Ah this is so annoying, I have two test kits one says to wait 5 min for the color to develop and I get between 3-4PPM of ammonia then I have another test kit that says to match the color immediately and it gives a reading of 1.2-2.4..... The one that gives me 1.2-2.4 is a hagen test kit the other one that gives me 3-4 is well I'm not sure which company it is. Any ideas, because it's hard to do anything when I'm not sure which one is closer to the real concentration of ammonia.
Confused????
- Thread starter StarOrbs
- Start date
Umm I don't think it should make a difference in the first place to be honest... Unless they show 0 it isn't safe for fish. There isn't much more to it.
I'd trust the one that tells you to wait though... or possibly the newest one
Do re-do the tests to make sure. Also, consider buying new test kits in case both are off...
I'd trust the one that tells you to wait though... or possibly the newest one
Do re-do the tests to make sure. Also, consider buying new test kits in case both are off...Streetracer
New Member
Are you cycling with fish or without? If there are no fish, then add more ammonia to get it up to around 5.
blue_ram
Fish Crazy
The problem with most test kits are:
It's also rather inaccurate. Many test kits get false positive/negative results at lower concentration. Furthermore, some reagents in test kits don't react completely depending on pH, temperature, or presence of other chemicals. This only contributes to unreliable test results.
The worst one, IMO, is the misleading reading. Some ammonia test kits dramatically increase the pH, converting all less toxic ammonium into ammonia. Some nitrate test kits report nitrate-nitrogen rather than the nitrate ion. You really can't be sure of what exactly the test kit is testing.
The only thing you can follow is the trend. Also, if you have multiple test kits, use the averaged reading of both test kits. Another way to do this is to get multiple test tubes and add a known amount of substance you're testing for. For example, if you're testing nitrate level, calibrate the test kit measuring known amount of KNO3 solution. Use the known solution as the reference for all your readings.
- difficult to read
- inaccurate
- misleading
It's also rather inaccurate. Many test kits get false positive/negative results at lower concentration. Furthermore, some reagents in test kits don't react completely depending on pH, temperature, or presence of other chemicals. This only contributes to unreliable test results.
The worst one, IMO, is the misleading reading. Some ammonia test kits dramatically increase the pH, converting all less toxic ammonium into ammonia. Some nitrate test kits report nitrate-nitrogen rather than the nitrate ion. You really can't be sure of what exactly the test kit is testing.
The only thing you can follow is the trend. Also, if you have multiple test kits, use the averaged reading of both test kits. Another way to do this is to get multiple test tubes and add a known amount of substance you're testing for. For example, if you're testing nitrate level, calibrate the test kit measuring known amount of KNO3 solution. Use the known solution as the reference for all your readings.
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