Seachem Ammonia Alert

I set up a new tank and had a lot of fish loss. After many water tests, water changes, and adjustments my tank is thriving. I checked the ammonia, alert tag every day to make sure the fish are safe. So far, it is working well and coincides with the water tests. I also do. It provides me peace of mind.

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 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.

Bought 5 of these and they don’t work. Had ammonia spike in a couple and they never even showed on this thing. Waste of money. Scam

Good piece of mind

In my opinion, this product is best used for monitoring for sudden ammonia spikes, not for accurately reading ammonia levels in place of liquid tests. I’ve read other reviews saying that their unit was faulty, but mine worked just fine.I am using mine in a tank that I’m fishless cycling, and the ammonia I dosed triggered a reading that matched the results with the dosage, but I find that it’s not sensitive enough for day to day readings of a cycled, running tank with fish in it. Again, I think it’s best used to as an alert for ammonia spikes. But, that’s just the nature of test trips/this kind of product. They just aren’t as good as liquid test, so not a fault of Seachem.

I always have these installed on all my tanks. The 1-2 star reviews all say that this product does not work; I disagree.I think there is a misunderstanding of what exactly this product monitors and its intended purpose. So I will try to clarify how it works to help your purchase decision.The breakdown...If there is any ammonia in an aquarium, there are two types of ammonia...FREE Ammonia (extremely toxic) and Ammonium. Ammonium converts into FREE Ammonia at specific pH levels and temperature.The Seachem Ammonia Alert only reads FREE ammonia, while most ammonia testing kits generally test for TOTAL Ammonia ie (Free Ammonia+Ammonium) This is where the misunderstanding is. Free Ammonia in your tank can and will harm your fish very quickly and where this product comes into play.People think this doesn't work because it is showing "safe" but their testing kits are showing positive levels of ammonium. Yes! there is a form of ammonia in your tank, but not in the form of Free Ammonia...so your fish are "safe" at the moment, but close monitoring and intervention are required to keep them safe as they are not "out of the woods."The purpose of this product is to serve as a quick reference guide at that particular moment in time, NOT to replace TOTAL ammonia testing kits.Who should REALLY use these?People who have just set up a brand new tank that will undergo a nitrogen cycle or have an immature cycled tank. This will help you keep a close eye on the free ammonia present at any given moment and let you know when you need to immediately dose your tank with a conditioner like Seachem Prime to bind and neutralize the free ammonia, followed up with a substantial water change to reduce the total ammonia present. This will save you from a "new tank syndrome" disaster...where people are puzzled why their brand new tank of fully stocked fish suddenly went belly up; (free) ammonia poisoning because there is not enough "good" bacteria present yet in the tank to neutralize & clean up the waste.In a cycled tank, this (should) always read "safe" and regular testing of all your parameters with a standard testing kit is ideal. I continue to use them however, just in case an episode of "good times go bad" happen, like a biofilter crash or prolonged power outage.Hope this review helps someone out!