Api Master Test Kit Q.

[Maxta]

Hey.

Are you meant to hold the tube actually against the colour chart card, so its touching it? Or just near it? Because if you hold it onto the card, its darker, and if held near it, its lighter.

 

[celaeno]

you're supposed to hold it so it's lighter, meaning close but not touching the card.

 

[Maxta]

Doh, aint been doing that. Iv been having it pressed against the card.

 

[lym]

Yeah because if you put it right next to it you get a shadow and it makes the test appear darker. The white background is basically just there to help you determine the colour better.

 

[Tracy10]

Oh dear.....i was putting against card too,so hopefully tomorrow when i test will be better result. Glad i,m not the only one then !

Tracy

 

[rdd1952]

I always put the tube along the right hand side over the white area and against the card. I assume that is what it is there for. The color for 0 ammonia and nitrite are 100% accurate that way. Never had any problems discerning colors except for nitrate and from 20 ppm or higher, I can't tell enough difference in the colors to matter.

 

[Tracy10]

oh now i am confused......against or not against....wish i had got test strips now.

Tracy

 

[rdd1952]

The closer it is to the paper, the less shadow it will cast but in actuallity, I doesn't really matters as long as you can distinguish the readings.

 

[steelhealr]

Hold the tube above the card and simply stand in good lighting so that you get the view that IS BEST FOR YOU. There is nothing wrong with touching the tube to the card but you WILL get a shadowing effect. With the nitrate card, the colors are still hard to distinguish between...even for me. I will often touch the tube to the card and MOVE the tube to see which color 'fades out'...getting me the closest answer.

Hope this helps. SH

 

[Maxta]

I always go outside my room and put the big light on to distinguish which colour it is. Iv always held it pressed against the card, so i guess il continue doing that in future to maintain consistency and accuracy. You can get 3 different shades of the colour you actually have if you:

• Hold it pressed against the card - darkest
• Hold it slightly off the card - lighter
• Hold it further away from the card - lightest

Maybe they should specify exactly what they mean when they say hold it against the card, because as this thread shows...people are doing it different ways lol.

 

[Jcartwright]

That's a good question. I started cycling on wed 21st i added 110 drops of ammonia and when i tested the water i didn't know where the tube should go. If i put it agaist the card it read 4ppm if i hold away from the card it reads 2ppm and i use the tanks lights as background light. Now i hold the card on it's side and hold the tube to the corrisponding colour but then the bottom is 4ppm and the top is 2ppm. My nitrite is still showing 0ppm. Do i need to add more ammonia? and (this has prbably been loads of times) how long till the ammonia srops and the nitrite goes up?

 

[doresy]

oh now i am confused......against or not against....wish i had got test strips now.

Tracy

Liquid tests are best so stick with it

 

[rdd1952]

Not certain exactly what you mean by the bottom is 4 and the top is 2. The liguid in the tube should be the same color through out. As for how long it will take and whether you need to add more ammonia, if you haven't already read it, check the link in my signature about fishless cycling. It should give you all the info you need.

As for the test kit, I hold the card straight up with the tube beside it in normal light. I have never had any problem distinguishing the colors except as previously mentioned with the nitrates.

The key thing to remember here is that you really should have a 0 reading for both ammonia and nitrite. If you are getting anything else and your not in the process of a fishless cycle, regardless if it looks like .25 or .5 or whatever, then you have a problem and need to do water changes to reduce the toxins.

 

[AndreaC]

I always put the tube along the right hand side over the white area and against the card. I assume that is what it is there for. The color for 0 ammonia and nitrite are 100% accurate that way. Never had any problems discerning colors except for nitrate and from 20 ppm or higher, I can't tell enough difference in the colors to matter.

I do the same. I also find the nitrate difficult aswell at the same readings. There is hardly any colour difference as it is let alone trying to figure out the reading to match lol.