How To Properly Evaluate Api Test Results?

[waterdrop]

I agree that there are several other brands of tests, Saliferts and a couple of additional ones, that we can turn to for potentially greater accuracy, even if in some cases at greater expense or complexity of precedure. But I disagree that this particular thread outlining ZoddyZod's odd problem would negate the longer term success we've had among hundreds of beginners using the API kits.

Its extremely common among beginners to have trouble interpreting the shades of the test results. That trouble usually subsides for most people as they begin to look at their logs and realize the looking at the -trend- over a number of days is a more powerful use of the data, regardless of whether a particular day is particularly accurate. In Zods case, I imagine he's frustrated because he's got the additional problem that no trends seem to be developing. He's got a weird problem and I don't what the answer is. A bad kit is always a possibility, but more often it still turns out to be the tank somehow, or the interpretation.

Another problem that happens with fish-in cycles is that it can be quite hard to actually see that the period of feedback has passed and the tank is cycled. I assume this is not the case here and that when he stops changing water, at least the ammonia keeps coming back. I suppose another thing to do is to go back and re-analyze the filter, the media and any other things we can think of.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[ZoddyZod]

I did some tests last night and got

Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10

I'm going to keep the ammonia and nitrate samples, hold off on water changes until Saturday and then compare another set of tests to these ones.

My theory is I will be able to clearly see any change in the colours from yesterday to tomorrow, especially the nitrates. If these are rising then there's obviously something happening in the filter. If the ammonia stays the same, then the very slight green colour that I am seeing is possibly just the 'background' levels in the tank, and not a true 0.25 (otherwise that would have increased over 3 days).

sound like a good plan?

 

[jonchall]

Hey ZoddyZod,

I am inadvertently in the middle of a fish-in cycle as well (50 US gallons). I have had all sorts of wierd occurrences, namely the fact that I kept getting 0.0 readings for ammonia alongside 0.0 readings for nitrites and nitrates. I mean, fish and food waste produce ammonia, and processed ammonia produces nitrites, and processed nitrites produce nitrates, so where was the ammonia going? Anyway, I am currently on day 62 of the cycle. About 10 days ago, my ammonia started rising and my water changes began to significantly increase--before this my ammonia was at 0.0 for a staggering 50+ days straight! 2 days ago, I got my first nitrite readings. At one point, I really thought I had purchased a test kit from a bad batch--I have the API Freshwater Master Test Kit as well--and was very close to going out and purchasing another nitrite kit. As a side note (and additional wierd occurrences), I am also in the middle of two fishless cycles (44 and 36 US gallons). The 36 gallon is on day 55, and it just started processing 5ppm ammonia in 24 hours 3 days ago. Until then, I had 0 nitrites, but seemingly overnight, the nitrites spiked off the chart. The 44 gallon is on day 22 and has slowly begun to process ammonia (from 5ppm down to about 2ppm) and I already have nitrites. None of the three tanks are cycling the same, so it kind of perplexes me--but at least I know (or am pretty certain, at least) that my test kit is working properly.

For your initial question, I read my results with the tube flat against the card and a strong light behind me--that seems to be the most accurate as far as I can tell. Also, I think waterdrop brings up an excellent point about the trends over time vs. a particular day's readings. You never know, you may have that day that some of the testing fluid is on the tip of your bottle and you inadvertently add 10 drops of one of the ammonia solutions instead of 8 (or some other unforseen problem occurs).

Just wanted to let you know that you're not alone with your unexpected readings, and if you situation progresses like mine, one day soon (and seemingly all of a sudden) you may be right on track. Good luck!

Jon

 

[ZoddyZod]

Just wanted to let you know that you're not alone with your unexpected readings, and if you situation progresses like mine, one day soon (and seemingly all of a sudden) you may be right on track. Good luck!

Jon

Cheers Jon,

It's good to know that the 58 days I've had with no apparent cycle is not a complete anomaly.

Can I ask what fish you have in the 50g? Maybe they were small enough for their waste to go undetected for so long?

 

[jonchall]

Can I ask what fish you have in the 50g? Maybe they were small enough for their waste to go undetected for so long?

I used to be in this hobby about 15 years ago when there was no such thing as fishless cycling. When I cycled then, the key (I found) was a huge amount of patience, i.e., starting with a very light stocking--I used to start out with about 10-15% stock. Sometimes I would barely even see a rise in ammonia or nitrites before I started getting nitrates. That's what I thought was happening this time. I started the tank with a 3" (7.6cm) Blood Parrot and a 1.5" (3.8cm) Green Terror (Gold Saum). After about 10 days, I added 5 2" (5cm) Giant Danios. I got a slight ammonia rise (~0.2) the day after adding the Danios, but it dropped in less than 8 hours back to 0.0 and stayed there until 10 days ago. I did perform weekly water changes/gravel vacs. The real kicker to all of this is that my tap water has about 1ppm of ammonia, and even that would disappear within about 12 hours after the water changes. Of course, now the 1ppm of ammonia in the tap water is figuring in to my water changing rituals now that I do have ammonia in the tank--I mean, it's kind of worthless doing a water change when the tank water is .5ppm and my tap is 1ppm, as a 50% change would give my tank .75ppm! For now, I'm trying to balance between using SeaChem Prime to detoxify the ammonia and water changes to flush it out (along with the building nitrites).

 

[ellena]

I'm going to keep the ammonia and nitrate samples, hold off on water changes until Saturday and then compare another set of tests to these ones.

Bad news is the colour will have changed dramatically by then. I left a 0 ammonia test for a couple of days once and it was orange when I rememebered about it!
I hate the ammonia API test. Between 0 and 0.5 I've had what feels like millions of shade variations. I used to have a low energy bulb which showed up the colours great, but it went and I've never got another the same

 

[philak]

In my limited experience i can echo what was said earlier in this thread. There is a fair colour difference if you hold the test tube slightly away from the colour card or if you hold it firmly against it. Holding slightly away seems to give a better match.

 

[ZoddyZod]

Well I kept the samples from Thursday and restested and compared on Sunday.

Ammonia increased, nitrate did not.

I'm therefore in WEEK TEN of a fish-in cycle....ho hum.

Discussed my situation at length with a member of staff at my lfs, he was baffled and the only thing he could suggest was to have the lights running longer as this can promote bacteria growth. I've no idea if this is true but I've set them to be on for 8hrs instead of 5 now.

 

[bob9009]

I'll literally eat a hat if the bacteria need light. If that was true, canister filters wouldn't work.

 

[jmkgreen]

Lights on longer = lovely algae bloom to help impede your progress.

I think we can all agree that once your readings are nil the colour will clearly be nil, not "possibly nil if you hold it in the right light". If you're just trying to attain an accurate reading pretty much any well-lit environment will do just hold it against the white card. The only trouble I've had is when I've wanted the result to be nil and it's been slightly too high to convince myself...

 

[ZoddyZod]

Lights on longer = lovely algae bloom to help impede your progress.

I understood this could be a factor, but thought that a little algae may help to 'naturalize' the tank in some way

The only trouble I've had is when I've wanted the result to be nil and it's been slightly too high to convince myself...

hahaha, yep I can sympathize with that statement!

 

[waterdrop]

I'll literally eat a hat if the bacteria need light. If that was true, canister filters wouldn't work.

Light can be an important variable as a growth factor for many types of bacteria. In the case of our Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira and the various other autotrophs they compete with, there have not been controlled studies with reports in the literature that we know of. As far as I know the practical consensus is that light is not a factor for either of these bacteria because they've clearly been grown sucessfully, at all sorts of different rates, in both lighted conditions and total darkness. I think its pretty safe to say that its just not thought of as a factor.

Back to ZZ... I guess at some point we're going to have to review this guy's problem. Do any of the helper's here have a summary of what we think is going on? It may be time to ask all the basic questions over again and questing all the physical equipment and process execution things we can think of?

~~waterdrop~~