Is Mardel Ammonia Test Accurate?

[tervman]

My lfs sold me a Mardel Master Test Kit, when I started cycling my tank 4 weeks ago. However, the ammonia test has told me, starting one week into the cycle, that my level is .25PPM. I tested my tap water, and it also said I had .25ppm. I went so far as to put 10 drops of AmQuel Ammonia Detoxifier into the test tube that comes with the Mardel kit, then fill the rest of the tube with tap water. I figure 10 drops should be more than enough to do the trick, since they recommend 1 capful of AmQuel per 10 gal of H2O. I let the test tube sit for a while, then tested it....and it still said I had .25 ppm.
I did a search, on this message board, for "Mardel", and found that a number of people appeared to have the same issue as I do....the Mardel test said they had .25ppm, but another test kit showed they had 0ppm.
So, my question is this....is the Mardel kit inheriently bad, when it comes to measuring ammonia? What about the other tests (Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, etc) in the kit?
Oh, and before I get flamed, I am looking into an RO filter (no more tap H2O for this boy). Can anyone recommend a good make/model that won't break the bank?
Thanks,
Larry (Tervman)
p.s. Can anyone tell me how to post pics to this message board. I tried the "ATTACH FILE" button at the bottom of the posting screen, but it never attached the pic. Thanks....

 

[tervman]

This is a follow-up, concerning my experiences with my Mardel Test Kit, to help anyone who may experience the same issue in the future.
I can’t say my experience is common or unique, but I have seen several other comments, on this message board, from Mardel users who had the same issue as I mentioned previously.
Last weekend, I performed another ammonia test, using my Mardel kit. Again, it showed my ammonia to be .25 ppm. I then had two different lfs’s test my water. Both showed my parameters were perfect, and my ammonia was 0 ppm. In fact, the second lfs initially used a Mardel kit (guess where I purchased MY kit from, based on their recommendation), which showed the ammonia level to be .25 ppm. The tester then made the comment that he wanted to get another test kit, because it would probably show the ammonia to be 0 ppm, which it did. It seems the lfs, itself, does not trust the Mardel ammonia test either (but they continue selling it to unsuspecting customers, which is quite upsetting )
I do not know if the Mardel kit is accurate for other parameters, but I don’t intend to take the chance. It appears the Salifert kits seem to be a favorite among several people on this board, so I will go in that direction, unless anyone can suggest a less expensive, but equally accurate (and that is my main concern :yes: ) option