HYCHEK 12-in-1 Aquarium Test Kit, 170 Strips

The HYCHEK 12-in-1 Aquarium Test Kit (model AQ01) is a strip kit for freshwater and saltwater tanks. It covers 12 parameters: ammonia, phosphate, iron, copper, nitrate, nitrite, total hardness, free chlorine, total alkalinity, carbonate, freshwater pH and saltwater pH.

What is in the kit

• 100 count 10-in-1 test strips
• 50 count ammonia test strips
• 20 count phosphate test strips

That is 170 strips in total, in sealed bottles.

Separate pH scales

Having both a freshwater pH and a saltwater pH scale is a useful detail. Marine tanks run in a narrow, higher pH band, and a single wide scale makes small marine changes hard to see.

Why phosphate, iron and copper

• Phosphate: fuels algae; worth watching in reefs and planted tanks.
• Iron: a plant nutrient; useful when dosing fertilizer.
• Copper: deadly to shrimp, snails and corals; check after medications or with old plumbing.

How often

HYCHEK cites a common recommendation of at least twice a week. In practice, daily ammonia checks during a cycle and a full strip weekly afterward is a good rhythm.

Strip limitations

Strips are quick but less precise than liquid kits at low readings. For reef nitrate or phosphate fine-tuning, a dedicated liquid kit like the Salifert Nitrate kit gives tighter numbers.

Keeping strips fresh

Recap bottles straight away, use dry hands and store them away from the humid area around the tank. Note the opening date on each bottle.

Compared with others

The SJ WAVE 11-in-1 is similar but includes a thermometer instead of phosphate strips. HYCHEK suits keepers who care about phosphate and marine pH.

If you keep shrimp, test copper whenever you add new decor, use a new medication or move to a new home with different plumbing. Copper problems are invisible until animals start dying, and a strip check takes seconds.