Test Kits

API Saltwater Master Test Kit

Liquid testMarine550 tests

The API Saltwater Master Test Kit covers the four readings a marine aquarium lives or dies by: high-range pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, with reagents and colour charts calibrated for saltwater. Six reagent bottles give more than 550 tests, and the kit comes with four glass test tubes, a holding tub and a booklet that pairs each chart with the safe range and the fix. It is the right kit for a fish-only or fish-with-live-rock marine tank; for a reef with demanding corals API recommends its Reef Master kit for the additional parameters.

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Live pricing and stock on jungleaquatics.com — purchase through Jungle Aquatics, with delivery across South Africa.

Technical details

Test type	Liquid reagent
Parameters	High-range pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate
Tests per kit	550+
Suitable for	Saltwater aquariums; use the Reef Master kit for demanding reef systems
In the box	6 reagent bottles, 4 glass test tubes with snap caps, holding tub, colour chart, instruction booklet
How often	Every day or two while cycling; weekly once established
Made by	Mars Fishcare, USA

Is this kit enough for a reef tank?

For a fish-only marine tank, yes — high-range pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are the four values that matter and the kit reads all of them. For a reef with stony corals you will also want to track calcium, carbonate hardness (KH) and phosphate, which this kit does not include; API sells those as single kits, and its Reef Master kit is built for that purpose. A sensible route is to start with the Saltwater Master Test Kit for the cycle and the basics, then add the Calcium, KH and Phosphate kits from this site as corals go in.

Calibrated for salt

Marine water sits at a pH near 8.2 and its chemistry shifts the colours of ammonia and nitrite tests, which is why a freshwater kit misreads it. The saltwater kit uses a 7.4 – 8.8 pH test and marine colour charts so the results mean what they say.

The cycle, watched

A new marine tank cycles exactly as a freshwater one does — ammonia, then nitrite, then nitrate — only with more expensive livestock waiting. Testing ammonia and nitrite through the first weeks, then nitrate and pH weekly, is the difference between a tank that settles and one that loses its first fish.

Built to last years

More than 550 tests across four parameters means a single kit sees most marine tanks through several years of weekly testing. The glass tubes rinse clean and the tub keeps everything together and out of the light.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Saltwater Master Test Kit test for?

High-range pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate — the four parameters that need regular monitoring in any marine aquarium.

Can I use it on a reef aquarium?

Yes for the basics, but API recommends its Reef Master kit for reef systems, or adding the separate calcium, KH and phosphate kits to this one.

How many tests does it contain?

More than 550, from six reagent bottles. Weekly testing on one tank uses about 200 a year.

Does it work in brackish water?

The ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests read brackish water, and the high-range pH test covers the 7.4 – 8.8 band brackish fish are kept in.

Is the API Saltwater Master Test Kit available in South Africa?

Yes — Jungle Aquatics in Fourways, Johannesburg stocks it and ships nationwide; live pricing and stock are on jungleaquatics.com.

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South Africa's leading pet and aquarium store since 2007 — with the API range on the floor in Fourways, advice from people who test water every day, and easy ordering from anywhere in the country.

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