Whats up with the API test kit?
- Thread starter bfazio1030
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Single point readings aren’t the right way to use those kits, use this way:
www.reef2reef.com
* only if no animals are in the tank
if you do have animals in the tank, post the tank pic and we can tell from that and a couple details if you are cycled, in control of ammonia.
100% Water Change
So in my previous thread, I had an ammonia issue that was out of hand. As suggested, I did a 100% WC and now i’m wondering when I should start adding fish back. If anyone has suggestions, let me know!
www.reef2reef.com
* only if no animals are in the tank
if you do have animals in the tank, post the tank pic and we can tell from that and a couple details if you are cycled, in control of ammonia.
RobertTheNurse
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I was told this kit is inaccurate. Try salifert or red sea...most accurate is a Hanna. Wait on Hanna until your sure you love this hobby imoIs there something wrong with the amonia test on the API saltwater test kit?
do i even have any Amonia?
BlennyTime
Well-Known Member
I used those for a while. Make sure you follow the instructions exactly, some won’t work right if shaken vs just turned over a few times.
I switched to Red Sea tests this year and have been happy. Hanna tests are good as well.
I switched to Red Sea tests this year and have been happy. Hanna tests are good as well.
OP
OP
bfazio1030
Active Member
Here are some pics. About 2 months old.Single point readings aren’t the right way to use those kits, use this way:
100% Water Change
So in my previous thread, I had an ammonia issue that was out of hand. As suggested, I did a 100% WC and now i’m wondering when I should start adding fish back. If anyone has suggestions, let me know!
* only if no animals are in the tank
if you do have animals in the tank, post the tank pic and we can tell from that and a couple details if you are cycled, in control of ammonia.
API tests notoriously are difficult to read at the low range.Is there something wrong with the amonia test on the API saltwater test kit?
do i even have any Amonia?
You kind of have to know what “normal” is for your tank and that kit and treat it as a control and then just mentally compare or take a photo.
If you’re trying to cycle you can always dose and then take a measurement to get your bearings. Add a controlled amount to get up to let’s say 2-4ppm and see where the colour lies. If your tank is cycled it should easily handle that amount in 24 hours at which point the colour should be similar to your “control” colour.
Glass Algae
Show Me The Anemone!
Api is notorious for false ammonia readings. Get yourself a salifert
the tank is 100% cycled. I would have said api showed zero above, but due to five or more outstanding visual confirmations in that picture I can tell you what the ammonia would read on a seneye: thousandths ppm nh3 which is the only form of ammonia we bother tracking nowadays. cycled/done.
you wont need to test for ammonia or nitrite here for the life of the tank. the only thing that can spike it is a dead fish, and you dont need an ammonia tester to know if a fish is missing there. that above is among the top examples of visual cycle verification off pictures vs test kits, Ill add this to the microbiology of reef tank cycling thread.
you wont need to test for ammonia or nitrite here for the life of the tank. the only thing that can spike it is a dead fish, and you dont need an ammonia tester to know if a fish is missing there. that above is among the top examples of visual cycle verification off pictures vs test kits, Ill add this to the microbiology of reef tank cycling thread.
it is no fun when someone gives up the whole pie all at once
the first of five reasons is any cycling chart, none are two months in duration and no reef will stall past what a normal cycling chart says. the other four slices will only be revealed by the most dedicated spotters.
ok/arm twisted number two is not dead fish, the others ya'll have to grab. 3 reasons left we know that tank is in the thousandths ppm nh3 levels without even seeing proof of it.
the first of five reasons is any cycling chart, none are two months in duration and no reef will stall past what a normal cycling chart says. the other four slices will only be revealed by the most dedicated spotters.
ok/arm twisted number two is not dead fish, the others ya'll have to grab. 3 reasons left we know that tank is in the thousandths ppm nh3 levels without even seeing proof of it.
OP
OP
bfazio1030
Active Member
Brandon you are awsome! What are some of the visual clues that tell you the tank is cycled?
I tend to back edit them in lol here's a few more:
that much surface area. You are absolutely packed with surface area for the bioload, and by rule ammonia only rises in reef tanks to lethal levels, or it remains trending (quickly) to the thousandths ppm levels for the types of aquariums we keep.
it would be different if your pics showed a mud flat bottom, gas pocketing and black patches in the sand, complete infestation of sponges and worms and a very packed system, I'd believe in a small container of water that much respiration could push nh3 into the hundredths ppm but it would likely take all that and a dead fish to do it.
Per seneye, the current best monitor we have to give readings that match oceanic nh3 conversion rates, no reef tank ever stalls in cycle they always meet the timeframes (or faster due to bottle bac) a standard cycling chart shows.
only non seneye kits seem to take longer.
***this thread would be twice as fun if your kit showed clear .5 slight green. I'd sound completely crazy, and all that above would still hold the tester would be wrong.
You cannot have live fish past 48 hours in any reef that wont keep nh3 under total control.
that much surface area. You are absolutely packed with surface area for the bioload, and by rule ammonia only rises in reef tanks to lethal levels, or it remains trending (quickly) to the thousandths ppm levels for the types of aquariums we keep.
it would be different if your pics showed a mud flat bottom, gas pocketing and black patches in the sand, complete infestation of sponges and worms and a very packed system, I'd believe in a small container of water that much respiration could push nh3 into the hundredths ppm but it would likely take all that and a dead fish to do it.
Per seneye, the current best monitor we have to give readings that match oceanic nh3 conversion rates, no reef tank ever stalls in cycle they always meet the timeframes (or faster due to bottle bac) a standard cycling chart shows.
only non seneye kits seem to take longer.
***this thread would be twice as fun if your kit showed clear .5 slight green. I'd sound completely crazy, and all that above would still hold the tester would be wrong.
You cannot have live fish past 48 hours in any reef that wont keep nh3 under total control.
Random question: Do you work for seneye?
I swear the only time I’ve seen you post on here you talk about seneye and how amazing it is for ammonia detection.
edit: also agree the tank is cycled assuming you haven’t noticed any breathing issues with your fish. Just assume that green tinted yellow for your API test kit is 0. This won’t be the same for every API kit though. So you’ll want to get control readings for new kits. Just in case something happens and you later suspect ammonia and you have a new API test kit.
respond to the assessments above first
the myriad reasons the tank is cycled, Id like to see your additions to the call
sincerity check
if you know a better baseline measure than seneye, let me know.
the myriad reasons the tank is cycled, Id like to see your additions to the call
sincerity check
if you know a better baseline measure than seneye, let me know.
He can never have new ammonia uncontrolled without a completely dead fish. ammonia doesnt have to be tested again for the life of the tank, and there are reasons its better not to but instead use visual cuing. one of the best benefits of updated cycling science is the certainty of it all vs the variation, which was api cycling.
You have a very nice working API kit above, this thread would only be a riot if that ammonia was green, then its 20 against 1 lol.
You have a very nice working API kit above, this thread would only be a riot if that ammonia was green, then its 20 against 1 lol.
I disagree. There are plenty of reasons ammonia can rise to potentially damaging levels other than a dead fish.
Once your tank is cycled the bacterial presence at any given moment Is necessarily the amount to handle any given ammonia load it balances itself out. So things like dead inverts (say die off from Dino toxins) or mass algae die off or adding too much fish too quickly can spike ammonia. Your bacterial load will adjust to compensate for this but it doesn’t mean damage can’t be done before your bacteria can increase to handle the situation.
So all I’m saying is once you get a new a kit test for a baseline so if a situation arises where you have inverts dying or fish laboured breathing you have the capability to test for ammonia and know what your prior baseline was. It wouldn’t help much if he got a new API test kit and maybe it looked like 0.5 and thought he had an ammonia issue when it was really just how that test looked the whole time.
sas226
Active Member
Their mildly accurate at best, wildly inaccurate most of the time. At least in my experience.Is there something wrong with the amonia test on the API saltwater test kit?
do i even have any Amonia?
Disagreed magicwhistle, but that's what makes the forum go round ~
many hundreds of searchable threads are avail for our proofing.
certainly no harm in waiting.
the reason to proceed based on visual cues would be to meet any sort of expected start time, like a tank upgrade or moving to a new home where you dont want to recycle for 30 days all over again.
or to a reef convention like they've done for years, knowing when reef tanks can start and how nh3 will perform ahead of schedule is another benefit to using updated vs old cycling science, that above you said isn't the case. ammonia doesnt spike from those causes. We can tell his tank is cycled for several reasons, and cycled means can't retrograde or become undone or fail to control free ammonia as you stated can happen.
that ammonia tester really appears to work well/accurate
BFazio your reef is going to continue on as normal day to day/ again it would have been more fun if you didnt have a really nice working API kit the certainty of your cycle would be in doubt but not by me.
many hundreds of searchable threads are avail for our proofing.
certainly no harm in waiting.
the reason to proceed based on visual cues would be to meet any sort of expected start time, like a tank upgrade or moving to a new home where you dont want to recycle for 30 days all over again.
or to a reef convention like they've done for years, knowing when reef tanks can start and how nh3 will perform ahead of schedule is another benefit to using updated vs old cycling science, that above you said isn't the case. ammonia doesnt spike from those causes. We can tell his tank is cycled for several reasons, and cycled means can't retrograde or become undone or fail to control free ammonia as you stated can happen.
that ammonia tester really appears to work well/accurate
BFazio your reef is going to continue on as normal day to day/ again it would have been more fun if you didnt have a really nice working API kit the certainty of your cycle would be in doubt but not by me.
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I don’t have any aversion to seneye nor do I think I indicated any such thing.
I agree tanks can be cycled for a start timeand you can assume they’re cycled with what you call visual cues. I did it myself a few months ago upgrading my tank and just for safe measure after I had a random fish die off I tested the cycle by dosing Ammonia to ~5ppm and it was back to 0 within ~16-18 hours.
I have no idea what you mean by “old vs new” cycling science. And I have no idea why you say none of what I said would spike ammonia. I’ve seen it happen in my own tank with snail die off.
I don’t work for a vendor or anything so I can only assume but I assume for convention tanks they’re using cycled media in filters. Their tanks are mostly stocked with inverts and corals. The tanks are only set up for a few days so not much bad will happen anyway. They do experience some level of die off.
I still think having an ammonia test in your test kit that you know the expected result from is important. Even after your tank is cycled. Just because your tank is cycled and can now handle practically limitless ammonia doesn’t mean the OTHER organisms living in there can handle limitless ammonia. And if you have a situation where ammonia spikes then you can test for it and try and rectify the situation before you lose say thousands or 10s of thousands of dollars in fish.
I don’t regularly test for ammonia but I usually toss it in when something weird is going on and I’m pretty sure my bacterial load right now could handle a dead whale in it. Quick easy cheap test when **** hits the fan to eliminate something potentially quickly catastrophic.
