API Freshwater Master Test Kit FAIL. Not accurate. My test kit failed and API’s Response.

I was having an issue with one of my tanks a few months ago and everyone knows the first thing you check into is your water quality and parameters. The API test kit was telling me everything was good so I was racking my brain trying to figure out what else could have been an issue. The tank had crashed and I didn’t realize it. Countless wasted hours. Lesson learned: Always re-verify with another testing source.

[@bnato8209]

Wow. Sorry you lost your precious fish. Thanks for sharing. I moved from strips to API Master kit because of errors with test strips. Now I am concerned about my API kit.

[@skytrooper506]

Wow i won't trust my API kit anymore. Thanks

[@frankrowell2129]

I've just had a similar issue.
Since I'm recently retired I wanted to get back into fish (discus) after a long absence from the hobby, so I bought both API's Master, and GH & KH tests. I'd always used and liked them as a young man. As expected TDS was three degrees, Alkalinity one degree; really soft water, really low buffering. If I was surprised when PH pegged out at 7.6 I was SHOCKED that the High PH test ran a 8.2+ !!
That didn't seem possible. I went right out and bought Tetra Easy Strips 6-in-1. It showed Hardness between 25/75 (about three degrees), ALK between 0/40 (about one or two degrees) and PH about 6.8. What you'd expect to find.
I borrowed a friends Fluval Master Test kit, it showed PH between 6 and 6.5. That's fine, within reason. The South Shore Pond 4-in-1 test strips showed PH nearest 6.8 and so did the BOSIKE 6-in- Test Strips.
I'm sure I have soft, slightly acidic water with very low buffering capacity, but out of curiosity I bought API's Pond Wide Range PH Test Kit 5.0 to 9.0. It showed PH between between 7.5 and 8.
My faith in these test kits is shaken, especially API. They all seem more like toys than tools.

[@dougwolfedrums]

Wow that’s crazy. I don’t like the high low ph test. Im always stuck somewhere in the middle and unsure. And I don’t love the gh or kh kits. Im about to post a review I did on Sera Test Kit… way better. Check them out

[@frankrowell2129]

@@dougwolfedrums Great! Looking forward to that. I'd never even heard of Sera.
I must say about my rant above that all the test strips gave very consistent, and because of that I assume the most accurate, results.

[@thebeigesheep6132]

Another reason it can "fail" is if your parameters are out of the range of the test. In this instance doesn't sound like that since you tested two bottles next to each other.

[@dougwolfedrums]

Yep that’s true. It’s not so much about wether the test failed or not, but more so the inaccuracy.

[@stoneysscapes7544]

Hit or Miss seems to be the case , fishy though but I have been fooled before too. Nothing was making sense so I got a SERA just like you. Testing , check 1. 2. Got to look out for the hobbyist and for that I had to say Thank You 🎄🎉♥️🤍💙🍒🦐🍀