I think it was you that asked the questions yesterday in the thread that was lost. I answered them there but that response had to disappear with the rest of the thread unfortunately so I'll try to recreate the answers.
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Is stress coat a good product?
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It's one of the most expensive dechlorination products on the market. It will dechlorinate and break the chloramine bond just like any other product when used by directions. It will neutralize metals and add electrolytes just like every other product on the market when used by directions. For those functions it uses a large dose to do so compared to other products like Genesis that use one drop per gallon and Prime by seachem which uses 1 drop for every two gallons. I have seen worse though like the old Hartz formula that used like a treaspoon per gallon making the entire bottle only capable of treating maybe a 30 gallon tank once. Fortunately I think that products a part of the hobbys past now.
Stress Coat adds phosphate which can contribute to algae and diatom growth.
Stress Coat adds aloe vera which I have never seen a validated scientific document showing any benefit for when used under water. Aloe Vera and whatever else is in the product forms a thick gooey mess that if you don't take the time to disperse properly, can kill fish by coating the gill area heavily. I've heard of this happening to fry from others and I've seen it happen right before my eyes when a hand sized heckle discus I was trying to help, falling for the blind faith in aloe vera concept, swam through the area I had just added the Stress Coat to and keeled over dead in the sand violently face down immediately. I've also watched it kill a goldfish in my mothers tank when mixed with two other common dechlorinaters, Start Right and a product formally offered by Tetra. Individual products may be alright, mixing things can be bad especially if you start to exceed the manufacturers advised dosage.
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Is stress zyme a good product?
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In my first test it did manage to cycle a tank for me but took about 3 weeks longer than Marinelands Bio-Spira and Hagens Cycle. I'm currently giving it a second chance to accomplish this and I'm already getting nitrite and nitrate readings using Bio-Spira and Cycle whereas Stresszyme has yet to show any results through the first 8 days. Hopefully it will this time in less than the 3 weeks extra it took last time. You can follow the results in the a new race thread in Freshwater general discussion or simply click my signiture to track all of them down.
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Are there other products that can be used instead of these? (please be specific)
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See above posts.
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What test kit do you use to test the water? (please be specific
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Most of us use liquid test kits, API brand frequently. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH with some of us adding extra test kits for GH and KH although they are frequently of little use beyond a single test just to know what the numbers are if you aren't modifying them.
Other brands can work as well. For acid water tanks we might add an ammonium test kit.
The test kits we usually avoid are the 5 in 1 style dip tests.
I believe you had a question on undergravel filters I can repeat the response to if desired.
