Male Platy is hiding from the rest of his tank mates

[Slaphppy7]

Agreed.
Also, I find the color coded card that comes with the kit (alliteration, anyone?) can fade over time, and the colors vary, even when brand new

I 'd rather hold the TT up to my computer monitor, and compare with this: https://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Downloads.html

Of course, you have to consider that not all PC monitors are the same brightness/contrast etc, but at least the online charts are always consistent

 

[Slaphppy7]

"TT" stands for test tube...just to clarify ?

 

[ClownLurch]

The instructions are wrong, they say shake for 30 seconds but it really needs 2 minutes. Check the colour in natural daylight whenever possible.

Any chance of expanding on this?

 

[Naughts]

Any chance of expanding on this?

On the API nitrate test instruction 4 says shake bottle #2 for 30 seconds. This regent has an element that tends to separate so it must be shaken really well, 2 minutes is better. If it is not fully dispersed you can have inaccurate results. If you have an old test and haven't routinely been shaking it the elements may have crystallised and never disperse.

The gradients of the orange hues on the results chart are hard to discern, especially under dim artificial light. The best way to read it is by a bright window in natural daylight against a white card.

 

[ClownLurch]

On the API nitrate test instruction 4 says shake bottle #2 for 30 seconds. This regent has an element that tends to separate so it must be shaken really well, 2 minutes is better. If it is not fully dispersed you can have inaccurate results. If you have an old test and haven't routinely been shaking it the elements may have crystallised and never disperse.

The gradients of the orange hues on the results chart are hard to discern, especially under dim artificial light. The best way to read it is by a bright window in natural daylight against a white card.

Aaaah that’s the bottle I remember @Essjay mentioning should be banged on the kitchen worktop a few times while giving a very vigorous shaking which is what I’ve always done.
There’s two orange squares which are virtually indistinguishable.
Ill try 2 mins next time. I’ll be panicking if results show differently though!

 

[Essjay]

When the tester hasn't been used for a while, or is new, that reagent which settles on the bottom can solidify into a lump. Tapping the bottle on a worktop can break up the lump making it easier to mix it in during shaking.