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API testing, the right way, the wrong way, and my way.

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Mongo75

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So, just curious what the routine is for other API users.

My way...

I start with filling all my tubes. First, the nitrate test since it's the most detailed. I set the countdown timer on my phone to one minute, then shake solution #2 for a full minute. No, I don't hit it, beat it against the wall or anything like that. Just shake it really good. Next, I add solution 1 to the tube, shake #2 another 5 to 10 seconds and add it to the tube. Start the timer again and shake for one minute. Reset the timer to 5 minutes but don't start it.

Next I do nitrites, following all the instructions. Then it's on to ammonia, again, following the instructions. Here's where I start the 5 minute countdown.

Finally I test pH, following instructions.

As a control, I have let all the tests sit for 10 minutes and it's my experience that the colors don't change, so I feel comfortable starting my 5 minute timer after all three of the tubes are ready.

So, now, fess up :D, do you have a routine, and what it it?
 
I am going to get beaten up for this but...
I only use the API tests when I suspect a problem, and then usually just ammonia. My logic is
  • pH doesn't change
  • Once the tank is established ammonia and nitrite are always 0
  • Nitrate is in my control cos I change the water every week (and I hate that nitrate test :) procedure)
So I just wave a test strip at the tanks about once a month to double check everything is somewhere close to where I expect it to be. You are right that the colours don't change any further, and in fact most of them are fully developed within 3 minutes so your way sounds sensible.
 
Yes, it says in the instructions to let all of the tunes sit for 5 minutes, other than that, it is a very detailed report! ;)
 
For me it depends on what my goal is. I do complete water testing about once per week (and, yes Ph does change unfortunately - but not by much). Fill all the tubes with water then start with Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates and Ph. By then I can usually read ammonia at least and record from there.

Lately I've had a huge ammonia problem so I fill tubes from all three tanks and test the ammonia for each. I skip the rest of it other than the weekly test.
 
Aside from being anal, and since my tank is only 1 week cycled, I'm still testing everything...daily, lol.

I hate and love the API. The nitrates and pH colors are so close. Today, my pH was definitely 8.2, which is abnormal. It's normally indistinguishable between 7.8 and 8.0, but today, it was obvious. Nitrates turn more red at 20, so I change the water when it's more red than orange, but between 5 and 10, I can't really tell.
 
I test nitrate every couple of weeks in a couple of my tanks even though I do weekly cleaning and water change and another mid-week change. I confess, I just count to 30 slowly for first shake and count again to 60 for second shake. I then set timer for 5 mins. I rarely test for anything else because it’s always the same this same. If someone is acting funny, then I test other things. If I didn’t do so many w/c’s I may test more. My bettas and my goldies are biggest concerns.
 
The issue of changing pH and nitrates mentioned by some in this thread needs comment.

In an established aquarium that is biologically balanced, the nitrate should never fluctuate, and the pH should not fluctuate except with respect to the natural diurnal variation. If these values are changing between water changes or between tests during the week, something is wrong.

Nitrate should never vary. Get it as low as possible, and with weekly substantial water changes and a balanced system, it should stay there. [Nitrate in the source water is another issue.] Nitrate accumulating within the tank from the biology needs to be addressed. Over a period of a couple years I tested nitrate in all my tanks every week just prior to the weekly water change, and it never varied from the 0-5 ppm range. I stopped weekly tests and went with random tests, same result. That is what should be the norm, and is why we do substantial water changes regularly, to maintain stability. Nitrate rising during the week means one or more problems--too many fish, too large a fish for the system, too much feeding, insufficient water changes, insufficient substrate cleaning, inadequate filer cleaning.

As for pH, the diurnal variation has to do with dissolved CO2. This is more noticeable in planted tanks where the CO2 changes more, but it is also true of most tanks and occurs in nature. The pH will be at its lowest in the early morning (immediately following the dark period we can call night) due to the increase of CO2 during darkness, and at its highest in the late afternoon (immediately following the period of tank lighting we can call daylight) because the plants have used much of the CO2. But aside from this, the pH should remain quite stable. Testing pH at the same time each day it is tested will avoid the diurnal variation issue and provide a more reliable constant reading. My tanks over several years never varied by more than a couple decimal points.
 
Whenever adding fish or on a newly completed cycle I still test water every day for the first week for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and then if everything maintains for that first week I switch to once a week for the first month and then do it once a month after. I don’t test ph, gh, kh unless there’s any water warnings (ie city alert for a water main break-boil your water,etc) because those numbers really aren’t going to change unless something is awry.
 
Wow. Didn't know all this. I wonder if I really want to get a test kit.
Edit: I see that these are some kind of liquid testing solutions and not litmus paper, so how long does this stuff last? How many tests? Does it all run out about the same time ? Can you get ,say, the ammonia stuff separate if you run out of it or do you buy the whole thing all over again ? Is the API brand the only one or are there others ? Do you feel like you really can't get by without it? Sorry to be a pest with such dummy questions.:blink:
 
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For my 3 established tanks, I only test for nitrates at most once a month unless previous test was very high. I only test for ammonia or nitrites if fish are acting strangely.

I use Salifert nitrate test for all my nitrate testing as it is so much quicker and easiier than api nitrate test. They give you a tiny spoon to measure out one spoonful of powder and add it to measured water from tank and then add 4 drops of test liquid. The test liquid bottle only require a quick 2 second shake. Then you swirl the test tube around for 30 seconds..no need to shake. Then you wait 3 minutes to read the results..."Alexa...set a timer for 3 minutes." This test kit can measure .2 ppm to 100 ppm of nitrates and is easier to read than the api test kit. I will never go back to api test kit for nitrates but would use if needed to measure ph, nitrite and ammonia. Salifert is a bit more expensive per test but well worth it in my opinion
 
The API master test kit can test for...Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, ph, and high ph. For the price (About $25-$35 USD) it is a very good kit. Do not blow all of your money on the strip test kits, as they are highly inaccurate. :)
 
Wow. Didn't know all this. I wonder if I really want to get a test kit.
Edit: I see that these are some kind of liquid testing solutions and not litmus paper, so how long does this stuff last? How many tests? Does it all run out about the same time ? Can you get ,say, the ammonia stuff separate if you run out of it or do you buy the whole thing all over again ? Is the API brand the only one or are there others ? Do you feel like you really can't get by without it? Sorry to be a pest with such dummy questions.:blink:
It lasts a long time. About 800 individual tests, for all of the parameters. It depends on how much you test the specific parameters. No, you have to buy the hole thing again, but as in question one, it lasts pretty long. Im not sure if there are other brands, I just like and trust the API brand. You can get by without a test kit, but is it really worth losing all of your fish to and water parameters? The choice is yours. :)
 
It lasts a long time. About 800 individual tests, for all of the parameters. It depends on how much you test the specific parameters. No, you have to buy the hole thing again, but as in question one, it lasts pretty long. Im not sure if there are other brands, I just like and trust the API brand. You can get by without a test kit, but is it really worth losing all of your fish to and water parameters? The choice is yours. :)

Wow. Didn't know all this. I wonder if I really want to get a test kit.
Edit: I see that these are some kind of liquid testing solutions and not litmus paper, so how long does this stuff last? How many tests? Does it all run out about the same time ? Can you get ,say, the ammonia stuff separate if you run out of it or do you buy the whole thing all over again ? Is the API brand the only one or are there others ? Do you feel like you really can't get by without it? Sorry to be a pest with such dummy questions.:blink:
What @PheonixKingZ said., and yes, you can buy each test individually when one runs out. Each individual test comes with the solution(s) and a new test tube/vial.
 
Wow. Didn't know all this. I wonder if I really want to get a test kit.
Edit: I see that these are some kind of liquid testing solutions and not litmus paper, so how long does this stuff last? How many tests? Does it all run out about the same time ? Can you get ,say, the ammonia stuff separate if you run out of it or do you buy the whole thing all over again ? Is the API brand the only one or are there others ? Do you feel like you really can't get by without it? Sorry to be a pest with such dummy questions.:blink:
Your money your choice. Said I was going to get beaten up so :):

  • Ammonia is a good one to have
  • Nitrite (IMO) has 2 possible values: 0 and not 0, I have never found a strip that cannot tell the difference so I don't have a liquid test for this
  • Nitrate: I bought these because I have high nitrates in my tap water and was trying various methods of lowering this. I found the test no more or less accurate than the 2 brands of strips I have used (JBL & Tetra). Cue loads of responses saying "yes but the API is so much more accurate". Maybe, maybe not, but the precision level is so low they are not worth the extra effort IMO. The scale is --- 10, 20, 40, 80 --- and most people struggle to distinguish between adjacent values. Effectively it tells you low, medium and high - well so do the strips
  • pH: Strips are quite good at this. I only want to know acid or basic anyway and would never try to adjust pH
If you feel better about spending the money go for it. Your fish won't care and as @Byron points out there is little point in regularly testing a balanced environment.
 
Beginning hobbyists are wise to acquire and use test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. These are contained in the API MasterCombo, so a good investment for beginners setting up their first tank, or first few tanks. I test the nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) at the first sign of any problem or issue just to eliminate them (or not), and pH. GH of the source water should be known by anyone planning a fish tank, but no need for this test unless you go down the road of adjusting water parameters (which must include GH, KH and pH together).

I have re-set all of my tanks more than once, either to move, or change the aquascape (substrate change from gravel to sand, etc). I never test nitrogen compounds any longer as I know exactly that they will be zero for all three. I know this from the days when I did test, and I use the same method and it is absolute. Having live floating plants ensures no issues. Assuming I am not stupid enough to over stock, incorrectly stock, or overfeed. There is a lot to be said for experience, provided one learned the correct procedure from reliable sources to begin with.
 

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