Difficult Reading My Ammonia - 0Ppm Or 0.25Ppm?

[-Jo-]

Hiya!
I would have posted this in my 'update' thread, but I need help reading these results asap really. Im finding it difficult in seeing if my ammonia is reading 0ppm or 0.25ppm. I want it to go down to 0ppm before I add more ammonia as im in the 24 hour period of my fishless cycle. Nitrite is at 0ppm.

Ive turned the API card upside down so you can see the contrast more clearly!



Im sorry again for how big my pics come out! ha! hope its a bit more clear for me too!

 

[dh058977]

I know its no help but I alway air on the side of caution so I would have said 4ppm . . . lol OJ I'd say 0.25ppm

 

[-Jo-]

haha! looking at my GIGANTIC test tube pic i now would agree with you. its still not quite light enough to be 0ppm. annoyingly!!

 

[RossC]

0.25 Id say

 

[-Jo-]

thank you

 

[RossC]

I struggle with the readings too I wish they definite colours for each measurement lol

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Use one of your other test tubes to test some water that you know has no ammonia in it, like bottled mineral water. It's far easier when you can't quite decide to have two samples next to each other, it becomes much clearer whether it's slightly green or not.

 

[-Jo-]

I struggle with the readings too I wish they definite colours for each measurement lol

so do i its terrible! especially the light greens/yellows! ha!

Use one of your other test tubes to test some water that you know has no ammonia in it, like bottled mineral water. It's far easier when you can't quite decide to have two samples next to each other, it becomes much clearer whether it's slightly green or not.

oo thats a really good idea. i never thought about doing that! ha! Will have to do it tomorrow as I have no bottled water - i could attempt with tap water tho just to see.

 

[Jamie24]

I'd say 0ppm but either way I'd add your ammonia to raise it again as 0.25ppm isn't going to break the bank in terms of cycling, just don't raise it about 4ppm this time.

 

[-Jo-]

just tested tap water for ammonia - and you can definitly see against the chart that there is no ammonia in there - so im guessing that my tank ammonia is definitly at 0.25ppm! thank you for that tip!

 

[AXIS]

I'm colour blind myself so I have real trouble telling them apart.

I have to get my wife to read my tests for me

 

[Steve H.]

This might not be much help, but I too had trouble...it all depended on the lighting.

I would do one test on both my dechlorinated change water and the tank water. Using the change water as a control, and then compare the two.

It helped because it is difficult to read if you are not right under a fluorescent light.