Help with reading Test Kit Results

[rooneyj889]

Hi, I've had my 75g aquarium up and cycling for just over a week now. Haven't really been getting any readings until yesterday when it seemed like i was getting a reading for a small amount of nitrite in the tank and potentially a small amount of nitrate. Skip forward to today, nitrite remained the same and nitrate seemed to go up. But, the colors are all so similar on the API test kit that i really have no clue. Any help would be appreciated. Though, i'm pretty positive ammonia is at 0.

 

[ScottR]

I can’t say from experience but my reefing friends swear that API gives you false readings. Salifert, Red Sea, Hanna, Nyos are a few trusted kits. Again, I haven’t used API, so I can’t say.

 

[Shirak]

The one to watch is ammonia. That one should be 0.. but.. the API test is not very accurate. Your results look a little green yet on ammonia so I would not call it 0

 

[brandon429]

there is an easy and fast way to prove that tank is cycled using updated cycling rules

its a way to calibrate the ammonia test only to show movement which proves nitrification is in place. its not about a single - point reading, its about a 3 picture movement to prove readiness and of the three params, only ammonia needs to be measured. the other two are not required to be known or tracked or considered in updated cycling science.

that pic above of your ammonia is the assumed ready color, safe zone, even if its light green (api variation)

you have waited past the time it takes for common bottle bac tested in 5 day threads to work, thats why we can assume baseline pic above, #1 of 3, is baseline safe.


now add liquid ammonia a few drops at a time, wait a few mins before testing, then test ammonia again and only take pic #2 of 3 when the color is slightly higher than above baseline color. do not go to 2 ppm or it will take nineteen days to come back.. go one discernible level up, take pic #2



in 24 hours pic #3 of the ammonia test given overnite will match pic 1 and you are cycled, since Dr. Reef has already tested bottle bac and shown it ready.


that above is what it takes to make api work correctly. run that and Ill link you to a thread where we use solely that mechanism to call cycles ready, especially if it fails to move.

 

[robdareefer]

I would do what brandon429 was saying," Dose the ammonia until you get a slight higher reading then what you are getting now, then test 24 hrs later to see if it fell back to your current reading and if it does then your cycled." The important thing is that it's able to get rid of the ammonia in a short period of time. Don't forget to do a big water change after the cycle to get the best start possible . You don't want to start with high nitrates. Good luck!!!

 

[brandon429]

we just had our friend in the new forum do the exact proofing, it works so nicely. ends having to guess at when a legit start date can occur

the #1 thing the hobby is lagging on compared to big-picture reefing/reef conventions is the allowed, legit, can't fail start date.

forums always wait weeks, they can't name a start date based on the articles I see for reef cycling.


but behind the scenes a massive skip cycle practice has been running most of what we do since the hobby began... lfs owners are masters of skip cycling as they items they receive must go into holding/preps and those containers cannot have the slightest noncontrol of ammonia or all will be lost, fast.

nh3 control is what's important and we can infer proofing using the motion series, not the single point reading which I think greatly streamlines what we can do compared to large scale operations.

if pic 3 doesnt move to pic 1 overnite, wait longer or add more bottle bac. I bet fully it will pass. Ive yet to see a reef not pass/cycles don't stall.