What's interesting is I did this yesterday. If I added just a fraction of API (say 5% max of a 5ml vial of water with no detectable nitrite), it went from sky blue (undetectable) to slightly darker blue (about 0.1 or 0.15ppm of nitrite) instantly, and then didn't go darker than that. And I even tried 50% API and 50% water. The same reaction. Only went a tad darker blue. Nothing like the purple readings (1.0ppm or more) when I've let the API dose sit in 15 litres of tap water for 48 hours.
API tap water conditioner and nitrite false positive?
- Thread starter AJ356
- Start date
I tried removing the whole thing and water just sprayed out sideways and made a mess. So I put enough back to 'straighten' the water. Some of the inserts in the UK restrict water flow to 4 litres or 1 US gallon per minute. It would take forever doing a water change at that rate.
Unrelated, I bet you haven't tried this at home.
I once spilt neat API conditioner onto a fresh paper cut. Actually stung like hell but only for a second. I was surprised. it really stung. I know that is NEAT conditioner, but still... wasn't expecting that from something I put in my tank. Obviously I'll always use something to neutralise chlorine/chloramine.
I once spilt neat API conditioner onto a fresh paper cut. Actually stung like hell but only for a second. I was surprised. it really stung. I know that is NEAT conditioner, but still... wasn't expecting that from something I put in my tank. Obviously I'll always use something to neutralise chlorine/chloramine.
Thank you, interesting
The aerator is the white plastic insert with the circumference filled with tiny holes. All the rest should put back to avoid spraying... I concur
I have just done a water change. I kept some of the new water with 2 drops API Tap Water Conditioner added to 8 litres water. When I finished I used the API liquid tester and tested nitrite in both tank water and new water and both showed the zero colour.
I'll test both again in 2 days.
I'll test both again in 2 days.
Could you do me a favour, no rush. Try mixing about 4ml tank water you know is nitrite undetectable and about 1ml API conditioner and test for nitrite. Tell me if the sky blue (no detectable nitrite) changes to slightly darker blue, but still well below the next level up (0.25ppm). Mine goes slightly darker blue almost instantly. Thanks
I'll try that tomorrow - the tank light is currently off, as is the room light, and I don't like to wake up the fish
I have done the test as requested.
I tested all tank water, water change yesterday and used 1 drop per 4 litres (which turns out to be a bit too much, see calculation below)
And I tested 4 ml tank water + 1 ml water conditioner.
The plain tank water was the sky blue of zero.
The tank water + water conditioner was slightly purple compared to the plain tank water but not nearly as purple as the 0.25 ppm colour.
I have 2 bottles of API Tap Water Conditioner.
I bought a 1 fl oz/30 ml bottle for dropper in the lid, and once it was used, I now buy 4 fl oz/118 ml bottles and decant it into the 30 ml bottle.
The dose rate on the 30 ml bottle is 1 drop per US gallon/3.8 litres and 1.25 ml for 20 US gallons/76 litres for chlorine. This is the same as 1 ml treats 16 US gallons/60 litres. So 1 ml contains 16 drops. And 3 times that for chloramine.
The dose rate on my current 118 ml bottle is 1 ml per 20 US gallons/76 litres for chlorine. This is a new bottle I bought a couple of months ago, but an older bottle says 1 ml per 15 US gallons/60 litres for chlorine which is what I used to work out how much 1 drop treats.**
Using the new dose rate, 1 drop of the new 118ml bottle treats 1.25 US gallons or 4.7 litres.
You said you use 0.7 ml to treat 15 litres. I measured 0.7 ml and it's 12 drops.
Depending on the dose rate of your bottle -
If it says 1 ml for 15 gallons/60 litres, you need 4 drops or 0.25 ml for 15 litres.
If the bottle says 1 ml for 76 litres, you need 3.3 drops or 0.2 ml for 15 litres.
That's if you have chlorine in your tap water. If you have chloramine, multiply by 3.
**
I've had to recalculate the amount to add to my bucket. I bought the current 118 ml bottle a couple of months ago and the dose rate has changed since I calculated how many drops to use. The current bottle says 1 ml per 76 litres, the last bottle said 1 ml per 60 litres. So instead of 1 drop per 3.8 litres I now need 1 drop per 4.7 litres. So do I put 4.7 litres per bucket or 9.4 litres per bucket? Can I even carry 9.4 litres? I can just about manage 7.6 litres. And would I risk spilling a 10 litre bucket containing 9.4 litres?
Post edited as I made a mess of the calculation - it should be right now
I tested all tank water, water change yesterday and used 1 drop per 4 litres (which turns out to be a bit too much, see calculation below)
And I tested 4 ml tank water + 1 ml water conditioner.
The plain tank water was the sky blue of zero.
The tank water + water conditioner was slightly purple compared to the plain tank water but not nearly as purple as the 0.25 ppm colour.
***********************************************************
I have 2 bottles of API Tap Water Conditioner.
I bought a 1 fl oz/30 ml bottle for dropper in the lid, and once it was used, I now buy 4 fl oz/118 ml bottles and decant it into the 30 ml bottle.
The dose rate on the 30 ml bottle is 1 drop per US gallon/3.8 litres and 1.25 ml for 20 US gallons/76 litres for chlorine. This is the same as 1 ml treats 16 US gallons/60 litres. So 1 ml contains 16 drops. And 3 times that for chloramine.
The dose rate on my current 118 ml bottle is 1 ml per 20 US gallons/76 litres for chlorine. This is a new bottle I bought a couple of months ago, but an older bottle says 1 ml per 15 US gallons/60 litres for chlorine which is what I used to work out how much 1 drop treats.**
Using the new dose rate, 1 drop of the new 118ml bottle treats 1.25 US gallons or 4.7 litres.
You said you use 0.7 ml to treat 15 litres. I measured 0.7 ml and it's 12 drops.
Depending on the dose rate of your bottle -
If it says 1 ml for 15 gallons/60 litres, you need 4 drops or 0.25 ml for 15 litres.
If the bottle says 1 ml for 76 litres, you need 3.3 drops or 0.2 ml for 15 litres.
That's if you have chlorine in your tap water. If you have chloramine, multiply by 3.
**
I've had to recalculate the amount to add to my bucket. I bought the current 118 ml bottle a couple of months ago and the dose rate has changed since I calculated how many drops to use. The current bottle says 1 ml per 76 litres, the last bottle said 1 ml per 60 litres. So instead of 1 drop per 3.8 litres I now need 1 drop per 4.7 litres. So do I put 4.7 litres per bucket or 9.4 litres per bucket? Can I even carry 9.4 litres? I can just about manage 7.6 litres. And would I risk spilling a 10 litre bucket containing 9.4 litres?
Post edited as I made a mess of the calculation - it should be right now
Last edited:
Thank you for doing that. This is the same readings I got as well. As for all the different ways of dosing it, I will read it again what you have written, as my brain is mush today
TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
The API nitrite test measures total ions as opposed to only the nitrogen. so I am not sure the following would apply to this test kit. However, science prefers to test for nitrite using the nitrogen scale. These two scales can be converted into each using a formula.
I took a look on the Hach site at their nitrite test kit" Nitrite LR Test Kit NI-15 (2182000) which uses the nitrogen scale. O looked at what can interfere with the test and this is what I found:
Dechlor is a known reducing agent. So, it might be possible that this explains your nitrite readings. The most common ingredient for neutralizing chlorine/chloramine is sodium thiosulfate which is a reducing agent and API contains this.
This may explain the readings you are seeing.
But I would suggest you do the following. Buy a bottle of distilled water from the supermarket etc. Walmart sells a 1.5 gal. (3.78L or 3780 ml) bottle of distilled for about $1.44. Start by testing 5 ml of the distilled water with the API nitrite kit. The result should be 0.
Since the dose of the API conditioner is "1 ml for each 10 U.S. gallons (38L), you will have to dilute the API conditioner to be able to add the small amount needed for what will remain in the bottle of distilled water. It has been reduced to 3,775 ml due to the 1st 5 ml test above. But you will need to use more of the distilled to dilute 1 ml of the API. Take a clean 8 ounce cup of the distilled water out of the remaining 3,775 ml of water in the 1.5 gal. bottle. 1 cup of water is 236.5882 ml. call it 236.5 ml. So that would leave you with:
3,775 - 236.5 = 3,238.5 ml. of distilled water.
If you add 1 ml of the API to the cup of distilled water, you will have 236.5 + 1 ml = 237.5 ml of the diluted API.
3,238.5 ml of the remaining distilled water is 8.5% of the 38,000 ml which is what 10 gals is. 38L x 1,000. So you will need to add .085 x the 237.5 ml in the cup of diluted API and that would be 20.18 ml. of the distilled + API solution being added to the remaining distilled water. Now you can test 5 ml of the distilled having dosed it with the pretty close to the proper amount of the API conditioner.You can now determine if the API conditioner can cause a false positive reading for nitrite. Shake the bottle well after adding the 1 ml of the diluted solution to get it well mixed in vwfire testing it.
BTW 20.18 ml = a bit more than 5/8 (.625) of an ounce since there are 29.6 ml/ounce. 20.18/29.6 = .68 of an ounce. You can probably get away with eyeballing a bit under 3/4 of an ounce to add to the the remaining dustilled and be OK. By using distilled water it eliminates any potential contaminents being in the water which mught throw off the test results.
The numbers above are close enough for our purposes. But, it is late and I am sick and old, so somebody may want to double check my calcs. But, I am pretty sure I got it all figured properly.
I took a look on the Hach site at their nitrite test kit" Nitrite LR Test Kit NI-15 (2182000) which uses the nitrogen scale. O looked at what can interfere with the test and this is what I found:
Dechlor is a known reducing agent. So, it might be possible that this explains your nitrite readings. The most common ingredient for neutralizing chlorine/chloramine is sodium thiosulfate which is a reducing agent and API contains this.
This may explain the readings you are seeing.
But I would suggest you do the following. Buy a bottle of distilled water from the supermarket etc. Walmart sells a 1.5 gal. (3.78L or 3780 ml) bottle of distilled for about $1.44. Start by testing 5 ml of the distilled water with the API nitrite kit. The result should be 0.
Since the dose of the API conditioner is "1 ml for each 10 U.S. gallons (38L), you will have to dilute the API conditioner to be able to add the small amount needed for what will remain in the bottle of distilled water. It has been reduced to 3,775 ml due to the 1st 5 ml test above. But you will need to use more of the distilled to dilute 1 ml of the API. Take a clean 8 ounce cup of the distilled water out of the remaining 3,775 ml of water in the 1.5 gal. bottle. 1 cup of water is 236.5882 ml. call it 236.5 ml. So that would leave you with:
3,775 - 236.5 = 3,238.5 ml. of distilled water.
If you add 1 ml of the API to the cup of distilled water, you will have 236.5 + 1 ml = 237.5 ml of the diluted API.
3,238.5 ml of the remaining distilled water is 8.5% of the 38,000 ml which is what 10 gals is. 38L x 1,000. So you will need to add .085 x the 237.5 ml in the cup of diluted API and that would be 20.18 ml. of the distilled + API solution being added to the remaining distilled water. Now you can test 5 ml of the distilled having dosed it with the pretty close to the proper amount of the API conditioner.You can now determine if the API conditioner can cause a false positive reading for nitrite. Shake the bottle well after adding the 1 ml of the diluted solution to get it well mixed in vwfire testing it.
BTW 20.18 ml = a bit more than 5/8 (.625) of an ounce since there are 29.6 ml/ounce. 20.18/29.6 = .68 of an ounce. You can probably get away with eyeballing a bit under 3/4 of an ounce to add to the the remaining dustilled and be OK. By using distilled water it eliminates any potential contaminents being in the water which mught throw off the test results.
The numbers above are close enough for our purposes. But, it is late and I am sick and old, so somebody may want to double check my calcs. But, I am pretty sure I got it all figured properly.
The dose rate given on API's website is as you quote but the bottle of API Tap Water Conditioner in my hand says
That's quite a big difference between the website and the actual bottle.
TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
Since i have never used the API water conditioner I have never read the bottle label. So I went bu the dosing listed on their site. Goof shpw A{PI. No wonder hobbyists get confused by this sort of thing
My experience is that many of the websites for aquarium products do this. If they are going to change the label directions they should make sure to do the same with the site.
I have well water and do not treat it. In my fish space which was dedicated to pleco breeding I often refill a tank driectly from the hose ettached to the utility sink there. I have the faucet spigot divided into two outputs each with its own ball valve. One output it connected to several feet of hose and the other drains into the sink as a faucet normally does.
Screw API- I am not doing all the math to accommodate the bottle dosing- sorry guys. While I have many of their test kits I rarely use any of them except for ammonia. I need this for the bio-farm when I am running it. I mix my own ammonium chloride and I use the API ammonia test to confirm I have done the mix correctly. I also refill my older empty bottles of the Dr. Tim's ammonium chloride with ammonium chloride I mix myself. However, my biofarm days are over.
My experience is that many of the websites for aquarium products do this. If they are going to change the label directions they should make sure to do the same with the site.
I have well water and do not treat it. In my fish space which was dedicated to pleco breeding I often refill a tank driectly from the hose ettached to the utility sink there. I have the faucet spigot divided into two outputs each with its own ball valve. One output it connected to several feet of hose and the other drains into the sink as a faucet normally does.
Screw API- I am not doing all the math to accommodate the bottle dosing- sorry guys. While I have many of their test kits I rarely use any of them except for ammonia. I need this for the bio-farm when I am running it. I mix my own ammonium chloride and I use the API ammonia test to confirm I have done the mix correctly. I also refill my older empty bottles of the Dr. Tim's ammonium chloride with ammonium chloride I mix myself. However, my biofarm days are over.
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