Hagen Test Kit For Nitrate Showing Wrong Colour

[HappyGeorge]

I posted my fishless cycle test readings on a post here a few days ago.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=302293

I have been seeing a nitrite drop but never really saw a spike, it never maxed out on the colour chart, so either it happened so fast, it was on a day I didn't test (testing ammonia daily and nitrite every other day), or something weird is going on.

Decided to see how fast it was processing the ammonia, so 22.00 last night tested at 0 and followed that with a dose of approx 3.5ppm of ammonia, tested at 10.00 this morning and it was back to zero.

Now it gets weird.

Tested nitrites and although had an initial deep purple colour it faded over the course of a few minutes and finally settled on a red/orange colour, it wasn't solid colour, about equivalent to 10-20ppm on the nitrate chart, but was an orangey colour, not on the pink/purple scale at all. Then tested nitrates and it did the same thing, finally settling on exactly the same colour.
Tested tap water as a control for the test kit and my method and it came back as a normal 10ppm reading.

Anyone got any ideas?
I know of a very good shop who I have spoken to and am taking a water sample and my test kit to them tomorrow to try and work out whats occurring but they have never seen the colour I am describing.

No I'm not mad, colour blind or looking at the readings under an infrared source . Well ok maybe mad

 

[alchemist]

Your nitrite is off the chart - so you need to wait for that to go down to normal - I wouldn't worry about nitrate until nitrite is trending down.

 

[coldcazzie]

if the nitrite immediately turns purple as you're putting the drops in then u dont have the wait the 5 minutes because it's already maxed out at the top of where the test can read!

 

[mbsqw1d]

if the nitrite immediately turns purple as you're putting the drops in then u dont have the wait the 5 minutes because it's already maxed out at the top of where the test can read!

Could anyone recommend a good Water Test Kit. I am buying one today. and how necessary is it to measure nitrite? The last test kit I had was this one: http/www.petfavourites.co.uk/1_17061

Which to be honest, has served me well I think! I haven't lost a fish yet anyway (apart from the one that jumped..)

 

[Truck]

if the nitrite immediately turns purple as you're putting the drops in then u dont have the wait the 5 minutes because it's already maxed out at the top of where the test can read!

Could anyone recommend a good Water Test Kit. I am buying one today. and how necessary is it to measure nitrite? The last test kit I had was this one: [URL="http/www.petfavourites.co.uk/1_17061"]http/www.petfavourites.co.uk/1_17061[/URL]

Which to be honest, has served me well I think! I haven't lost a fish yet anyway (apart from the one that jumped..)

go with saliferts

ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH are the biggies

API are crap IMO so i dont recommend them, theyve got less accurate of the years IME so i switched to saliferts and the results are easier to read and more accurate

 

[arobinson1984]

Truck, Where is the best place online to get the saliferts from? I'll have a look on ebay.

I currently use the API master kit and am happy enough with it, only downside is the very close colours for the different readings.

Andy

 

[HappyGeorge]

Went to my favourite LFS and they tested my water, ammonia 0, nitrite off the chart, nitrate around 40ppm. Also took my test kit and they were gob smacked when what I had described on the phone yesterday actually happened, none of them had ever seen water that colour.

There and then they just took out my nitrite and nitrate test kits and replaced them from the shelf. They are sending mine back to Hagen as they suspect the chemicals may be duff/contaminated.