Is my API Test Kit faulty?

I have a 29 gallon tank with 6 platys, 6 corys, 2 danios (i’ve lost a few that’s why I have so little), 4 nerite snails and 1 baby platy that has somehow survived lol. I went back and forth with someone on this forum a few days ago trying to figure out why my fish kept getting sick and dying suddenly after 3 months of no deaths, and they suggested the tank might not be cycled after all and I came to the conclusion that I accidentally crashed my cycle when I switched substrates.

For a few days now I’ve been doing daily water changes of about 50%. I tested the water yesterday and it read this:

0.25 ammonia
0 nitrites
0 nitrates

It’s read this same reading since I started the tank. No nitrates and .25 ammonia yet I went a whole 3 months without losing fish up until now. Should I get a new test kit? I’m testing everything according to the directions, shaking ammonia test for 5 seconds, shaking nitrite test for 5 seconds, shaking the second bottle of nitrate solution for 30 seconds then shaking the test itself for 1 minute. What should I do?

 

Are you waiting 5 minutes to read the test? The solution has to settle first, I forget sometimes and freak out before I remember.

Also, are you inverting the bottles completely so the drips only come out once it's upside down? And I try to err on the side of slightly less than 5ml rather than more since the colour fades with more water

When you look at the colours, are you doing it in natural light against a white wall? Or a bright white light at least?

What colour are your liquids before you add them? I can compare to mine if you think yours might be off

 

mattgirl

 

Are you waiting 5 minutes to read the test? The solution has to settle first, I forget sometimes and freak out before I remember.

Also, are you inverting the bottles completely so the drips only come out once it's upside down? And I try to err on the side of slightly less than 5ml rather than more since the colour fades with more water

When you look at the colours, are you doing it in natural light against a white wall? Or a bright white light at least?

What colour are your liquids before you add them? I can compare to mine if you think yours might be off

Yes, normally five minutes or even more time, depends on what I’m doing. Still reads the same color.

Yes most of the time, if I don’t make it completely vertical I always try to keep the bottle in the same position so the drops are the same size.

I always fill up to the 5 ml line, maybe I’ll try putting a little less water in the tubes next time I test. The ammonia and nitrate tests do fill it up a little more I’ve noticed.

My room is pretty well lit, lots of windows. If I can’t see the test very well I’ll put my flashlight on my phone up to it so I can see better.

Both of my ammonia test is clear I believe, my nitrite test is blue, and nitrate bottle#1 is a yellow color and bottle #2 is clear.

 

Both of my ammonia test is clear I believe, my nitrite test is blue, and nitrate bottle#1 is a yellow color and bottle #2 is clear.

You do know that there are two ammonia bottles, right?

 

You do know that there are two ammonia bottles, right?

Yes both of the solutions are clear if I remember correctly

 

Yes both of the solutions are clear if I remember correctly

you put them both in the same vial as your tank water right? amonia bottle one 8 drops. ammonia bottle two 8 drops. shake and wait

 

I'm definitely no expert, but I had a similar experience, I had a little ammonia and nitrates, but no nitrites, so I assumed my tank had cycled. But the ammonia sat around .5ppm for about 3 weeks, and I was hoping it would go to zero. I decided to test my tap water, the water had 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, but a little nitrates. My water is chlorinated, at first I wasn't using the water conditioner every time. Since I have chlorine in the water, and I wasn't removing the chlorine before adding it to my tank, I think the chlorine was killing the biofilter, and my readings of the nitrates were from what I get in the tap. I do use filtered water in the tank (carbon filter, not RO), but the filter apparently wasn't removing all the chlorine. I have since started using conditioner with every water change. I also add the conditioner to the replacement water and let it sit for about 24 hours before I do the water change. That way the conditioner has time to work (not sure if that's necessary), and also the chlorine has time to vaporize and leave the water in case the conditioner doesn't remove all of it. Since I started doing this I've seen the tank actually start to cycle. Now my ammonia is always at 0, I still have the nitrates at the same level I have in the tap water, and I have high nitrites now. I get to do frequent (daily) water changes until the biofilter catches up and can process the nitrites effectively. I sure wish I had known that the "instant cycle in a bottle" products don't actually work before I bought the fish.

I'm not saying that your test kit isn't defective, maybe it is. All I'm saying is, maybe it's not the test kit that is the problem. You could probably take a water sample to your local fish store and see if they get the same readings you do.

 

0.25 is sometimes a false positive reading. What is your ph? I had a friend with a ph of 6.5 that couldn’t get any readings, tank wouldn’t cycle. She raised the ph above 7, cycled it, and let the ph go back to normal (stopped chemically adjusting). The cycle stayed.

 

you put them both in the same vial as your tank water right? amonia bottle one 8 drops. ammonia bottle two 8 drops. shake and wait

yep, following directions in the book too

 

If it helps, here is a pic of a drop from each bottle (ammonia 1 is slightly more yellow than pic shows)



And here is a pic of all my vials from a test I did 30 minutes ago (luckily I'm lazy so hadn't dumped them yet )



Med pH: 7.6
High pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0

 

That pH is more than 8.2 Thats more like 8.4-8.6.
I would hold the bottle straight up and down like someone else said... then drop. The directions say this.

 

That pH is more than 8.2 Thats more like 8.4-8.6.
I would hold the bottle straight up and down like someone else said... then drop. The directions say this.

I think it might be because it's sat for a while! It appeared less purple when I first did it, but I will check again out of curiosity..,


... . .
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

I think it might be because it's sat for a while! It appeared less purple when I first did it, but I will check again out of curiosity..,
View attachment 705018
... . .
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yeah the brown color is 8-8.2 I know because thats what mine is!

 

Yeah the brown color is 8-8.2 I know because thats what mine is!

Sorry I completely forgot about this thread lol! Here’s a pic of my test results. I’ve since rehomed all of my fish and restarted the tank. Currently doing a fishless cycle. I also bought a new test kit so here’s a picture of the results with the new test kit. Then another picture of the liquid in the bottles.

 

When did you restart it? Looks like you only need to do the high pH test. I wouldn't bother with the low one. I would say 8.4.

 

When did you restart it? Looks like you only need to do the high pH test. I wouldn't bother with the low one. I would say 8.4.

Last week. I think I got it back up and running on Tuesday and now it’s Monday. Keep in mind I killed a lot if not all of my beneficial bacteria because I cleaned everything with plain tap water. We live off of a well though but it was very hot water so I’m sure I killed the bacteria so I have to completely restart.

 

I have to agree with UnknownUser. The API liquid ammonia test has a (bad) reputation of giving a false reading of 0.25 ppm ammonia.

When your pH reads max on the low range test, stop using it, and use the high range test. The tests are mutually exclusive, and you need one or the other, not both.