Nitrite Test On Api Ket

[Iwantsomefish]

Hello,
 
I'm still working through the fishless cycle process but am confused with the nitrite test. At the moment, it will process the ammonia fairly quickly - always down to 0.25 and my nitrate is about 10ppm but the odd thing is the nitrite - I tested an hour ago and it was pinky purple - so quite high I assume - i just looked at it again and now it's light blue - the colour I would want to show the cycle is all done I think.
 
But which is the real reading? After 5 mins it was pinky purple but now it's blue one hour on. Does the nitrite die off in the open air or something?
 
Thanks

 

[TwoTankAmin]

You have provided insufficient information to be able to draw any conclusions.
 
How long have you been dosing ammonia and in what amounts"
What were all your prior readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (I don't care about nitrate its mostly irrelevant here, others might.)?
What brand test kits are you using- are they all API?
What else are you adding to the water (include dechlors, treatments and ferts)?
What are your tap parameters vs your tank parameters- please mention pH and KH.
 
Nitrite does not outgas.
 
The API test kit does not read nitrite levels anywhere near as high as they get during cycling, especially for fishless. Due to the nature of how the kit measures, it would have to read over 16 ppm to show the level at which nitrite will start to inhibit the cycle. It doesn't read high enough to show the average peak in a cycle let alone that.
What it can also do is show 0 nitrite when in fact the nitrite is off the scale. Watch this vid

 

[Iwantsomefish]

You have provided insufficient information to be able to draw any conclusions.
 
How long have you been dosing ammonia and in what amounts"
What were all your prior readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (I don't care about nitrate its mostly irrelevant here, others might.)?
What brand test kits are you using?
What else are you adding to the water (include dechlors, treatments and ferts)?
What are your tap parameters vs your tank parameters- please mention pH and KH.
 
Nitrite does not outgas.

Hm, lots of questions.
 
It's the API master test kit.
I was putting 2-3ppm in recently (before it was 4ppm but then the nitrites went really high so after that point I understand it's ok to keep it at the 2-3ppm level.
Not adding anything to the tap water except putting the occasional few Aqua Pure balls in the filter and Tetra Aqua Safe. .
My tank PH level was 8.0 - there's no test for kH in my kit. 7
Tap water nitrite read about 0.1/0.2.
 
Jut did the tank nitrite test agian and blue in 10 mins.
 
Really confused.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

My best guess is you ran nitrite off the charts. I may still be there- did you watch that vid?
 
You need to get a good reading on nitrite to have any idea what is up. To be sure its not off the charts you need to run a diluted test. if you can get som ro/di water that would be best, other wise a bottle of distilled will do.
 
What you need to do is dilute your water sample and test that. If you mix 1/2 tank water and 1/2 distilled and test that, it effectively cuts levels in half. So you want to mix an accurate 50/50 solution and test that. If you get no reading, to be sure, do another diluted test, use 1/3 tank water and 2/3 distilled.
 
If the first test gives you any color not off the chart and not 0, multiply that number by 2 for the real level in your tank. If you do the 1/3 test the same rule applies except multiply by 3. Much over 15 ppm of nitrite and you will be stalling the cycle, but to be the safest you can even dilute to 1/4 tank and 3/4 distilled and multiply by 4. however, the more dilution the less accurate the results are unless one can measure very accurately the two amounts of water involved.
 
One last observation, nitrate kits normally read nitrate by converting it to nitrite and then reading that. of course having nitrite in the water kinda complicates things. Don't get excited about working backwards from your earlier 10 ppm reading for nitrate. Those kits are not real accurate, so your earlier reading of 10 may or may not be a valid number.

 

[JoebW]

Usually it takes 30 mins for the reading to be accurate

 

[Iwantsomefish]

My best guess is you ran nitrite off the charts. I may still be there- did you watch that vid?
 
You need to get a good reading on nitrite to have any idea what is up. To be sure its not off the charts you need to run a diluted test. if you can get som ro/di water that would be best, other wise a bottle of distilled will do.
 
What you need to do is dilute your water sample and test that. If you mix 1/2 tank water and 1/2 distilled and test that, it effectively cuts levels in half. So you want to mix an accurate 50/50 solution and test that. If you get no reading, to be sure, do another diluted test, use 1/3 tank water and 2/3 distilled.
 
If the first test gives you any color not off the chart and not 0, multiply that number by 2 for the real level in your tank. If you do the 1/3 test the same rule applies except multiply by 3. Much over 15 ppm of nitrite and you will be stalling the cycle, but to be the safest you can even dilute to 1/4 tank and 3/4 distilled and multiply by 4. however, the more dilution the less accurate the results are unless one can measure very accurately the two amounts of water involved.
 
One last observation, nitrate kits normally read nitrate by converting it to nitrite and then reading that. of course having nitrite in the water kinda complicates things. Don't get excited about working backwards from your earlier 10 ppm reading for nitrate. Those kits are not real accurate, so your earlier reading of 10 may or may not be a valid number.

 
Yes, thanks I watched it, I do 50% tank water and 50% tap that is 2.5ml of each and nitrite is still = pink. after 5 mins...

 

[Iwantsomefish]

 

My best guess is you ran nitrite off the charts. I may still be there- did you watch that vid?
 
You need to get a good reading on nitrite to have any idea what is up. To be sure its not off the charts you need to run a diluted test. if you can get som ro/di water that would be best, other wise a bottle of distilled will do.
 
What you need to do is dilute your water sample and test that. If you mix 1/2 tank water and 1/2 distilled and test that, it effectively cuts levels in half. So you want to mix an accurate 50/50 solution and test that. If you get no reading, to be sure, do another diluted test, use 1/3 tank water and 2/3 distilled.
 
If the first test gives you any color not off the chart and not 0, multiply that number by 2 for the real level in your tank. If you do the 1/3 test the same rule applies except multiply by 3. Much over 15 ppm of nitrite and you will be stalling the cycle, but to be the safest you can even dilute to 1/4 tank and 3/4 distilled and multiply by 4. however, the more dilution the less accurate the results are unless one can measure very accurately the two amounts of water involved.
 
One last observation, nitrate kits normally read nitrate by converting it to nitrite and then reading that. of course having nitrite in the water kinda complicates things. Don't get excited about working backwards from your earlier 10 ppm reading for nitrate. Those kits are not real accurate, so your earlier reading of 10 may or may not be a valid number.

 
Yes, thanks I watched it, I do 50% tank water and 50% tap that is 2.5ml of each and nitrite is still = pink. after 5 mins...
 

And I just do it again and with 1/3 to 1/4 tank and 2/3 or 3/4 tap - altogether 5ml - it's still pink!!!
 
Crazy,