Nitrite Test Kit

[reg]

I'm in week two of my fishless cycle and am testing the water daily with my Aquarium Pharm. freshwater master liquid test kit. The ammonia has been dropping to zero daily now. When I test for nitrites, the test tube is initially very dark, indicating 5 ppm. However, over the course of the 5 min, it turns almost clear, and then light green! When my pet store tested my water with a diff. kit, it said that the nitrites were far above the 10 ppm that the test went up to. Why is my test kit behaving so strangely? Could it be because the nitrite level is so high? The tap water reads at 0 ppm, so the kit does work. My nitrate is @ about 7 ppm.

Thank you

 

[mark.w.jones]

Sounds off scale to me. Try half tank water and half dechlorinated tap water in test tube and repeat test. Then double result.

 

[reg]

Thanks for the input! From what I read on the fishless cycling thread, it is off the chart.

 

[InaneCathode]

Gauging from how far you are along in your cycle, i'd say your nitrites are off the scale.
That being said however, my test kit shows green as 0ppm and dark red as off the scale.

About your test kit, when the dyes go in, are they supposed to turn lighter? Or do the dyes go in and its supposed to turn darker?