Red Sea Marine Care Ammonia Test 100 Tests
Water type
Marine
Number of tests
100 tests
Red Sea Marine Care Ammonia Test 100 Tests
Catch ammonia before it hurts anything. The Red Sea Marine Care Ammonia Test Kit measures total ammonia (NH3/NH4) in marine and reef aquariums across a 0–2 ppm range in 0.2 ppm steps, using a colorimetric reaction read against a printed colour card. It's the test every cycling tank and every quarantine system needs on hand, and the one to reach for the moment something in an established tank smells wrong.
Key features
- 0–2 ppm range in 0.2 ppm steps – fine enough to catch a cycling tank turning the corner, or a trace reading in a system that should read zero.
- 100 tests per kit – enough for daily testing through a full 21-day cycle, with plenty spare for ongoing checks.
- Colorimetric method – add reagent, wait for the colour to stabilise, match against the card. No titration, no counting drops.
- Safe to run on any tank – the test is performed on a sample, not in the display, so it adds nothing to the water itself.
Specifications
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Measures | Total ammonia (NH3/NH4) |
| Range | 0–2 ppm |
| Resolution | 0.2 ppm per colour step |
| Method | Colorimetric |
| Tests per kit | 100 |
| Time to result | Approx. 15 minutes for colour to stabilise |
| Water type | Marine and reef |
| Storage | Sealed, 15–25°C, use before the expiry date printed on the pack |
What's included / Not included
The kit includes ammonia reagent, a glass test vial and a printed colour comparison card, enough for 100 tests. It does not include a syringe – this is a direct colour-match test, not a titration – and it does not test any other parameter. Nitrite, nitrate and pH are separate kits, or covered together in the Marine Care Multi Test Kit.
Suitable for, and not suitable for
Suitable for any marine or reef aquarium, and for freshwater tanks during cycling too – total ammonia toxicity behaves the same regardless of salinity, though this kit is formulated and sold as part of Red Sea's marine range. Not a substitute for a continuous ammonia alert or probe where livestock can't tolerate a delay between test and result – for fragile or newly stocked systems, test daily rather than relying on a single weekly check.
Reading the result
| Reading | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0 ppm | Normal for an established, fully cycled tank | No action – retest weekly, or daily during any change |
| Any detectable reading in an established tank | Something has disturbed the biofilter, or bioload/feeding has outpaced it | Immediate partial water change, check filtration is running, reduce feeding, retest daily until it returns to zero |
| Falling but still present, in a new tank | Cycling is progressing – ammonia is being converted to nitrite | Keep testing daily; hold off stocking until ammonia and nitrite both read zero |
Care and storage
Keep the kit sealed and store it between 15–25°C out of direct sun. Reagent is stable up to the expiry date printed on the pack – check the date before relying on a result from an older kit, since degraded reagent can give a false reading.
Warranty and delivery
Covered by the consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law, in addition to any manufacturer undertaking. Standard parcel freight – no special handling required.
Goes well with
- Red Sea Marine Care Multi Test Kit – for pH, nitrite and nitrate alongside ammonia in one box.
- Red Sea Marine Care Nitrite/Nitrate Test Kit – the next test to run once ammonia starts falling during cycling.
Common questions
Why does ammonia matter more than nitrite or nitrate?
Ammonia is the most immediately toxic of the three nitrogen compounds – even a low reading can stress or kill livestock in an established tank, where nitrite and nitrate build up more slowly and give more warning.
Does this kit test free ammonia or total ammonia?
It measures total ammonia (NH3 plus NH4). At normal marine pH, more of that total sits as the more toxic NH3 form than it would in a lower-pH freshwater tank, which is why any reading above zero in an established marine system is worth acting on straight away.
How often should I test during cycling?
Daily. Ammonia and nitrite both need to read zero on the same day before the tank is considered cycled.
Can I use this on a freshwater tank?
Yes – the chemistry is the same. It's sold as part of Red Sea's marine range, but works on any aquarium.
