Do You Trust Seachem's Ammonia Alert Badge?

[Reef Frog]

I've been using these badges in my 5g & 10g QT tanks for a few years on blind faith. I'm getting another fish and need to buy a new one, and a few questions popped into my head:

- Does it actually work? Anybody test it w/ an experimental exposure to ammonia?

- At what levels will it show ammonia's presence? Or at the first sign, is it already too late? In other words, can it show very low levels giving one enough time to act? Or would fish be belly up once the color began to change?

- If it colors up b/c of ammonia presence, would it return to the safe (white) color and still be effective once the ammonia is gone or neutralized with Prime? Or is it for just useful for one alert?

- I've always kept the QT running w/ badge in it. I assume badge needs to be kept wet at all times?

What are your opinions & experience with this product? Do you trust it? TIA.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

You are supposed to change them every 6 months or so. I use one in my 40 gallon QT and it does not seem to have failed me. One way to test it is to hold it over a bottle of pure ammonia. It should turn purple almost instantaneously. If it does not, it's time to replace them.

 

[ThRoewer]

I'm tempted to say that I trust it as far as I can throw it, but that may actually be more than I actually trust it.

 

[Dmorty217]

I have used them a bunch of times and it has never failed me yet. trust it more than some test kits

 

[snorvich]

I seem to recall they give a false positive in the presence of Prime or equivalent. I don't use them, however.

 

[Ostri]

No. I have two that I bought together and they show different readings.

 

[tassod]

I used it when i cycled my tank, when i poured pure ammonia in the tank to start the cycle it definitely reflected that and at the end of the cycle it went back to yellow showing zero ammonia.

 

[RedStangGA]

I wouldn't trust the exact readings but I used it during tank cycle(using ammonia) and it went up to very close what it was supposed to when I dosed and then would go back down. I use them as a rough indicator, not an exact measurement.