Mr. Saltwater Tank TV Friday AM Quick Tip #133: Fill That Test Kit Perfectly…Every Time
I might be one of the rare saltwater tank hobbyists that enjoys testing their aquarium on a regular basis. I’m happy testing my tank’s water until the test kit is missing that vital syringe that makes your testing more accurate. When the syringe doesn’t come with the test kit, here’s my easy solution to make testing fun again.
Links in this video: www.mrsaltwatertank.com/testkits
Browse the Store! Questions?
Great tip Mark. Even better is that you can get several medicine droppers free just by asking the pharmacist for children’s medicine syringes. They come in 5 ml and 1 ml sizes.
I never dunk the test phial into the tank in case there are residual chemicals due to inadequate washing. I always take a cup of water out of the tank and use that if I must dunk.
Thanks Mark. I go to my local farm store and pick up syringes for livestock. They come in sizes very small to really large. I also get a couple of large needles and for safety, file off the sharp tip. I have found tons of uses for them. From water testing to dosing in both my SW and FW tanks. No more guessing on amounts and it is much faster. Of course, if you live in the city, a Farm Store may be hard to come by. But here in Northern Idaho, they are on nearly every corner! Thanks again Mark.
Been using this for years… 🙂
If you’re really nice and ask the pharmacist at Target pharmacy, they will give you a 5ml syringe for free 😉 Thanks Mark!
You can really see that Tunze wavebox working in the background on the tank. Looking forward to a review on this Mark! Oh yeah…Great tip!
Hey mark,
Better yet, in some places you can just buy syringes from the pharmacy. I don’t know if this is true for all states, but it is certainly true in NY. They keep them behind the counter, so you have to talk to the pharmacist and they will probably ask you a couple of questions, and then sell you the syringes. Really helpful when I needed syringes and needles to kill aptasia.
I do exactly what you described. Thanks for this tip it will be very helpful!
I use a 10mm syringe to fill the Hanna Alk checker vial. One stroke and it is filled perfectly with no water to wipe off of the outside of the vial. And as you said, the medicine dropper works well for Salifert tests which require 5mm.
Also those lines are notoriously inaccurate.
Adam Blanden…that the issue I have here…syringes aren’t readily available.
MikeG..the miniscule amount of residual chemicals that might be in the test vial won’t cause an issue in your tank. You’re literally talking about adding a drop of a chemical to the ocean.
Mark !! even a plastic medicine syringe works just as good, if not better. sold at any locale Pharmacy!! :))))
Phil…this is true and not all pharmacies will sell you a syringe unless it comes with a medication. The one local to me won’t
Syringes are also sold at pet stores, they are used to feed baby animals. I think it would be easier to clean a syringe, than a bulb type syringe. Dark and wet in that little bulb.
Hey Mark,
I purchased a whole bag of medicine syringes with bottle adapters for measuring infant medication when my kids were small. They are not compatible with needles so they cannot be used for injectables. They work great and are marked up to 10 ml so I can get several tests done with one syringe of tank water.
Just getting started with my first saltwater tank and found your videos. Great tip, kids are grown but we still had a few medicine droppers around. Works like a charm!
PS. Also love the pug!