Cant read these test results!

[Jd120988]

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right spot or not and I apologize if it's wrong but I'm hoping someone can help. I have the red sea test kits and I can't for the life of me determine what my nitrate level is off the chart. I'm sorry I know this is probably a common problem but I just can't tell what color it is. Does anybody have better eye sight than myself and can help me out. Thanks!

 

[tehmadreefer]

You have to put it over each individually..

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

I'd say between 10 and 20.

 

[Jd120988]

You have to put it over each individually..

I tried this method and I feel like I'm still guessing like the color doesn't match any in the chart no matter how I look at it lol.

 

[Jd120988]

I'd say between 10 and 20.

I was thinking the same thing but I wasn't sure.

 

[Vwluv10338]

15 it is

 

[PeterC99]

Very important to use natural lighting - sunlight is best. Your home electric lights will discolor the results.

Also get a sheet of pure white paper and put test card and test vial on the paper.

The test background and lighting will throw off your results.

 

[Vwluv10338]

Very important to use natural lighting - sunlight is best. Your home electric lights will discolor the results.

Also get a sheet of pure white paper and put test card and test vial on the paper.

The test background and lighting will throw off your results.

I agree. Doing it by the tank with it’s lights are even worse. I go under my skylights for best results.

 

[Jd120988]

Very important to use natural lighting - sunlight is best. Your home electric lights will discolor the results.

Also get a sheet of pure white paper and put test card and test vial on the paper.

The test background and lighting will throw off your results.

I checked the results under my kitchen led lights away from the tank lights. I unfortunately test at night due to my schedule so the natural sunlight isn't really possible for me. I'll try the other suggestion with the white paper and see if that helps. I appreciate you taking the time to give me some pointers, thank you.

 

[PeterC99]

Are your kitchen lights warm white? If so they contain red pigments that will affect results. Also your countertop looks to have red and brown tones.

Hoping you might be able to test this weekend during daylight hours and using that white paper background. Based on my experience with Red Sea Nitrate kit, I think you will find your result somewhere between 5 and 10 ppm.

 

[Jd120988]

Are your kitchen lights warm white? If so they contain red pigments that will affect results. Also your countertop looks to have red and brown tones.

Hoping you might be able to test this weekend during daylight hours and using that white paper background. Based on my experience with Red Sea Nitrate kit, I think you will find your result somewhere between 5 and 10 ppm.

Yes great observations they are warm white lights and the counter does have brown and red tones. The weekend is my best shot for natural light but I do usually get side tracked with life on weekends. Maybe luck will be on my side this week and I will have an early day at work that I get home and can do atleast the Nitrate test and if it's 10-15 then that's almost where I want them to be so that'll be good news for me. I was worrying that I was over the 50ppm mark and that's y I couldn't match the colors lol.

 

[RobertTheNurse]

10 to 20

 

[SteveG_inDC]

I also have a Red See nitrate test but mine has a wheel. Similar problem though. The reference colors on the wheel are different shades of pink -- lighter or darker pink. However, the test sample with reagent is a different color entirely, more of a purplish pink, which makes me wonder if I'm trying to match the color spectrum or color intensity.

The instructions say to wait 9 minutes, but I've found that this problem gets worse if you let the reagent settle and clump, so I take the reading right away and again in 9 minutes per instructions. The first reading is usually much easier to compare.

 

[Jd120988]

I also have a Red See nitrate test but mine has a wheel. Similar problem though. The reference colors on the wheel are different shades of pink -- lighter or darker pink. However, the test sample with reagent is a different color entirely, more of a purplish pink, which makes me wonder if I'm trying to match the color spectrum or color intensity.

The instructions say to wait 9 minutes, but I've found that this problem gets worse if you let the reagent settle and clump, so I take the reading right away and again in 9 minutes per instructions. The first reading is usually much easier to compare.

I'm going to try this as well I'm curious of the results. Does your experience usual result in a lower test result or higher? Bc I'd rather be over guessing than under

 

[alain Bouchard]

there are apps (IE:aquarium notes) with a tool that use your phone camera to determine what is the value of the sample, compared to the paper chart. Being a bit color blind, I use it often and it works well.

 

[Jd120988]

there are apps (IE:aquarium notes) with a tool that use your phone camera to determine what is the value of the sample, compared to the paper chart. Being a bit color blind, I use it often and it works well.

No way I'm going to check that out because that sounds super convenient. Thank you

 

[>>klong<<]

I have the same problem reading RS nitrate. I get my son to tell me which values our test lies between and we usually agree. I figure that because we’re given ranges of 10ppm, the exact value isn’t that important. I would consider the value “I should work to lower it” and just mark it a 15 so I can recognize the trends going forward.

 

[SteveG_inDC]

I have the same problem reading RS nitrate. I get my son to tell me which values our test lies between and we usually agree. I figure that because we’re given ranges of 10ppm, the exact value isn’t that important. I would consider the value “I should work to lower it” and just mark it a 15 so I can recognize the trends going forward.

Ha ha. This is the answer right here. I routinely use my kids to read color-sensitive test kits. They love being more expert than me at something and they are very confident in their answers.

 

[SteveG_inDC]

I'm going to try this as well I'm curious of the results. Does your experience usual result in a lower test result or higher? Bc I'd rather be over guessing than under

I've found the color intensity doesn't change over time, but particles start to precipitate out and the hue turns more purplish, so the reading level doesn't change, but the variability in how I might interpret it increases.

Also, I just noticed that I mis-spelled the test kit name as "Red See" which is unintentionally hilarious.

 

[Jd120988]

So I reached out to red sea support with this picture and asked there opinion on what they interpret it as. I received a pretty quick response and the agent suggested it was approximately 15ppm as others have stated. I'll use this picture to reference for future testing along with checking results this weekend with natural lighting. I thought this may help others in the future as well whom are having difficulty reading the test results.