API Test Kit Colors and Results ?

427HISS · Nov 16, 2014

Interesting and puzzling. You'd think the major brands would be reliable. :squigglemouth:

427HISS · Nov 16, 2014

Interesting.

Isn't there any company's products that we can trust anymore ? :noidea:

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 17, 2014

Nitrate is a hard thing to test for since it is so unreactive, but I'm not sure why the kits have been so variable for it once they settle on a method.

Check this article, for example, testing a standard with 25 ppm nitrate in it. Results ranged from 1 ppm to 110 ppm. Many of the kits were expired and that might have been an issue with some:

Aquarium Chemistry: An Attempt to Test Test Kits ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 17, 2014

Here's another test with 8 different brand new kits. The results varied a lot, but not as much as above, with 5 - 17.6 ppm on one sample and 15-60 (and some unable to read it) on another. The raw tank water was 40-140 ppm, or over scale on most.

A test of Nitrate Test Kits - Reef Central Online Community

427HISS · Nov 17, 2014

I'll read it later tomorrow, but ****,. makes me think about not even spending the money and time on a nitrate kit that will not be a true reading anyway !

My API is a full kit with ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH, do you think that if the nitrate is bad, should I throw away the entire kit ?
And what happened to the new,...nitrate kit with it's bad result ?

What manufacture do you trust the most for accurate readings ?