres, with cherry shrimp and 3 male true endlers. I find you even see the bright yellow start to fade and grey creeping in around the circle when you are starting to get the slightest Ammonia before you even get to the completely grey alert level. I do a small 1/5 water change and it returns to vibrant yellow within an hour or two. One tip id give is though you may want to hide it away for making your tank attractive make sure that your aquarium light is shining through it well and make very sure to clear algae off the back especially dark algaes that distort your colour dot. I have the PH one in my betta tank, not awfully useful but it came as a combo. As I'm about to establish a dedicated heavily planted shrimp tank the PH one will be useful there. Shame you don't get alarms like this for nitrtrite I'm sure there's a technical reason.
Good video, thanks. I have a well cycled 50 gallon tank that is showing 1-2 ppm total ammonia (NH3/NH4+) with an API test kit. I used Prime to protect the fish and at this point I'm pretty sure that something is causing a false positive with the Salicylate test (possibly Ca or phosphates). This test strip is showing safe in the tank. At 2 ppm, the calculators would say I had >0.03ppm free NH3.
What if I already placed it in my tank and I’m not sure the badge is working? I just set up a new tank and it’s reading 0 ammonia which can’t be correct right?!
Thank you very much for your explanation. I am new to the hobbi planing to get two of this badges.I am on the process of collecting all I need to start a 15 gallons salt water tank and a small one to quarentene the fish.
cristina lexy I'm happy to hear the video helped. We are in the process of hatching some baby clownfish, but there will be a video about sponge filters this week. Those filters are perfect for quarantine tanks.
Thanks for the Vid helpful, going threw a semi cycle situation with fish in. Learning on the fly knowing the different ammonia's has given me some peace of mind going threw cycling process. How long can you treat a tank with Prime before doing a water change is necessary ,? to allow the good bacteria a better chance to set up ?
Glad I found your review! I really wasn't sure how well it worked, as the reviews were all over the place even though I knew about the free and bound ammonia. I love Seachem, but sometimes they make things that seem too good to be true, you know? I just finished cycling a tank, so this badge will help immensely!
Thank you! Your video was far more useful than the lame instructions that came with the product. All that was necessary is to reveal that the center dot is the display and that yellow is good and dark blue is bad. Again, thanks!
I cycled a 30 long. For a long time with one fish. Finally I added 15 Tetras. Everything looked ok. I made a fatal error and replaced the filter media with something NEW....a carbon filled piece from Petco. Suddenly, my Tetras starting dying off and I had an ammonia spike. I’ve lost five so far. In four days. I’ve Done numerous 50% water changes. The PH is good, temps good....I’ve put CAMO in the water. Will continue water changes and food just every other day. Hope for the best. I plan to buy one of these units, I saw them at Petco. Thanks for the review.
Do not do water changes when you get an ammonia spike. When you have an ammonia spike and do a water change that toxic ammonia can still be in your water. What you wanna do is add some prime and then some fritz zyme 7 intriguing bacteria. Prime neutralizes the ammonia while the fritz eats at it.
I have the same thing in my tank but when I go to store to get water tested says high ammonia the have done the dunk test and the liquid have changed my water a lot and have added ammonia remover still losing some fish the disc say it is safe so will give it a test r Thanks
Pre-testing this particular badge was and is a very important procedure as you have simply demonstrated. People have to understand this and everything else you explained in order to properly guard against what ever testing they are doing. It's just so unfortunate that your video (this one particularly) is overlooked... Perhaps Seachem could recognize your video and use it as a guide for those interested in their products. I know this happens with some companies because I've seen it in the Photography industry with certain lenses/camera gear. BTW, I gave your video a thumbs up and subscribed as well!
Thanks for the awesome comment and the sub! You perfectly explained why I created this video in the first place. I found so many forum posts and reviews from frustrated people that were wondering if their badge even worked at all. I'm just happy I could help and I will reach out to Seachem. Keep spreading the word and look out for more videos in the coming weeks.
My seachem alert badge is always in the alert color. But when i test the water i have 0 ammonia. I have 3 of these in different tanks and the other 2 seem to work fine. 🤷🏻♂️
So if the liquid test at petsmart showed marginal ammonia does that mean I'm pretty much ok because of the type of testing it does? or is that still bad. It was slightly darker than the 0 result.
going to get 2.i will put them side by side to see if they are working as they should or if they read different.bad part is,if different readings,which is more accurate.i guess if you have 3 you can let the 3rd be the deciding factor unless all 3 read different.keep in mind folks,dirty filters can create a real problem.but just changing filters will not remove the ammonia but it will keep the dirty filters from increasing the levels.if you see your fish doing the back stroke with x's where they once had eyes,then you have real problems..thanks for the vid.
Great Video! I was considering buying this for my main tank, but I was just so concerned about the bad reviews of this product so I had second thoughts. So glad I found this video! 👍👍 Btw, will this be a sufficient alternative for water test kits? I am considering ditching the water test kits completely and settle for this badge, because it lasts so much longer and it's affordable.
If I remember correctly, the two-step test kits that test for total ammonia work by first dramatically elevating the pH of the water sample. I wish I could recall where I read this. If anyone knows for sure and can either confirm or deny this, I'd love to know for sure. In any case, I love these. I don't use them as a substitute for daily liquid tests during a cycle, because of course the goal is no ammonia at all, but they do keep me fretting around around the clock between tests. I keep them even after that, just as an extra precaution to let me know if one of my tanks needs some unscheduled attention.
I think the badge is a good indicator of CHANGE. For more advanced things like testing you would of course need something more precise. The response of the badge (time) would depend on circulation BUT I think Seachem used to say the response time was 2 hours.
I agree. I just felt that this video needed to be made due to the large amounts of people that compare liquid tests to the badge and panic. It’s difficult to know what to trust when one says safe and one says lethal. When I do an update to the video I will add a bit about higher flow giving slight better reaction time.
You say quaranteen tank or new tank. Can i keep it in my Main tank thats been runing for a year or do you Only recomend it for new tanks or quarant tank?
Do these work indefinitely? Or do they have to be replaced after a period of time? Granted the plastic holds up and other obvious factors that would stop it from working.
I bought 1 before watching any vids. I followed instruction and it reads light yellow im guessing thats good it hasnt moved on that color since 2 weeks ago. when do you think will be the time that color will change and do you think amonia can be more seen lower in the tank?or it dont matter If you got time pls respond ty.
I bougt one and so far its been on the safe (yellow ) for te past week but its weird my fish died tonight for nitrate spike ??? going to get a new one tomorrow
I'm unsure of the placement on that exact model, but the usual order for a canister goes like this. Poly filter pad --> bio media --> carbon--> return. It's largely user preference, but that's a workable configuration. Sometimes you use a 2nd poly filter stage before the return to trap any carbon dust.
Great video, helped me a lot to make a decession,thank you! Though there is one thing i dont understand, might someone can help me. I do fish in cycle in 5 gallon tank.yesterday,when i received the bedge and placed into the tank, it went straight into alert. i did a proper ammonia test, there i got 3ppm ammonia result.based on this i added 3ml prime and up till now(24 hours later) the bedge is showing alert. never changed any colour since i placed it into the tank.
So I've been doing a ton of water changes, I rinsed the filter, I vacuumed the gravel etc but my badge still says it's in the alert zone. My fish seem happy and healthy so I'm not sure what's going on. Any advice?
You could try to pour some tank water over it or CAREFULLY dab around the film with a paper towel wet with tank water. Never use your bare hand or apply too much pressure and it should be ok. Good luck and let us know.
I got a new one and it doesn't work. It's saying safe but JBL liquid amónia test is saying that amónia is super high. Maybe it's the type of Amónia, I used seachem prime. I started the aquarium 3 days ago. Also have a ph alert and is failing by 0.4, it's saying 7.0 and I measure 6.6
Great video and explanation of how the product works! Bought myself one after seeing your video...However, how do you classify a "gray" color? Yes, I did verify that the sensor is working by removing the monitor and placing it in a bowl of tap water where it returned to yellow. However, when placed inside my aquarium it is gray...Any ideas? BTW, it's a new tank that's still going through it's cycle...
Always happy to hear that the info in my video was helpful. When it turns gray, it usually means there is a small amount of ammonia that is on the cusp of hitting alert levels. According to Sea Chem, you should treat the gray as an alert reading and add in a little Prime, AmGuard or Stability to bring levels back down to 0. I have a few that turn gray from time to time in the fish room over here too.
TDS readings will not be very helpful for freshwater fish keeping. Starting with low TDS water is great, but to monitor the true water quality you will need to test for nitrates and nitrites. Here a link to a good fresh water test kit - amzn.to/2QVTzRa Nitrites should always be 0, nitrates should be as close to 0 as possible with pH between 7 (neutral pH) and 8. I hope that helps.
Hi there. My struggle with the badge is I have a hard time reading when it goes from safe to alert. I can't tell if it is truly at alert and if I shine a light behind the badge it looks yellow but under ambient light (which my QTs run with) it looks like the alert color. If I shine a light on the badge directly on it it looks like the alert color. When I test with an API test it get 0.5 or 1.0 PPM usually at this level. I'm not sure if I'm doing a water change unnecessarily or if I should just wait.
I love these things so much! I got one recently and it's given me such a peace of mind. My betta tank recently had a cycle crash, so unfortunately now I have to do a fish-in cycle. I have really bad anxiety and it was a huge distraction worrying about if Prime was binding all of the ammonia since my test kit only tests for total ammonia. Being able to look over at the tank and see the yellow sticker has saved me from a lot of headaches and panic attacks. 10/10, would definitely recommend.
Thank you, did a water change noticed the color. Listened to your step by step, saved in my aquarium list. 👍
Found one of these in an old box of aquarium gear I had stuffed away. At least 20 years old. Granted it hasn't been in the water all that time, but it still works.
Great video! Thank you! I unfortunately watched this video after I did exactly what he said and ruined my badges immediately. But I got new ones and I love them! Definitely don’t overlook the instructions 😅
"Nice and very informative video! This unboxing video is thorough and detailed. You've covered all aspects of the product and explained everything clearly. After watching this video, I decided to purchase the product, and I’m happy to report that it’s working perfectly fine. Thank you for such a helpful and insightful review..
Thanks for clarifying that Free/Bound Ammonia issue... I was worried my badge was faulty precisely because my API Water Test kit was showing Ammonia present, but the badge showed a Safe reading. 👍
It’s great that I was able to help you clear that up. While researching my video, I found that there was tons of confusion around free & bound ammonia too. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions and thanks for watching.
@@HackersReef yes, thank you for everything
I had same issues with API
Damn I have been testing my new tank using Ammonia test kit from Seachem and all this time I was testing for Total Ammonia instead of Free Ammonia 🤦♂️
By far the best You-Tube Video on Ammonia! I bought one yesterday! The API Kit was actually driving me insane. (LOL) Thank you so much! I actually have 0 Nitrates & Nitrites!
Hi how long does the badge last?
That's the answer I was looking for! Now I can understand the reason for so many controversial reviews, thank you for that!
Great video! Just bought 2 amonia alerts and put in my 70 g and 20 gallon quarantine tank.
I have used these for a number of years without any problems but I recently read some bad stuff about them. This revue is excellent and very informative. It's settled my mind after reading the bad stuff.
Thank you for clearing up how to read it. It turns out I was reading it right. I recently got a fresh water sting ray pup an have been worried about the ammonia levels with in the tank. You have really put my mind at ease
Aa great as this product is the quality of the video is even better and I have seen everything on the? Seachem Ammonia badges. 🌏💚💙 Please make sure that you will be making a lot more!!!
Thinking to buying this type of alert badge or not, but after watch your video i will considering buy this type alert badge. Again very helpful and thanks.
Thanks for the comment and I’m glad I was able to help.
Thanks. I actually threw one out because I thought it wasn't working. I feel stupid but, but I have another that I just moved into a problem tank because I understand now and am much more confident that it will begin doing it's job. Appreciate it.
Thanks for the comment and I am glad to hear that this video helped you. These badges can get confusing if you don't understand all the tips and tricks to correctly use them. So, don't feel bad about tossing that last one, I bet that happened to a bunch of people.
You not stupid. Even people who have been in the hobby for yrs are still learning new thing or a new way of doing thing.
Thanks, I was looking to purchase on of these so I can constantly monitor the ammonia levels in my aquarium.
What a great narrative video. I wasn't going to get one because of poor results and reviews. But you explained perfectly why people don't like it. Thanks for a top notch job and im off to get one
Thanks for this. I've put Ammonium Chloride in my tank that should get it to about 4ppm (fishless cycling a new tank) but the Seachem Ammonia Alert is only showing 0.05ppm. I couldn't figure out where it had all gone, as it's too early to have been converted to nitrite/nitrate. This video clarified that it's because I also have Prime in the water and it's been bound. Thanks for solving the mystery!
thank you so much for this information.god bless and see you again.
Thanks so much for clarifying the free/bound ammonia thing - I haven't installed my sensor yet, but I bet I would've compared the reading to my API test & freaked out! Whew....crises diverted!
Fantastic video1
Thank you for your narrative on the installation and use of this product. I have a 5 gallon tank that can turn you fast.
Everyone thinks small tanks would be easier, 20gal and below can go toxic so quickly it's crazy.
@@Ephem13 exactly it’s all about stability
I bought the test strips for my betta 9 gallon nano aquarium and forgot to test the ammonia test.. doing water changing till I get this badge. love it already! and thank you a lot for this video!
Thank you for this video! It's very helpful.
I have two badges one for ammonia and one for ph you're information was very helpful to me to understand how it works and second to see that test with the ammonia glass cleaner. Thanks alot we'll appreciated
Thank you for your very informative video on the use of the Ammonia Test kit Badge in your fish tank. I have two of them that I will place in two of my ten gallon tanks with my betta and Otocinclus catfish.
A very helpful video. Clearly understandable and informative thank you for uploading it
Great now I get it! I was confused by the badge reading compared to my test kit result. This shows that my seachem prime binds the ammonia in the tank. Test kit shows a high reading of Ammonia but the badge shows it’s in safe zone. So this badge is useful to show the amount of free ammonia in my tank. Thanks!
Great video. Very informative. Cheers mate.
Very helpful. I’m quarantining for the first time, a Royal gramma, and my badge has been consistently yellow, but my test kit said 0.8 total ammonia. I did a hefty water change, but was perplexed and the fish showed no signs of stress. I had added some bacteria in a bottle, but no ammonia binding agent. Sounds like I can rely on this badge a bit more than I thought.
Clear concise info, thanks and the ammonia test works too!
What a great review! Thank you for your time.
I have one in each of my three tanks, they are seriously good value and can prevent something terrible from happening. I have a real small tank up in my office so parameters change quickly, its just 5 litres, with cherry shrimp and 3 male true endlers. I find you even see the bright yellow start to fade and grey creeping in around the circle when you are starting to get the slightest Ammonia before you even get to the completely grey alert level. I do a small 1/5 water change and it returns to vibrant yellow within an hour or two. One tip id give is though you may want to hide it away for making your tank attractive make sure that your aquarium light is shining through it well and make very sure to clear algae off the back especially dark algaes that distort your colour dot. I have the PH one in my betta tank, not awfully useful but it came as a combo. As I'm about to establish a dedicated heavily planted shrimp tank the PH one will be useful there. Shame you don't get alarms like this for nitrtrite I'm sure there's a technical reason.
Excellent video. Thank you.
Thank you so much this was very helpful.
shit! I was about to remove the center sticker thinking it had another protective tape! 😅 thank you for the video.
Good video, thanks. I have a well cycled 50 gallon tank that is showing 1-2 ppm total ammonia (NH3/NH4+) with an API test kit. I used Prime to protect the fish and at this point I'm pretty sure that something is causing a false positive with the Salicylate test (possibly Ca or phosphates). This test strip is showing safe in the tank. At 2 ppm, the calculators would say I had >0.03ppm free NH3.
Thank you! Great video and very informative!
What if I already placed it in my tank and I’m not sure the badge is working? I just set up a new tank and it’s reading 0 ammonia which can’t be correct right?!
Great video, I learn something new today from you thanks!
Very nice information, I've used this product before and it works very well.
Gr8 video thanks
I made the mistake of touching the centre senor, u think its ruined?
Yes, you cant trust anymore to the test
Thank you very much for your explanation. I am new to the hobbi planing to get two of this badges.I am on the process of collecting all I need to start a 15 gallons salt water tank and a small one to quarentene the fish.
cristina lexy I'm happy to hear the video helped. We are in the process of hatching some baby clownfish, but there will be a video about sponge filters this week. Those filters are perfect for quarantine tanks.
Great video! Very informative. Thank you
Thanks for the Vid helpful, going threw a semi cycle situation with fish in. Learning on the fly knowing the different ammonia's has given me some peace of mind going threw cycling process. How long can you treat a tank with Prime before doing a water change is necessary ,? to allow the good bacteria a better chance to set up ?
Glad I found your review! I really wasn't sure how well it worked, as the reviews were all over the place even though I knew about the free and bound ammonia. I love Seachem, but sometimes they make things that seem too good to be true, you know? I just finished cycling a tank, so this badge will help immensely!
Really happy to hear that this video helped. You're 100% correct, the directions for the badge are a bit vague and confused me at first too.
Thank you! Your video was far more useful than the lame instructions that came with the product. All that was necessary is to reveal that the center dot is the display and that yellow is good and dark blue is bad. Again, thanks!
I cycled a 30 long. For a long time with one fish. Finally I added 15 Tetras. Everything looked ok. I made a fatal error and replaced the filter media with something NEW....a carbon filled piece from Petco. Suddenly, my Tetras starting dying off and I had an ammonia spike. I’ve lost five so far.
In four days. I’ve Done numerous 50% water changes. The PH is good, temps good....I’ve put CAMO in the water. Will continue water changes and food just every other day. Hope for the best. I plan to buy one of these units, I saw them at Petco. Thanks for the review.
Do not do water changes when you get an ammonia spike. When you have an ammonia spike and do a water change that toxic ammonia can still be in your water. What you wanna do is add some prime and then some fritz zyme 7 intriguing bacteria. Prime neutralizes the ammonia while the fritz eats at it.
Can I use this all the time for a year in my 3 gal betta tank? I only have 1 fish. Thanks
I have the same thing in my tank but when I go to store to get water tested says high ammonia the have done the dunk test and the liquid have changed my water a lot and have added ammonia remover still losing some fish the disc say it is safe so will give it a test r
Thanks
Great video very useful information
Very informative
Great video here.
Helpful.. Thanks for this!
How do you know when it's gone bad without removing it from the tank and exposing to ammonia?
Pre-testing this particular badge was and is a very important procedure as you have simply demonstrated. People have to understand this and everything else you explained in order to properly guard against what ever testing they are doing. It's just so unfortunate that your video (this one particularly) is overlooked... Perhaps Seachem could recognize your video and use it as a guide for those interested in their products. I know this happens with some companies because I've seen it in the Photography industry with certain lenses/camera gear. BTW, I gave your video a thumbs up and subscribed as well!
Thanks for the awesome comment and the sub! You perfectly explained why I created this video in the first place.
I found so many forum posts and reviews from frustrated people that were wondering if their badge even worked at all.
I'm just happy I could help and I will reach out to Seachem. Keep spreading the word and look out for more videos in the coming weeks.
Hi. Can I use it when I give medication for my fish? Thank you
Very helpful. Thank you
Thank you
beyond excellent . !!thanks
Awesome thanks so much for this 🙏
My seachem alert badge is always in the alert color. But when i test the water i have 0 ammonia. I have 3 of these in different tanks and the other 2 seem to work fine. 🤷🏻♂️
Get a great deal on the Seachem Ammonia Alert, shipped right to your home @ amzn.to/2BtEigs
Good video. Thank you
Excellent thanks so much!
Great video.
Brett Backer glad you enjoyed the video. Are you using the alert in a fresh or saltwater aquarium?
So if the liquid test at petsmart showed marginal ammonia does that mean I'm pretty much ok because of the type of testing it does? or is that still bad. It was slightly darker than the 0 result.
going to get 2.i will put them side by side to see if they are working as they should or if they read different.bad part is,if different readings,which is more accurate.i guess if you have 3 you can let the 3rd be the deciding factor unless all 3 read different.keep in mind folks,dirty filters can create a real problem.but just changing filters will not remove the ammonia but it will keep the dirty filters from increasing the levels.if you see your fish doing the back stroke with x's where they once had eyes,then you have real problems..thanks for the vid.
Great Video! I was considering buying this for my main tank, but I was just so concerned about the bad reviews of this product so I had second thoughts. So glad I found this video! 👍👍
Btw, will this be a sufficient alternative for water test kits? I am considering ditching the water test kits completely and settle for this badge, because it lasts so much longer and it's affordable.
Answered questions I've had about this. Did not easily detect scale changes and was not aware of the protective film over it. Lol
If I remember correctly, the two-step test kits that test for total ammonia work by first dramatically elevating the pH of the water sample. I wish I could recall where I read this. If anyone knows for sure and can either confirm or deny this, I'd love to know for sure.
In any case, I love these. I don't use them as a substitute for daily liquid tests during a cycle, because of course the goal is no ammonia at all, but they do keep me fretting around around the clock between tests. I keep them even after that, just as an extra precaution to let me know if one of my tanks needs some unscheduled attention.
I think the badge is a good indicator of CHANGE. For more advanced things like testing you would of course need something more precise. The response of the badge (time) would depend on circulation BUT I think Seachem used to say the response time was 2 hours.
I agree. I just felt that this video needed to be made due to the large amounts of people that compare liquid tests to the badge and panic. It’s difficult to know what to trust when one says safe and one says lethal.
When I do an update to the video I will add a bit about higher flow giving slight better reaction time.
What about the PH alert, that something that’s useful as well
You say quaranteen tank or new tank. Can i keep it in my Main tank thats been runing for a year or do you Only recomend it for new tanks or quarant tank?
I should've tried this test. I use the PH one, the ammonia one wouldn't change even when the ammonia tested high with API Master Kit.
thanks a lot i will buy this now without hesitation .
Glad to hear the video was helpful! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Do these work indefinitely? Or do they have to be replaced after a period of time? Granted the plastic holds up and other obvious factors that would stop it from working.
1 year
Is this disposable?
I bought 1 before watching any vids. I followed instruction and it reads light yellow im guessing thats good it hasnt moved on that color since 2 weeks ago. when do you think will be the time that color will change and do you think amonia can be more seen lower in the tank?or it dont matter If you got time pls respond ty.
I wiped off the middle sensor did I break it?
Very informative video. Many thanks!!!!
Thank you for the kind words! It's always good to hear that my guides are helping people.
I bougt one and so far its been on the safe (yellow ) for te past week but its weird my fish died tonight for nitrate spike ??? going to get a new one tomorrow
will you please tell me where the activated charcol and bio ceramic rings and bio balls place in canister ehim sin 603 b filter??
I'm unsure of the placement on that exact model, but the usual order for a canister goes like this. Poly filter pad --> bio media --> carbon--> return. It's largely user preference, but that's a workable configuration. Sometimes you use a 2nd poly filter stage before the return to trap any carbon dust.
Your video is very helpful thanks
Mike Law I'm glad you found it helpful. Let me know if there are any products or fish keeping techniques you would like to see in future videos.
Is one for Nitrates ...?
My test kit shows 1ppm and the badge shows yellow. I am using prime... My badge did not come with a peal off layer...
Just bought two. One for new display and on for QT. Thanks
can I take it out of 1 tank & put in another?
I bought this 2 weeks ago, new aquarium set up. Has never worked for me. Always says safe even though my tests are high for ammonia
Are you sure it's free ammonia and not Ammonium?
Did you watch the video completely? It explains why that may be in detail.
Great video, helped me a lot to make a decession,thank you!
Though there is one thing i dont understand, might someone can help me. I do fish in cycle in 5 gallon tank.yesterday,when i received the bedge and placed into the tank, it went straight into alert. i did a proper ammonia test, there i got 3ppm ammonia result.based on this i added 3ml prime and up till now(24 hours later) the bedge is showing alert. never changed any colour since i placed it into the tank.
So I've been doing a ton of water changes, I rinsed the filter, I vacuumed the gravel etc but my badge still says it's in the alert zone. My fish seem happy and healthy so I'm not sure what's going on. Any advice?
I have algae on my ammonia and ph badge. I don't want to touch the actual film in the middle to wipe the algae off. How would you get the algae off?
You could try to pour some tank water over it or CAREFULLY dab around the film with a paper towel wet with tank water. Never use your bare hand or apply too much pressure and it should be ok. Good luck and let us know.
Try dabbing it gently with a qu-tip.
I used this for about 2 week in my fry tank then took it out. Is it any good now??
What other realtime ammonia monitoring products are you familiar with?
My api kit showed .25 seachem alert showed 0 didn’t add any prime or anything
Did you watch the video completely? It explains in detail why that may be.
I got a new one and it doesn't work. It's saying safe but JBL liquid amónia test is saying that amónia is super high. Maybe it's the type of Amónia, I used seachem prime. I started the aquarium 3 days ago. Also have a ph alert and is failing by 0.4, it's saying 7.0 and I measure 6.6
I cycled my aquarium for around 8 weeks and was pretty sure it has no ammonia. I bought this anyway, is pretty handy just to be safe.
Great video and explanation of how the product works! Bought myself one after seeing your video...However, how do you classify a "gray" color? Yes, I did verify that the sensor is working by removing the monitor and placing it in a bowl of tap water where it returned to yellow. However, when placed inside my aquarium it is gray...Any ideas? BTW, it's a new tank that's still going through it's cycle...
Always happy to hear that the info in my video was helpful. When it turns gray, it usually means there is a small amount of ammonia that is on the cusp of hitting alert levels. According to Sea Chem, you should treat the gray as an alert reading and add in a little Prime, AmGuard or Stability to bring levels back down to 0. I have a few that turn gray from time to time in the fish room over here too.
Hackers' Reef ...TYVM for the quick response! I will go ahead and add a bit of AmGuard :) Subbed! TY!!!
will you please tell me the tds value and averrage temp and ph value where the fresh water fishes like catfish gold fish koi etc survive easily??
TDS readings will not be very helpful for freshwater fish keeping. Starting with low TDS water is great, but to monitor the true water quality you will need to test for nitrates and nitrites. Here a link to a good fresh water test kit - amzn.to/2QVTzRa Nitrites should always be 0, nitrates should be as close to 0 as possible with pH between 7 (neutral pH) and 8. I hope that helps.
@@HackersReef thanks a lot ,,:)
i ripped off the center not knowing what it was and now i got to buy a new one 😐
Hi there. My struggle with the badge is I have a hard time reading when it goes from safe to alert. I can't tell if it is truly at alert and if I shine a light behind the badge it looks yellow but under ambient light (which my QTs run with) it looks like the alert color. If I shine a light on the badge directly on it it looks like the alert color.
When I test with an API test it get 0.5 or 1.0 PPM usually at this level. I'm not sure if I'm doing a water change unnecessarily or if I should just wait.
It can be a little tough to read sometimes. How long has the QT tank been running and are you using anything like bacteria to quickly cycle it?