Weird Readings...two Different Ways

[Huntress]

Hi all, Sorry its been like forever since I've posted here. Been quite busy with MG lately. Getting monthly infusions n such. I have a question about readings. I have the API Freshwater Master kit and then I bought Tetra 5 in 1 Easy Strips. I am getting completly different readings from both test. On the strips my PH is perfect around 7.0 and yet my Nitrates are high about 80.
Now when I test with the Master Kit I get opposite readings. My Nitrates are perfect while my PH is 7.6.  I am unsure what one is correct because I do have two different types of Test Strips that I am using then the Master Kit. I currently just gave my pet store a bunch of baby Platinum Lyre tail Mollies that well. Keep having babies. Lol. I know I gotta get rid of the male but He is so beautiful and big. I just restocked my tank with a two Panda Cory cats and two Peppered Cory cats. I previously lost my 5 year Cory a few months ago of old age. I have about 6 Neon Tetra's. 
Which reading do I go with? Or should I bring a sample to a pet store thing is they use the test strips too. So I am just unsure which reading is correct.

 

[LyraGuppi]

Liquid tests are usually much more accurate than test strips.

 

[fluttermoth]

A few points...

First of all, what are the actual numbers, from all your tests? One manufacturer's idea of 'perfect' or 'fine' might not be another's.

Secondly, test strips do tend to more inaccurate than those from liquid or tablet types.

Thirdly, none of our home test kits, nitrate tests in particular, are very accurate. Home test kits have to be affordable and relatively easy to use, so accuracy is compromised, compared to accurate laboratory test, which can cost hundreds of pounds.

 

[Huntress]

Hi, thanks for the reply. On the master kit my Nitrate level is 0ppm, my PH was 7.6, Nitrite was 0ppm. I didn't check the ammonia or high range PH. I have a medium driftwood log I purchased from Petco in my tank for the PH levels. Unsure if it is doing anything as to my PH seems to always read 7.6. Yet when I did the test strips my PH is 7.2 and my Nitrate is 80ppm, my Nitrite is still 0ppm on the strip.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I have to concur that liquid based test strips are more reliable than the ph test strips.
 
Have heard from other fishkeepers that they have tested twice at th esame time with strip kit that it gave wider different readings whilst the liquid kit showed more consistent readings.
 
By that statement alone this is why I have never bought paper strip test kits and always relied on liquid based kits.
 
So in my honest opinion, i would rely on just one of your test kit rather than using both as I seriously doubt you will get similar reading consistently at the same time from both kits.
 
Fluttermoth mentioned our test kits are not wholly accurate, certainly not compared to laboratory grade testing equipment which not only can cost hundred but thousands which is way beyond the average fishkeeper.
 
So having said that, there are one or two brands that are perfectly suitable for fishkeeping, especially for cycling tanks as this gives a good guideline as to what is happening in our tanks during this process.
 
If fish, shrimps or inverts cannot tolerate a few ppm in differences in ph, ammonia, nitrite or nitrates, then yes we would need very accurate testing kit but on the whole fish can tolerate a margin of error, just not at extreme levels.

 

[Huntress]

Thanks so much. So my levels are okay at least my fish are swimming happily around. I purchased last night Prime water conditioner solution to help with my Nitrates as to the test strips had me thinking I had high Nitrate Levels. I am unsure if my driftwood is doing anything for my PH levels.  Is there any other way to slowly reduce PH levels?
Thanks

 

[Ch4rlie]

Prime is a dechlorinator more than anything else, it won't really do anything for nitrate levels.
 
Water changes, usualluy at least 25 - 50% once weekly is the normal way of reducing nitrate levels.
 
Driftwood may actually lower ph but this is a normal reaction, also Catappa or Indian Almond leaves may also help to lower ph slightly.
 
I would not actually go into the trouble of trying to alter ph unless you know what you're doing, this is a very complicated process and involves a lot of knowledge about gH, kH, pH as you cannot alter one without effecting the others and usually ends in tears rather than successess.

 

[Byron]

Just to add a bit to what has been posted.
 
You mention two pH kits, the normal range and high range (in the liquid; I agree to forget the strips); only use one, and with pH in the 7's I would go with the normal range.  The two will give different readings and that will only confuse things.
 
Second on the pH adjustment, I agree that this can be very risky.  But to explain, the pH is related to the GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness, or Alkalinity) and if these are anything much above zero, the pH will tend to be stable as it is in the source water.  Adjusting the pH will mean adjusting the GH and KH, which is where it gets complicated.
 
It is true that organics will tend to lower the pH, also softening the water, and wood, dried leaves, peat, etc are all forms of organics.  So is fish excrement and any decaying or dead fish/plant matter.  All of these work to acidify the water but the GH/KH can buffer the effect, so organics may or may not noticeably affect the GH/KH/pH.
 
Byron.

 

[StevenF]

Have you checked the experation dates on all the bottles of in your AAPI test kit?  Also check the expiration date on the strips.  The strips may have been sitting in the store for a while.  Using expired chemical bottles from the API might also produce wrong results.

 

[fluttermoth]

Bottle 2 of the API nitrate test kit needs really serious shaking (it helps to actually bang the base of the bottle a few times as well) to get one of the reagents, a powder, back into the solution, or it will give a falsely low result.