Question About My Nitrite Reading

[Nosnibor]

Hi all,

Just a quick question really that I need confirmation on.

I'm about 3 weeks into my fishless cycle and as the ammonia is dropping fast I'm testing the Nitrite. The thing is, after adding the reagent drops and leaving the colour to develop for 2 minutes, the result is a kind of yellow/orange. The colour measurments on the chart at the back are nowhere near that shade (they are all a shade of purple.)

Does this mean that the Nitrite is so high and 'off the chart' that the colour result won't even come close to the purple shades until it has lowed a great deal?

I'm using the Hagen Nutrafin test kit.

Cheers

Martin

 

[doresy]

sounds like you may have tested for nitrAte instead of nitrIte?

 

[Nosnibor]

sounds like you may have tested for nitrAte instead of nitrIte?

Hi doresy,

No definitely the bottles marked up as No2. Do you have the same testing kit? Wouldn't surprise me if the bottles are labelled up wrong!

For the Nitrate test it is three bottles, the first 2 go in first, then the third bottle goes in after a good shake and the 1st and 2nd reagent has been mixed.

Cheers

Martin

 

[doresy]

sounds like you may have tested for nitrAte instead of nitrIte?

Hi doresy,

No definitely the bottles marked up as No2. Do you have the same testing kit? Wouldn't surprise me if the bottles are labelled up wrong!

For the Nitrate test it is three bottles, the first 2 go in first, then the third bottle goes in after a good shake and the 1st and 2nd reagent has been mixed.

Cheers

Martin

Hi, it was just a guess. No, I use API Freshwater Master Kit. In that, the nitrIte test starts light blue going to various shades of purple depending on consentrate of nitrIte. (no yellows/orange)

 

[Nosnibor]

Well thank you anyway doresy, much appreciated. I sometimes feel like I am the only customer of Hagen Nurafin. I think I'll go for the API test kit when this one runs out (or when I pour it all down the sink).

Cheers

Martin

 

[rdd1952]

I have heard people say something similar. When I was cycling and my nitrite was so high, I never let it sit. When I added the drops, they immediately turned purple in the bottom of the tub. I knew they were still off the chart and just poured it out without even shaking it up. By the way, my kit is also an API kit where pale blue is zero and purple is the highest reading.

 

[Nosnibor]

I have heard people say something similar. When I was cycling and my nitrite was so high, I never let it sit. When I added the drops, they immediately turned purple in the bottom of the tub. I knew they were still off the chart and just poured it out without even shaking it up. By the way, my kit is also an API kit where pale blue is zero and purple is the highest reading.

That is so strange because when I first add the drops my test tube goes purple at the bottom, even shaking it turns the whole lot purple - but only for a while. Whilst it sits I seeit turning from purple to this yellow/orange.

I think I will take a sample of my water to the lfs I bought the kit from and ask them to test. If I get different results then I will take the kit back. Surprised that I've not had a bigger response really here

Cheers

Martin

 

[Arimus]

It does sound like the readings are beyond the scale - I know with some reagents designed to test low concentrations if they're exposed to high concentrations then they can go abit 'odd'.

All of these kits are designed to test the water in a cycled tank and so the concentration of ammonia and nitrIte should be 0.... and the only one which should ever be more than 1ppm (from a conventional ammonia,nitr*te,ph kit) is the nitrAtes.

 

[rdd1952]

I think your kit is fine. It's just the reaction it has to the very high amount of nitrite present. I would no be surprised if the nitrite reaches close to 20 ppm at it's peak. Since it's turning purple when you add the drops as mine did, I wouldn't worry.

 

[treelo]

just dont put any fish in there........

 

[Nosnibor]

just dont put any fish in there........

Don't worry, I'm going by rdd1952's thread he posted very closely. Nothing's going in until all apart from Nitrate is a ZERO.

By the way, I called the lfs yesterday and they said it sounds weird as this is the kit they use. I'm taking it there tomorrow with some of my water for them to test and they will change it if it is faulty.

Cheers anyway guys.

Martin

 

[mark.w.jones]

Dilute your tank water sample in your test tube 50:50 with some dechlorinated tap water then test for nitrites again. You can then double the reading you get for a rough idea of where your nitrites are actually at. Sounds like they are off the scale that the test in the kit can measure for accurately.

 

[Nosnibor]

Dilute your tank water sample in your test tube 50:50 with some dechlorinated tap water then test for nitrites again. You can then double the reading you get for a rough idea of where your nitrites are actually at. Sounds like they are off the scale that the test in the kit can measure for accurately.

You're not far off guys, what I did was this.

I came home and did a 50% water change (dechlorinated) as the PH was dropping badly (below 5.5!) I left it for an hour and tested it again. The Nitrite reading was looking right this time, it was showing darkish purple which obviously means I have high Nitrite which I was expecting. The PH also went up to around 7.5 so I was happy again.

So, do you recommend I do a % of water change every week or other day to help with my fishless cycle, I'm scared that it might go dormant again?

I have plants arriving any day soon, and I wanted it to time in right with the fish coming (which doesn't look the case now )

I think I will have to do another 50% water change when the plants arrive and then keep doing the cycle until it all looks good, then do another final big water change again before the chaps come home eh?

Martin

 

[treelo]

im actually doing a fish-cycle at the moment, and my nitrites are just coming down now after 3 weeks and are now at 0.25 with 20-30% water changes every other day(sometimes every 3 days depending on time available)

deffo go for the regular small water changes until your nitrite starts coming down, ive been told a nitrite spike is perfectly normal in the cycling process though