Seachem Ammonia Alert

I was so worried about purchasing this ammonia reader due to the amount of bad reviews. However, after doing tons of research and deciding to purchase it after all, I realized that a lot of the negative reviews were because people weren’t quite understand just exactly how the Ammonia Alert operates. It measures the amount of unionized (dangerous) levels of ammonia in the water, whereas test kits measure both the ionized (safe) and unionized (unsafe) ammonia present in the water. Therefor, the only reading you’re getting on the Ammonia Alert is that of the toxic ammonia present in your tank. This product definitely works. A few days ago, the reading on it was at the ‘Alert’ mark, which it turned a pastel green. Then, when I checked it today, it was a pastel yellow and definitely matched the ‘Safe’ zone on the wheel. Even though the color readings can be extremely subtle, they’re pretty easy to pick out when it changes. I also compared its reading with a quick test from the API ammonia test kit, to which it came back with 0 ammonia in my aquarium. Another thing I must add is that you MUST be extremely careful when you open up the product. When you remove the plastic covering for the sensor in the middle of the color wheel, do not touch the sensor with your fingers. The oils from your fingers could affect or ruin your sensor. Overall, I’m extremely pleased with this simple and cheap product. It will assure me that my fish are living well and I can take necessary action when it goes into the ‘Alert’ zone. I definitely recommend the Ammonia Alert if you’d like to monitor your aquarium’s ammonia levels while avoiding frequent water testing.

Works great. Measured the toxic portion (unbound) of ammonia in your tank 24/7. If it goes up, add Prime to give yourself 24-48 hours to act by temporarily neutralizing its toxicity. Couple this with an API or Salifert ammonia test to test total ammonia (toxic and nontoxic) to figure out how much ammonia you have to eliminate. Water changes, Dr Tim’s One and Done nitrobacter, etc will help you remove the ammonia from the system. Unless you overstocked, then you are cooked lol

I've read all kinds of pro and con "opinions" on this product. It doesn't work - it doesn't match the API Ammonia Test result - and so forth. Well, in my experience it does work. And it's already alerted me to ammonia spikes in two of my aquariums - well before they became a problem. It detects free ammonia which is the most harmful form (API detects free and bound ammonia and that's why they may not agree). It lasts for a year. It reverts back to negative when the problem has been corrected. It's less expensive, much easier to use and just as reliable as other methods. I have it in all four of my aquariums. I check it daily and I no longer do ammonia tests. Do yourself a favor and get this. Oh - and read the instructions or try watching one of the available videos on how to properly use it.

It's extremely slow at detect ammonia presence, by the time it reads at 0.02ppm ammonia level is actually over 0.5ppm, and the only reason I discovered this is because I was skeptical, so I tested my water to find out that the ammonia level was at over 2ppm, and I immediately put in my bacteria to start the cycle. It took this thing till the following day to read 0.05ppm, so who knows how long the ammonia was present in my tank before this thing detected it. It read 0.02ppm for like 4 days before I decide to test the water my self, then an extra day after that to read 0.05ppm. Thanks to this unreliable thing my tank cycle took longer than if I had just let my tank cycle naturally. I tested the ammonia levels on my tank regularly, because I no longer trusted this thing. The ammonia in my tank was decreasing, but this thing continued to read 0.05ppm. When my ammonia levels went to 0.00ppm this thing was still reading 0.05ppm. It took it another 2 days from when I got a zero reading with the other tests kit for this thing's reading to fall to 0.02ppm. then I lost count to how many days it stayed at 0.02ppm before I just took it out of my tank and tossed it in the garbage, it must've been like 4 days. And I continued to test my water, because this thing kept making me thing the ammonia probably crept back up, sense it wouldn't go down to zero. I knew it was slow, but I thought it should eventually catch on. Seeing it not go to zero kept making me think there was probably ammonia present, and I would test, but nothing. Eventually I got fed up with it after like 4 days or so and tossed it. I don't think this thing was ever going to read zero, and by the time it directed no ammonia present, my tank would already be building ammonia, and who knows how long it would take this thing to detect it. If I would really on this thing for my ammonia readings to determine when I should do my water changes I would probably loose live stock by the time it detects toxic ammonia levels. Do not rely on this thing for water changes, and when cycling a tank, it will deceive you. Mater fact stay away from it all together, you will regret buying it if you do.

Does its job, if just falls off a lot. I haven't seen any color changes either. That may or may not be because of product failure or good tank water. Either way it's nice knowing I have it.

i was hesitant to buy this because of some bad reviews and didn't want to "take the easy way out" of testing my saltwater tank's ammonia when it could potentially be inaccurate. however, after biting the bullet and about a week of having it in my tank, i can say it definitely works and is accurate. JUST MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT TOUCH THE SENSOR IN THE MIDDLE AFTER PEELING THE PROTECTIVE PLASTIC. also, this measures the amount of TOXIC ammonia only, so the colors won't match perfectly with a water test kit, which tests for the presence of all ammonia (normal and toxic). this is a must have in all tanks, especially the smaller ones where water conditions are harder to maintain. i am a marine biology phd and lifelong tank owner, and i would 10/10 recommend this to anyone (but especially the newbies!). i'm not sure of the shelf life, but i will probably switch out every 6-12 months to be safe. 👍🏼🐠🪸

I have one of these in every aquarium I own and highly recommend them. They make life SO much easier, being able to tell at a glance if there is an Ammonia problem in the tank. I have 6 badges, all are accurate. (Full disclosure....there are two that usually read just a little bit darker than the others when all are tested in the same tank, not enough to make a difference, not enough that the fishes lives are endangered because the badges aren't alerting to the presence of NH3. These do NOT eliminate the need for routine water testing, they're just a quick and easy way to closely monitor for the presence of ammonia without having to drag out the test kit. I will NEVER again have an aquarium (or a fish bowl, for that matter) without one of these little Ammonia Alert badges! NOTE - It's important to point out that this badge ONLY measures NH3 ("free ammonia"), the toxic form of ammonia. It does NOT register NH4 (ammonium), the nontoxic form. On the other hand, the API Master Test Kit, which many aquarium enthusiasts use, including me, registers BOTH forms of ammonia in their test, and there is no way for the user to know how much of the ammonia registered is NH3 and how much is NH4. (To be fair, API does have a separate test that will distinguish between NH3 & NH4, but I think I've used it once, maybe twice, since I got it over a year ago because it's a fussy pain in the patoot to use!) I have had times when the badge did not agree with the API test, not often, but it has happened where the API test showed higher presence of ammonia in a tank, and I have no doubt it was because NH4 was present and registered by API. It may also account for some of the negative reviews this badge is getting because it can appear to be inaccurate when compared to other tests. Rather than being a negative aspect, the fact that this badge ONLY registers NH3 is one of the things I like most about it. If it's reading 0, I feel confident that the ammonia level in that tank is okay. If the badge is showing the presence of ammonia, I KNOW it's the toxic form and, if I like my little creatures, I better tend to it toot-sweet!

Very small and useful. Also the suction cup is reversible in case you want to to hide it in back of tank but still read it. I also trimmed the excess plastic with logos off to have a more sleek look.

Really liked this product for a ‘not super experienced yet’ aquascape wannabe. Feel I can check easily for the ammonia potential in the tank now and be confident to trust this little tool for keeping my tank safe and healthy.

J'étais un peu sceptique mais à tort. Je l'ai acheté pour trouver le bon rythme de renouvellement de l'eau de l'aquarium et les indications m'ont été d'une grande aide. Je ne sais pas combien de temps cette plaquette sera efficace mais moi qui suis complètement débutante avec mon simple poisson, cela m'a donné un fameuse aide au lancement. D'ici quelques mois peut-être n'aurais-je plus besoin d'en racheter, je saurai par exemple que tous les 10 jours, il est temps d'agir. En bref, cette plaquette m'a donné un peu de confiance et je remercie cette marque rien que pour cela. Et il y a bien une modification de couleur visible au fur et à mesure que les jours passent. Je recommande ce produit pour les débutant(e)s comme moi.

Newbies in aquaria always make the silly mistake of freaking out over ammonia after using an api test. API ammonia tests measure both ammonia and ammonium (free form= toxic ionized = harmless under 0.02) With this tester youre dealing strictly with free ammonia which is what you need to be worried about more than anything else.

This Seachem Ammonia Alert does not replace the need for testing the aquarium water with a liquid test kit, but it provides me with an overview of how much free (NH3) ammonia is present - by the way, NH3 is more toxic than NH4. My liquid test kit (API) does not test individual ammonias, it only tests total. It is great to use this product when cycling, or just when you want to know if your water is toxic to your fish. I purchased another one to keep on hand if this one ever gives up, but I am sure it will last the full year. Seachem is now my favourite brand, as I have purchased Stability, Prime, and now this from them, and all of their products are amazing. I am now going to start using Seachem for all my fish needs.

This is a durable product which was stable in the tank for 2 months now. Will buy again if needed. It was quite effective in data display as well