lowlevel Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Hey guys... I'm getting a little annoyed trying to read the API saltwater nitrate test color... The instructions say to view the test tube against the white portion of the card in good light.... but I'm finding that I can make the water match multiple colors depending on how close I hold the test tube to the white portion of the color chart card. If I hold the tube right up against the card.. it matches the 40ppt color. If I hold the tube just slightly away from the card, it matches 20ppt. If I hold the tube about 2 inches away from the card, it matches 10ppt. When I get a chance I think I'm going to go buy a different brand test kit... but I figured I would ask in case someone else here also found this and determined what the best 'distance from card' to read the API tests may be. Link to comment
altolamprologus Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Holding it just slightly away from the card gives the most accurate result. That said, any reading on an API test kit is too high for a reef and you should do a water change. Doesn't really matter what the actual number is IMO Link to comment
PwnMe Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 The Nitrate one will be an unmistakable yellow for 0ppm. As Alto said... water change time. The ammonia test can be tricky because it gets cloudy with salt water. I typically test my aquarium against fresh RO water. If the colors match I assume alls good. Link to comment
Daveg99 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 get yourself some better kits. API are notoriously inaccurate. I use a red sea kit. Link to comment
duoc9119 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 My Nitrate test may have gone bad. Consistent reading of 0ppm, feeding twice a day with mysis and pellet mix, with micron sock in the sump. Going to get a new Nitrate, possibly Salifert or Red Sea depending on what is available around here Link to comment
banshee Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 After testing through my cycle I learned to tell the differences. They never match the card exactly. My Nitrates went from 0 to 160+ and back to 0 over the course of my first 2-3 weeks. It was a great lesson in test reading! Try to get to 0 and keep it there and then you don't have to worry! Link to comment
PwnMe Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 My API tests seem pretty consistent... Link to comment
mrbigshot Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 anything other than bright yellow and you have to do a waterchange. that's how i view it. no mater what the level is imho its to high. i keep my trates at 0 Link to comment
lowlevel Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 Ok, so it's 20 then... I know its high... Just wanted to know how high.. I change about. 12% of the water every week... But yeah looks like I need to do a large one to knock them down.. Since I'm just kind of keeping them at their current level otherwise. Thanks everyone! Link to comment
Trasheep Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Ok, so it's 20 then... I know its high... Just wanted to know how high.. I change about. 12% of the water every week... But yeah looks like I need to do a large one to knock them down.. Since I'm just kind of keeping them at their current level otherwise. Thanks everyone! For the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite tests, I used fresh (unused) salt water as a comparison. If you are using RODI, it should not be detectable, in theory that is. There are always exceptions. Just my two cents. Good Luck! Link to comment
modulok Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 My nitrates have always been an API reading of 0. I just got a Hanna Checker for Phosphate and it read .21 ppm. I 've been getting about <.25 on my API test, so that's actually very close. Bad thing is that phos is supposed to be much lower than .25...my reason for getting the Hanna Checker. Link to comment
Enigma Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I just don't trust the API nitrate test (which I got it the kit). I'm not getting the colour changes that i think i should be getting. I purchased the ELOS nitrate kit yesterday. There is a lot of stuff in the box. It is a more complicated process, and I was assured that it is a good test. Link to comment
G0nePhishin Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hey I was having the same problem, I found the solution, although it is a bit silly. Go outside and read it under true real sunlight. Then it is crystal clear what color you have vs what is on the card. It took me a bit to figure this out but it really works! Link to comment
lowlevel Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 Hey I was having the same problem, I found the solution, although it is a bit silly. Go outside and read it under true real sunlight. Then it is crystal clear what color you have vs what is on the card. It took me a bit to figure this out but it really works! I'll give that a shot... Usually I'm doing my maintenance after midnight so you may be on to something. Link to comment
Enigma Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 What I discovered is that my nitrate levels are too low to register on the API test. They did register on the ELOS test. Link to comment
Formula462 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 My API tests seem pretty consistent... As long as they are stored correctly and not expired, they work fine. The only issue I have is sometimes the high range Ph reads a tad low. I have owned and used every test under the sun lol. If it is at all orange, it's too high. Link to comment
Enigma Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 As long as they are stored correctly and not expired, they work fine. The only issue I have is sometimes the high range Ph reads a tad low. Have you been able to determine why this happens? My Ph is a bit lower than I would like it to be (7.8-8), and I'm using the API test. I'm now wondering if I'm doing something that may affect the accuracy of test. Link to comment
Formula462 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Have you been able to determine why this happens? My Ph is a bit lower than I would like it to be (7.8-8), and I'm using the API test. I'm now wondering if I'm doing something that may affect the accuracy of test. No, they just seem to be a little off sometimes. TM Ph kit is my favorite. One drop, match the color. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.