Really need your API and brand X ammonia reading pics

[brandon429]

Team,

 

I am preparing a comparative writeup on API ammonia test kit comparisons to other test kits out there...you all know how API reads .25 to almost everyone who uses it in a reef tank, and we are discussing on other forums the massive amount of unneeded action being done as a result of that. For this thread, I really need your pictures of a side by side or any other comparative readouts between API and salifert, red sea, the ammonia alert devices etc. The goal here is to see which ones read high for the purposes of hobby level testing as compared to API which always reads high.

 

B

[seabass]

Seriously, I just made this saltwater.^*

^*From water that I was soaking some dry rock in.

 

 

I haven't purchased an API ammonia kit recently, but I have found them to be pretty reliable in the past. I'm pretty vocal about not using their high range phosphate test kit for reefing, but I haven't experienced these reported false high ammonia readings.

 

I know you want a comparison, but I thought I'd get in a non-negative post before this turns into a bash API thread. I wonder if they recently changed their reagent supplier or got a bad batch in. Maybe it would be helpful to post when you purchased the kit. Unfortunately, I don't see an expiration date (or any other date on my API ammonia test kit).

 

However, for this thread, I'll add a pic of a test from my reef tank (which I haven't tested for ammonia in years).

[brandon429]

thanks Sir I'll accept any pics we get even if they support or null the hypo lol

 

now for a homerun can you apply *any* other ammonia test to get a comparison.

 

a supportive statement for api, considering your test, would be that the newly mixed water had the brief ammonia spike from chem reactions. test the tank water man and post ppppllllsss!

 

 

another helpful outcome will just be a few sets of pics where each of us can see what we would claim the numbers to be. one of the challenges for any colorimetric kit is simple subjectivity. my take is that reading is darn high lol

[seabass]

now for a homerun can you apply *any* other ammonia test to get a comparison.

Sorry, I only have an API kit on me. I test ammonia so infrequently, that I'd find it hard to justify purchasing another kit for comparison. Although a comparison of the same water makes sense.

considering your test, would be that the newly mixed water had the brief ammonia spike from chem reactions.

Not chemical reactions, that water smelled like a porta-potty. Kind of surprising that so much dead organic matter was left on the dry rock. I even pressure washed it beforehand.

test the tank water man and post ppppllllsss!

Here you go (a pic of an API ammonia test from my reef tank):

I read it as 0ppm.

 

I don't believe in testing newly mixed saltwater as a comparison for 0ppm. IO always gives me a high reading. Actually many salt mixes will test positive for ammonia due to contaminants in the calcium and magnesium chloride. This typically isn't an issue as the biofilter quickly converts the ammonia after a water change.

[brandon429]

yes that does look closer to zero to me too

[ipkonfig]

I don't have any other tests as comparison, but here are a few of my tank water tests from two different tanks with an API kit. Hope this helps.

 

 

 

[brandon429]

thanks for sure the more pics the better

[Mstefa1]

Haven't there been an identical thread like this before? Do a search because i know someone on here was going to contact the company and complain.

 

My solution was to test an established tank with no known problems and use that as a control. Then compare the color against my other sample. If the color matches then you can safely assume 0.0.

[malady]

the freshwater test also does this I remember on the cichlid forum I was on everyone complained about it

[seabass]

Brandon, do you have any pics of the problem?

[brandon429]

These will be a start

 

 

Mainly I thought it'd be good to let the thread run a while to collect pics and see why so many threads post ammonia readings that don't line up with the condition of the tank...a few older threads here had some readings off clean water that looked greener than this lot posted here. Some had alt test kits, like ammonia alert, that showed zero when API indicated .25

 

So far the test looks pretty consistent.

[seabass]

Some had alt test kits, like ammonia alert, that showed zero when API indicated .25

I have no idea, so I'm just wondering; is an Ammonia Alert sensor considered accurate? I've never used one.

[brandon429]

Need someone to post pics in their tank lets see if it looks zero to us

 

I don't use ammonia testing or I'd contribute

[happyhour99]

I have no idea, so I'm just wondering; is an Ammonia Alert sensor considered accurate? I've never used one.

Hi

Yes it works great!, but you have to learn some chemistry to translate it to total PPM of ammonia. Ammonia Alert only measures "Free" ammonia or NH3. It does not measure hydrogenated or ionized ammonium NH4+. (I haven't done a comparison to see how accurate it is, yet)

 

NH4+ Is considered non toxic and safe, but NH3 Is toxic species of ammonia. But the additional hydrogen is not set in stone. NH4+ is constantly converted to NH3 and NH3 is converted back to NH4. But the ratio between NH3 and NH4 is determine by pH. At lower pH there is more NH4 at higher pH there is more NH3. That is why swings in pH can be really bad. If you have a little ammonia, its not bad because there is very little NH3, but if your pH swings up, your little ammonia can suddenly become a lot of NH3. Generally the formula for determine the ratio of NH3 to NH4 is pH=pka + Log (NH3/NH4) or NH3/NH4=10^(pH-pKa) {But generally speaking at pH 8 at temperature 27 Celsius at 1.025 salinity, Approximately 95% is NH4+ and 5% is NH3}

 

Generally Knowing the Free NH3 is a lot more useful than knowing the total ammonia. Because Free NH3 is the toxic compound. Plus Ammonia Alert is really nice because it continuously measures ammonia, so if your tank randomly decides to go bad, you can glance at your tank and see something is wrong (saves a lot of time with drops tests) and act right away, vs acting when you see you fish acting strange or coral closing up.

 

My observations with Ammonia Alert

 

Pros:

Continuous monitoring (+++++)

Measures the toxic form of ammonia (which will change with pH, so if you have a sudden spike in pH, you will see more ammonia)

Color coded, for easy determination of concentration

suction cup for easy placement, or remove it and just place in the sand

Great for cycling tanks

 

 

Cons:

Colors: (they are nowhere as vivid as the pictures appear)

Have to do math to get total ammonia.

Will expire (rated for 1 year)

Colors take a little bit of time to develop (rated for 15 minutes for increasing ammonia, 2-3 hours for decreasing ammonia, but I've found these color change a lot faster than rated)

 

 

Suggestions:

• Flip the chart around, I find looking through the back plate. I found the colors to be a lot more vivid on the back side vs the front.
• Sometimes colors are a bit hard to tell apart. If it looks completely yellow, then your good (<0.02 ppm). If it looks a little green, then you have ammonia (<0.05 ppm). If it looks a little blue then you really need to figure out what is going on with your tank (<0.2). if you see dark blue then your screwed (>0.5ppm).
• There is a front piece of plastic covering the sensor, make sure to remove it. (Reading review, its amazing the number of people who complain about the sensor then find out the protective plastic covering was NOT removed)
• Always double check new Ammonia Alerts-Get a bottle of cleaning ammonia, open it and wave ammonia alert over it. It should darken to dark blue immediately. DO NOT GET ANY AMMONIA on the sensor!!!! Use just the ammonia vapor. If it does not change color, return as defective. (double check the front a plastic covering)

[seabass]

That's interesting, thanks; I didn't know that's how they worked. I've used Seachem's ammonia test sensor disks before and found them to be quite accurate. They can test free ammonia without using the reagent, and test both with the reagent. I'm guessing this is the same thing (obviously without the reagent). So it sounds like a greenish hue indicates 0.25ppm at a pH of 8.3, or actually higher if your tank is still establishing its biofilter (typically resulting in lower pH values). The following is provided by Seachem.

Interpretation

As little as 0.02 mg/L of free ammonia will produce a greenish hue on the detector surface. This corresponds to a total ammonia (both ionized and free ammonia) of 0.25 mg/L in marine water at pH 8.3. In freshwater at pH 7.0, this corresponds to 3.6 mg/L total ammonia. Free ammonia is much more toxic than ionized ammonia. As free ammonia, the ALERT color corresponds to about 0.05 mg/L, ALARM to about 0.2 mg/L, and TOXIC to about 0.5 mg/L. The ALERT concentration is tolerated for several days, ALARM for a few days, and TOXIC is rapidly harmful. This product is not recommended for use at acid pH.

 

Care

No care is required beyond removing algae with a clean, soft material. Avoid touching the sensor with fingers, since skin oils can damage it. Do not use bleach, soap, detergents or hard objects to clean the sensor. Some dye medications may discolor the sensor. Sensitivity improves with age, provided the unit is not allowed to dry out, however, drying does not permanently impair the unit. For maximum sensitivity, the unit should be read under natural daylight or daylight simulating light. Red enhancing light minimizes green and blue hues, decreasing the apparent sensitivity of the unit. The response of the unit may be checked by holding it briefly over the mouth of an ammonia bottle: color should develop rapidly.

 

General Information

Ammonia Alert is an innovative color device for continuously detecting and monitoring toxic free ammonia. A sensor changes reversibly from yellow to green to blue, relative to the ammonia concentration. No test kits, chemicals, or procedures are needed. The device detects less than 0.05 mg/L (ppm) free ammonia and alerts you to the #1 killer of tropical aquarium fish before any sign of stress. It lasts over a year. Marine or freshwater use.

 

In the absence of free ammonia the unit will assume a yellow or faint yellow-green color. It is normal for the dry sensor to have a greenish hue. It may take up to a few days for a dry sensor to equilibrate with the water. No sampling of water, chemicals, or test procedures is required. The presence of the free ammonia is detectable continuously with a response time of about 15 minutes. Response to decreasing ammonia is slower, requiring about 4 hours to go from TOXIC to SAFE on removal of ammonia.

[seabass]

I am preparing a comparative writeup on API ammonia test kit comparisons to other test kits out there...you all know how API reads .25 to almost everyone who uses it in a reef tank, and we are discussing on other forums the massive amount of unneeded action being done as a result of that. For this thread, I really need your pictures of a side by side or any other comparative readouts between API and salifert, red sea, the ammonia alert devices etc. The goal here is to see which ones read high for the purposes of hobby level testing as compared to API which always reads high.

I don't use ammonia testing or I'd contribute

I thought this was something you personally experienced.

 

I wonder if this is a myth that has been propagated by people reading posts warning others about false high readings. I know (based on posts that I've read), I've previously commented that other members have reported false high readings. This could perpetuate a myth.

 

Let's see if anybody can provide some evidence that there is actually a problem; or maybe this thread will serve to validate it as a relatively accurate and affordable test kit. Either way, this thread could be helpful to members using, or who wish to use, API's ammonia test kit.

[joy13]

I just finished cycling a tank, I am doing ammonia tests every other day with API. The other day when I did one it read 2.0 freaking out I did a water change. I checked the fresh made saltwater the same reading. I didn't wait the full 5 minutes for the test to finish before I started the water change. Still upset I was about to do another 5 gallon water change when I decided to retest the water, this time I really shook up the bottles before doing the test and it showed 0.

[neverrain]

My API ammonia kit never looks exactly like the zero color (it's the same colors as the one above, just split into 4 cards. I have had my water tested at my LFS and it read something like .1 ppm, even though the color on my API test is visibly different than the zero reading on the card.

 

When I need more test solution I won't be rebuying the API kit.

 

EDIT - I can take a pic tomorrow for you after I test it. I've already done it today.

[seabass]

My API ammonia kit never looks exactly like the zero color... I have had my water tested at my LFS and it read something like .1 ppm, even though the color on my API test is visibly different than the zero reading on the card.

I'm confused, your tank has ammonia (verified by the LFS), but you're unhappy with API's test kit which doesn't look like it's undetectable?

[happyhour99]

I'm confused, your tank has ammonia (verified by the LFS), but you're unhappy with API's test kit which doesn't look like it's undetectable?

+1

 

I'm thinking api is very sensitive at low concentrations. Even the smallest amount appears to register.

[yousaidreefer]

I've tested ammonia on fresh mixed salt and compared it to my tank. They both look the same and the same as the pics above which to me looks to be .25 on the card. Seabass' card color is not as yellow as the others. The saltmaster kit shows bright yellow which I think throws everyone off. Not sure why his card is different unless it was just the ammonia kit and not the full saltmaster kit but you would think the card colors would be the same? idk.

[happyhour99]

API shows 0.25 ppm a lot on ammonia tests for some reason. Unless it reads 0.5 ppm its generally safe.

 

As for different colors, that could be because of different cameras or lighting conditions. it could also be a different generation of API tests where they tweak the cards or formula.

[Azedenkae]

I work at a LFS, and API test kits are our go-to test reagents. I've read more 0s than I can count. We don't have issues with API test kits. Unless for some reason the API test kits in Australia are more reliable than elsewhere lol.

 

Well 'color' is indeed subjective, but I could alwats tell.

[seabass]

I've tested ammonia on fresh mixed salt and compared it to my tank.

It isn't uncommon for freshly mixed saltwater to contain ammonia. But it is uncommon for a mature tank to have detectable ammonia levels.

 

They both look the same and the same as the pics above which to me looks to be .25 on the card... The saltmaster kit shows bright yellow which I think throws everyone off.

Hmm, I'm not seeing any examples of what looks to be 0.25 readings. However, it's true that an undetectable reading won't be bright yellow. Can someone post a close up pic (like I did) of the salt master test ammonia chart and a test tube laying on its side next to it?

 

 

API shows 0.25 ppm a lot on ammonia tests for some reason.

I'm still not seeing it. Is this your personal experience, or are you relaying others? Do you have a picture as an example?

 

 

I work at a LFS, and API test kits are our go-to test reagents.

I hope you don't use their high range phosphate kit. It goes straight from 0 to 0.25 (but the recommended level is 0.03 ppm or less). You need a phosphate test kit that can detect changes as low as 0.01 ppm.

 

I've read more 0s than I can count. We don't have issues with API test kits.

Yeah, I agree. I haven't seen the problem that people seem to agree is common.

 

Well 'color' is indeed subjective...

This is true. Comparing color charts can be very frustrating. Sometimes I think a picture of it provides an easier to read comparison.

[happyhour99]

i haven't seen it myself, but i've read a ton of people complaining about it. IMO i think its from over stocked tanks and the api test is more senstive at lower ammonia concentrations, so its reading the tiny little bit of ammonia that hasn't been eaten by bacteria yet , but thats just the feeling that i get from reading about peoples tanks and i have no hard evidence towards it. I use api tests kits and have had no problems with it so far.

thats why i tell people not to freek out if they see 0.25. They can panic if there is 0.5 or there is nitrite.

 

+1 to comparing color, but cameras help, but each camera is also different! Same with lighting and monitors... But pics do help