Api Ammonia Test Result Anomalies

[Primous]

The hobby can be expensive enough so need to be selective at times on what to buy.

Very expensive especially when each and every mistake means you x2 the original cost

 

[Prime Ordeal]

the key reason for this is that nutrafins 0ppm benchmark color in all of it's tests is "the color of water."

Nutrafin do two ammonia tests, the freshwater test kit and the freshwater/saltwater combined test kit. The freshwater kit is Nessler reagent based and, as you say is clear (or the colour of the water sample) with zero ammonia. The combined freshwater/saltwater test is salicylate based though and as such is the normal light yellow colour with zero ammonia (same as API).

 

[Welshweeks]

I've just finished my fishless cycle with the API kit and although it's a little difficult to read some readings (e.g the difference between 80-160 on the nitrates etc) I found that the zero's were easily distinguished which are the important one's imo

 

[OldMan47]

A slight lime tinge to the yellow is not a zero. It is at least a 0.25ppm reading. The cards may not have been printed well on your kit but the chemicals give a very pure yellow with no hint of green when you have a zero ammonia reading.

 

[Man of fish]

I get a 0 reading with my API master kit every week........... I also have a just ammonia kit and see what you meant even though that was the salt water one. The fresh ones the same.

 

[dazbud]

Hmmm. I'm still puzzled then how after 4 months, I am still getting a regular reading of trace ammonia. Its not quite 0.25 but more than zero.
I never get a nitrite reading, so I'm assuming that is being consumed immediately. I do a weekly 25% water change and the Nitrate creeps over over the week from about 5ppm to about 20ppm over the week. So again, that would tell me that both bacteria are present for the nitrate to accumulate. So why aren't the ammonia dropping to zero?

 

[sadguppy]

Hmmm. I'm still puzzled then how after 4 months, I am still getting a regular reading of trace ammonia. Its not quite 0.25 but more than zero.
I never get a nitrite reading, so I'm assuming that is being consumed immediately. I do a weekly 25% water change and the Nitrate creeps over over the week from about 5ppm to about 20ppm over the week. So again, that would tell me that both bacteria are present for the nitrate to accumulate. So why aren't the ammonia dropping to zero?

What is your tap water reading and do you use prime? Either could explain it for reasons mentioned earlier in th thread.