Api Water Test Kit Question

[dreamermama]

I purchased the API water test kit and I'm loving all the pretty colors LOL (of course the goal is simple yellow or light blue).

My question is, how much do you hold the test tube up to the card?

The directions say to hold the tube up against the white of the card in a well-lit area. I do hold it up with the light hitting it, but I've noticed, at least with my darker nitrate readings, that the color looks darker with the card behind it and lighter with just the white wall behind it (light shining through). So with nitrates, it is really hard to tell whether between 20-40 ppm and 40-80 ppm. Of course, I find the colors on the Nitrate card very close at those ranges anyway.

Any tips?

Thanks.

 

[kribensis12]

Your nitrates should ideally be under 30. SO if it comes out over 40, change the water. I would almost wlak outside and see what it looks like. I never have a prob with mine.

 

[dreamermama]

I would almost wlak outside and see what it looks like.

LOL, good suggestion but I almost always do my tests at night when my children are sleeping and I can think! I also don't like to have to run from the tests at a moment's notice the way you have to with a houseful of children as the tests are somewhat time-sensitive. Maybe as I get faster at it I can manage to do them in the daytime, when I can find some clean counter space....

Any more tips?

 

[doresy]

Tip.1) Test the water straight from the tap for nitrate. (mine is at 40 ppm so will never get lower than that in my tank no matter how many water changes I do!)

Tip.2) In the nitrate test all that shaking is VERY NECCESSARY

Tip.3) although you have all those different shades on the ammonia and nitrite cards they are only a guide. As it is imperative that ammonia/nitrite levels are at zero then the only 2 colours you are interested in are clear yellow and clear sky-blue. A slight tinge of something else no matter how small requires immediate attention (water change and a cut back at feeding time are the main 2 areas of remedy)

Tip.4) back to nitrate reading, yes it is very difficult to judge but once a tank is cycled if you are doing regular 25-30% water changing (6-10 days) your nitrate levels are going to remain as good as your tapwater will allow.

 

[kj23502]

I have issues reading my nitrates as well. Also, when you hold the tube to the card and have it direct light the color looks different. Ex. where the light hits directly always looks lighter than the edges of the tube where the light isn't direct. Am I confusing anyone...LOL...I've never been very good at describing! I go by the color where the light directly hits....Am I wrong to do so?

 

[waterdrop]

I think dorsey's tips are really good.

I actually agree with your descriptions, dreamermama, as I felt the same concern the first few weeks to trying to match the colors to the chart. What I eventually decided was that as you slowly gain more and more knowledge of what action you will take based on test results, you worry less and less about the detailed number match will be because you will have experience with what you are looking for. dorsey's examples are good (really clear yellow for 0 ammonia, really clear light blue for 0 nitrite) or during fishless you are just trying to confirm that the green is getting very light, time to recharge ammonia back up to 4ppm, or maybe you've recharged ammonia and want to confirm the shade of green is somewhere over 4ppm but under 8ppm -- after a while you are more confident its just in that range.

One thing I think helps is to just be consistent, rather than worrying about an absolute. I have a simple incandescent bulb lamp, spotlight style, that happens to sit next to the aquarium, so I just always hold the tube and card up about the same distance from this same light.

Another trivial tip: I've found that if you lower the glass tube at an angle closer to horizontal when you dip it in to the tank water surface and then, as it fills, let the water line inside the tube mostly cross over the white 5ml mark on the tube, you can get so good at it that you will almost always be right on 5ml without having to use an eyedropper.

Trivial tip 2: The kitchen stores often have nice little electronic timers now that hang around your neck. I use one of these so I can do other things during the 5 minute wait.

Trivial tip 3: I find that I can quickly drop in the reagents for both nitrite and ammonia into 2 tubes, do the shake of both together and then let them share the 5min wait. During the wait I can then do the 3drop pH test which requires no wait.

More importantly though, I would just like to say that as a beginner I found that just doing more tests than maybe was necessary, under different tank conditions, helped a lot to get more familiar and confident with using the API tests and learning how to interpret them, so I recommend that to you.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Gillymore]

When testing the tank water as a noob...I think that your mind can play tricks on your vision
Your eyes see the actual colour change, but if it wasn't the result that you were hoping for then your mind makes you interpret the resulting colour change
towards a more favourable test result. Lets call it newbievision

 

[kj23502]

My hubby tells me I'm color blind !!! So if I have a ? on color, I ask him! I guess it never hurts go get a second opinion.