What test done with numbers 1 and 2 kits please

[Jennet5 63]

I have spent the last 3 weeks reading about tropical fish tanks, and somewhere along the line I came across something that said 'unless test is shaken for at least 30 seconds and then at least 60 seconds the result gives a false low reading'. Can anyone give me any more information on this please?

Thanks you.

 

[Essjay25 140]

That's the API nitrate tester, and it applies to other brands as well. One of the bottles (#2 for API) contains a reagent which is not very soluble so it tends to settle out on the bottom of the bottle. The bottle needs to be shaken before use to get the reagent mixed well into the liquid; after the drops are added to the tube, that needs to be shaken to allow it to 'meet' the nitrate in the water before it has chance to settle out again.

When the tester is new or if it hasn't been used a while, the reagent can form a lump on the bottom of the bottle. In these cases it's also useful to tap the bottle on the worktop a few times before shaking to break up any lumps.

 

[Jennet5 63]

That's the API nitrate tester, and it applies to other brands as well. One of the bottles (#2 for API) contains a reagent which is not very soluble so it tends to settle out on the bottom of the bottle. The bottle needs to be shaken before use to get the reagent mixed well into the liquid; after the drops are added to the tube, that needs to be shaken to allow it to 'meet' the nitrate in the water before it has chance to settle out again.

When the tester is new or if it hasn't been used a while, the reagent can form a lump on the bottom of the bottle. In these cases it's also useful to tap the bottle on the worktop a few times before shaking to break up any lumps.

Thank you so much - I think my brain has turned to mush and has started dribbling out of my ear ! I have not got to doing that test yet. Should still be a good few weeks away.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford25 140]

You know it's shaken enough when your arm falls off onto the floor. Then you're good.

 

[Essjay25 140]

One tip from experience - when shaking the tube hold it between a finger and thumb, one on the lid the other on the bottom of the tube, and squeeze gently. If you hold the tube in the middle to shake it, it'll leak under the cap.

 

[TwoTankAmin19]

One more thing to know about the nitrate test kit which is how it works. Because nitrate is difficult to test for, here is how the kit works. It turns the nitrate into nitrite and then tests for that. The problem with this method can happen during cycling when one can have both nitrite and nitrate present. If you are testing when this is possible, you should do both tests. Then subtract the reading for nitrite from the reading for nitrate. This will result in your getting a more accurate nitrate reading.

This is not a common thing and should only happen during a limited window of time during cycling.

I have cycled tanks or else the filters for multiple new tanks using my own bio-farm. Over the last 25 years I have basically cycled well over 100 tanks. These range from 5.5 to 150 gallon tanks. For last 15 or more years I rarely test for anything besides ammonia and KH when cycling. And I replaced doing most of the KH testing by using a TDS tester. However, I have all the tests In the API Master FW Test Kit plus their GH & KH kit.

 

[Jennet5 63]

@ TwoTankAmin Is there generally a time range around the weeks the above may happen so I can watch for it?

Also, what is a TDS tester please?

 

[Essjay25 140]

In fishless and fish-in cycling, nitrite appears after a few weeks as the ammonia eaters have to grow enough of them to make enough nitrite to show up in the test. With both these cycling methods, ammonia and nitrite should be tested regularly (fish-in every day and fishless according to the timetable in the method on here). So you should know when nitrite appears to allow for it in the nitrate test.
With plant cycling, plants take up ammonia and turn it into protein rather than nitrite.


TDS is total dissolved solids. In simplistic terms, that's everything dissolved in water - it includes ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and also GH, KH, organic things etc etc. It's measured with a meter rather than a test strip or liquid tester.