Api Liquid Nitrate Test

[jaclynl]

Hi everyone,

I have an API liquid Nitrate test. I have been following the instructions for the test when I do my readings (doing a fishless cycle), shaking it really vigorously before putting in the second drops and then shaking the tube a lot.

Tonight after I had been shaking the tube for about 45 seconds I went to put the drops in and they stopped, there is a hard mass of crystals in the bottle that went into the tip. I shook it up a lot....but now I have two questions

1 - for the first time tonight I got a really high reading for Nitrates, did I finally dislodge enough to get a proper reading?
2- If the concentration of the bottle all messed up now since maybe I haven't been actually mixing it enough? Plus I'm not sure if there are more in there or not.

Thanks,
Jaclyn

 

[OldMan47]

I know that the second test is very inaccurate if you don't mix the chemicals well. If you have used a large part of the second bottle without actually mixing the chemicals I would doubt the results afterward. If the bottle was still mostly full, the concentration of indicator is probably close enough to still use. Since we only use nitrates to gauge directions and orders of magnitude before doing a water change, the results will probably be close enough. If you are concerned because of how much you have already used, maybe it is best to replace the test with a new nitrate test kit.

 

[jaclynl]

Thanks...I've only had the test a few weeks but probably used 100 drops out of the bottle (10 each time) so perhaps I'll go buy another test just to be sure.

 

[waterdrop]

Since you've only performed about 10 tests, my guess would be that it would be unnecessary to buy a new nitrate kit. Figuring out some way (perhaps a very thin needle? Perhaps a hard thwack on a table?) to clear the tip if it clogs would seem to be enough in my opinion. I remember one bottle out of the whole master kit that seemed to get stuck periodically and I'll bet it was this same one for me. You are wise to follow all the shaking time periods, my chemist father-in-law told me they were probably minimums, that nitrate tests were notoriously difficult to get right even in better analytical lab situations.

~~waterdrop~~