High Tide Aquatics

Help - API Nitrate Test Kit - Reliable?

GDawson

GDawson

Guest
BARcard
Ran out of Kordon and ended up with API (it's all the store had). Remember seeing API here with no bad reports so I got it. Per the test my NO3 is over 80ppm! That sucker coloured bright red in less than 30 seconds into the 5 minute wait time. Given the amount of food my psycho anthias eat it makes sense....it also would explain the tissue recession I'm experiencing on some LPS frags (been blaming the LEDs). But the Kordon test kit said my nitrates were in an exceptable range
 
I would get a third kit and retest before you make any drasitc changes. Doing a couple of water changes wont hurt anything but defently retest with a third kit before you do anything else.
 
how many tests did you run on both kits? If only one, go for 3 and see how close they are.

WC won;t hurt anything and that is one of the best ways to battle high nitrate. No need to test before doing a WC, or three!
 
I don't think there is a need to get another. Just do a succession of WC for the next few weeks. Worst case scenario your water will be clean :)
 
On a side note about API test kits, I used the BAR standard for ALK and the API test kit was accurate. It took 10 drops of the regent to get the color change. 10 drops = 10dkh, even tho the standard is 10.6dkh I think thats pretty good for a $5 test kit.
 
Just did a 10 gal WC on a approx 100gal vol system. The test looks like there's a small change in the reading, but not much and may be more wishful thinking than reality. I've 10 more gal about heated up and ready to do another change.....then it's salt mix'n time fer tomorrow.

-Gregory
 
May be stating the obvious but check out the expiration date on the test kit to make sure it's not old and bad... wouldn't be the first time a stores sold expired goods. I'm personally not a fan of the API kits though. To be honest... I hate testing for nitrates regardless... I'd rather do a water change any day. :)
 
APIs do not have an expiration date, they have a batch # located towards the top of the bottle on the front, you can call API and they can tell you when it was bottled.
 
tuberider said:
APIs do not have an expiration date, they have a batch # located towards the top of the bottle on the front, you can call API and they can tell you when it was bottled.
Click to expand...

Yeah....saw the lot # on the bottle. Tried to look it up on their website... no go. Try to call tomorrow.

-Gregory
 
OK...the second WC has made a dent in the readings. It has gone from something over 80ppm (a lurid blood red) to something between 40 and 80 ppm...closer to 40 (a delightful cherry red).

I really hate colour scales.

-Gregory
 
+1,000,000!!!! those things are hard to read. Okay for a very approximate type of very low or sort of high type of reading, but not much else for me. The API phosphate is at least as hard
 
DAMN!!!! Idid a 25 gal change on 11/29. I did a 20 gal change yesterday and as of now 15 gal today. The nitrates have barely budged. They are going down but very slowly. Granted the WCs have been in 5 gal increments which does dilute the next WC, but I would hope they would go down faster than this. :( I did a nitrate test on my mixing water as well as the salt mix prior to being added to the tank. Both OK. The nitrates were just really out of control. I won't be purchasing Kordon again.

On the up side....several LPS that have not looked well for some time (blamed my inexperience with LEDs) are comeing back with a vengence. One acan that I had written off is starting to grow back (at least inflating so it looks like it is... :) ) I'm getting great PE on some stuff that always looked "OK" but now looks really good......

Now if I could just get the nitrates to a reasonable level....

-Gregory
 
GDawson said:
DAMN!!!! Idid a 25 gal change on 11/29. I did a 20 gal change yesterday and as of now 15 gal today. The nitrates have barely budged. They are going down but very slowly. Granted the WCs have been in 5 gal increments which does dilute the next WC, but I would hope they would go down faster than this. :( I did a nitrate test on my mixing water as well as the salt mix prior to being added to the tank. Both OK. The nitrates were just really out of control. I won't be purchasing Kordon again.

On the up side....several LPS that have not looked well for some time (blamed my inexperience with LEDs) are comeing back with a vengence. One acan that I had written off is starting to grow back (at least inflating so it looks like it is... :) ) I'm getting great PE on some stuff that always looked "OK" but now looks really good......

Now if I could just get the nitrates to a reasonable level....

-Gregory
Click to expand...
Don't worry it takes time. On my 120 I had a Nitrate reading of 50ppm and I did,35-40gal water changes daily for 2-2.5 weeks before it tested out ok. Just keep it up and you will see a difference. On a side note because of that incident I have been doing 25-30gal water change weekly ever since. My tank has never look better.
 
Well we're making progress. After almost 2 weeks of 15 to 20 gal daily WCs the nitrates are down to a solid 40ppm. Yes I know that is still high but at least it takes the test kit the entire 5 min to turn colours. At the beginning the colour turned deep blood/brick red in the first 15 seconds.......over 160ppm per the colour scale card! Now the corals have never looked better! Some things that I thought were doing well are just rock'n now. What a difference! :bigsmile:

Once this is over I'm going to be adopting a weekly WC (it was monthly at 10%) schedule at 20% (thanks Brian). I'm also going to look at Eco Bak or Bio Pellets as a follow up. I'd like to return to feeding my psycho anthias like they were accustomed. More than likely that's one of the things that helped put them into spawning condition.

-Gregory
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top