Confusion Between Test Kits

HI all!
I've had a 55 gallon tank that's been running for about 3 years. I currently have 7 neon tetras, 2 dwarf gouramis, and 2 siamese flying foxes. I also have 2 moss balls because I have never been good at keeping plants alive, lol. About 3 months ago I started testing regularly again after not bothering to test for over a year or so after I lost my 2 guppies and then had an algae bloom.
I was using the API 5 in 1 test strips and it showed everything within limits except the nitrates:
GH 60-120
KH 80-120
pH 7.0-7.5
NO2 0
NO3 80-160

Of course I freaked and starting doing 25% changes weekly instead of biweekly and bought a nitra-zorb pouch along with (at the recommendation of my local pet store) a bottle of seachem prime and using a double dose with a watee change. I've been doing this since and for some reason the levels never have gone below 40-80, but I did get the algae under control.

Today, I decided to buy the API freshwater master test kit and tested with these and am now VERY confused with what's accurate and what I should do from here!
Results on the master kit were:
pH 8.0 (what?!?)
Ammonia 0
NO2 0
NO3 0

So the only thing off on the master kit was the pH and the test strips the nitrates were off. Any advice??

I should also add, I stopped at Petsmart and got a water test, which I know they use strips. The results of that were:
Ammonia 0-0.25
Nitrate 40
Nitrite 0
Total hardness 150
Total chlorine 0
Total alkalinity 40-120
pH 6.5-7.2

 

Hmmmmmm. When you did the nitrate test using the test kit , did you really shake up the second bottle really well?

 

Hmmmmmm. When you did the nitrate test using the test kit , did you really shake up the second bottle really well?

and the test tube after adding drops from the well shaken second bottle?

like shake till your arm hurts

 

Yeah, I shook the bottle like crazy for a minute straight, the test tube as well. I didn't shake any of the other bottles though since it didn't say to.
I followed all the instructions, even set a timer on my phone to make sure the ones you read after 5 minutes were accurate. And I did them one at a time so I wasn't mixing them up or not reading them at the right time.

Okay, I restested with the liquid kit and pH is still at 8.0 but nitrates are for sure 40. I'm wondering if I had a blonde moment and shook the wrong bottle..
So the only discrepancy between the liquid and the strips is the pH. Which strips were 7.0-7.5, store strip test was 6.5-7.2, and liquid kit was 8.0.
Which should I listen to? Because if the pH is really 8.0 I would like to get it back to around 7.0.
Also, is there anything else I can do to keep my nitrates down besides the nitra-zorb and prime? I've never had such a hard time with this before.

 

For what’s its worth...I’ve put put in drops of Bottle 1 both times by mistake. When nothing was changing, figured out what I did.

As for pH, I have high pH out of tap (~7.8). From what I’ve ready, stable pH is better than changing pH so I’ve not tried adjusting.

 

For what’s its worth...I’ve put put in drops of Bottle 1 both times by mistake. When nothing was changing, figured out what I did.

As for pH, I have high pH out of tap (~7.8). From what I’ve ready, stable pH is better than changing pH so I’ve not tried adjusting.

Good to know! So as long as my fish are doing well I won't worry much about the pH. I'll just continue to work on keeping the nitrates at a safe level.

 

I've gone to do the ammonia test after nitrate tests and put in 10 drops instead of 8 before... lol. or done 5 drops of the low ph test instead of 3.

anyway, the key for fish is to have stable pH. keep testing your pH using the drops to make sure it's stable over time.

40 nitrates isn't horrible. Plants & water changes are the best way to keep those lower (below 20)

 

I've gone to do the ammonia test after nitrate tests and put in 10 drops instead of 8 before... lol. or done 5 drops of the low ph test instead of 3.

anyway, the key for fish is to have stable pH. keep testing your pH using the drops to make sure it's stable over time.

40 nitrates isn't horrible. Plants & water changes are the best way to keep those lower (below 20)

Do you recommend any easy to care for plants? I know moss balls aren't the most ideal and aren't even plants technically. I'd love to have a nicely planted tank someday, I just need to learn more on how to maintain them.

 

Do you recommend any easy to care for plants? I know moss balls aren't the most ideal and aren't even plants technically. I'd love to have a nicely planted tank someday, I just need to learn more on how to maintain them.

I wish I could make recommendations from experience. we haven't broadened our knowledge to trying yet, but in my research I was looking at java fern & java moss... sorry can't be more helpful

 

You should check out the section here on freshwater aquarium plants. I've had really good luck with anubias.

In my recent freshwater plant destruction test they were the final plants standing.

Java fern did not even come close as far as survival.

Moss balls did equally well however, or perhaps they're just taking really long to die.

 

Ulu anubias!! That was the other one I looked at. *nods*

 

They survived well and the Anubias Nana survived too.

By the way, the destruction test did not manage to kill off some hitchhiking snails.

I have never kept live plants and this is the one reason that comes to mind: I didn't want hitchhikers.

I've seen only a couple tiny snails and hopefully my pleco is eating them up as fast as they grow.

I've heard horror stories about nuisance snails in aquariums but I have never ever kept snails nor have I had snails in 45 years, more than I could count on my fingers.

 

They survived well and the Anubias Nana survived too.

By the way, the destruction test did not manage to kill off some hitchhiking snails.

I have never kept live plants and this is the one reason that comes to mind: I didn't want hitchhikers.

I've seen only a couple tiny snails and hopefully my pleco is eating them up as fast as they grow.

I've heard horror stories about nuisance snails in aquariums but I have never ever kept snails nor have I had snails in 45 years, more than I could count on my fingers.

I have plants coming and I am petrified of hitchhikers. Probably why I have never done plants before.

 

My Oscar is eating those pest snails as fast as I can harvest them. I shouldn't have worried.

I am more concerned that my big mystery snails will get eaten by the bettas.