Having issues with reading Amonia, nitrite and nitrate levels

[theguyinasia]

hey guys, i started cycling my tank about 6 days ago. i first put in live sand and two days later i added live rock to the mix to give an extra kick to the system. i have been using the jbl brand to test my PH, Amonia, Nitrite, and nitrate for the past 4 days. this has not been easy to use. the instructions are easy enough, but the colors do not exactly match up and i have not been seeing any fluctuation of the levels. As of now, my highest amonia spike has been .8-1 however i did not test for the first three days. and it seems my nitrite and nitrate levels just stay the same. have you all had experience with JBL? should i get another brand to verify my results? or do you think the tank is running the cycle correctly. its strange that i just dont see any high spikes in my tank. I do however see some green fuzz growing on my sandbed now, i think thats some algae. if so that is good news.

attached i have a picture of my lil baby. i have Radion pro lights that will be added within a week (im building a fixture for them), and my powerhead will be coming withing the next 10 days.

I am hoping to get some help soon. any advice is very much appreciated.

 

[Zoanut]

With most kits, as long as you see a spike in your amm reading dont worry about the actual number. Im not to sure any of the kits are very accurate, but i cuold be wrong. Like i said, just looking for a spike is key.

And if you want to do it the easy way, im sure after 6 weeks your tank would be settled enough to introduce a fish or two. Another few weeks and your first coral. Then wait a little longer and keep watching for stress, if all is good id say you have a reef tank!

 

[saskbowser]

It was hard for me to use at first. I would test my own water, then bring it to LFS, just to see how much I was off. After a few times I was confident enough to do my own readings.