Is There Another Reliable Ammonia Test Kit?

Does anyone know of another liquid test kit that isn’t yellow and yellow green. I swear I’m going crazy, I’m color blind or both. I’ve been thinking I had lost my cycle in my goldfish tub after treating with kanaplex because I thought my test were reading 0.25 for ammonia. My nitrites have been 0 and nitrates at 10. I started getting suspicious because for weeks I haven’t had any nitrites. I decided to test my tap water and water from one of my well established tanks and they all look the same. So now I think they maybe all are yellow or maybe my tap has 0.25. I used to use the strips but I usually don’t test my water very often unless it’s a new tank, a quarantine tank, or I notice something wrong with my fish. Anyway, I’m tired of trying to tell the difference between yellow and slightly yellow green. I’ll post photos of the test just in case I’m just color blind. (Excuse the mess, chewy kept sending me solution 1s that were missing the dropper. They made it right thought)

(1st tap, 2nd tub in question, 3rd established tank)

 

I hate when the colors are so close. I like the salifert test kits. Bit more accurate and easy to read IMHO. it may also be easier for you to discern color difference in actual sunlight. I walk outside like a weirdo with my test vials to check my levels. I swear the neighbors probably think I'm making bombs or something

 

I hate when the colors are so close. I like the salifert test kits. Bit more accurate and easy to read IMHO. it may also be easier for you to discern color difference in actual sunlight. I walk outside like a weirdo with my test vials to check my levels. I swear the neighbors probably think I'm making bombs or something

Haha. I get home so late I usually can’t go outside, I’m stuck with my basement lighting. I will try that this weekend though. I’ll check out those test kits.

 

This is better:
Low Range Ammonia Colorimeter – Checker HC HI700 - Hanna Instruments


Hanna instruments Ammonia test kit. None of that visual colorometer time garbage

 

How old is your test kit? I've read a lot of people having issue with the API ammonia test giving "false readings". I think they've corrected this by slightly altering the color on the comparison chart. I bought an ammonia test kit from them about a month ago and the color swatch on the 0 ammonia reading has a slightly green tinge compared to the photos of yours. More like the color in the test tube to be honest. Also a flashlight would be just fine for discerning the color so you don't have to wait to go outside.

 

In the mean time, you could always come here and ask us to help you read them if you'd like. I see those as all reading between 0 and .15 if that helps?

 

Accidentally attached a photo of the wrong card. Can't delete now. Sorry folks...

 

All of those vials clearly look like 0 Ammonia to me.

 

I heard someone on here recently asking about the API kit and a lot were in agreement providing your kit isn’t expired that .25 is the new API 0 for ammonia

 

Best I can say is try reading it like this .
Takes the guess work out of it. If you can see the color thru the vial that’s not it. It’s the last one you can’t see the color. I think yours is zero .

 

How old is your test kit? I've read a lot of people having issue with the API ammonia test giving "false readings". I think they've corrected this by slightly altering the color on the comparison chart. I bought an ammonia test kit from them about a month ago and the color swatch on the 0 ammonia reading has a slightly green tinge compared to the photos of yours. More like the color in the test tube to be honest. Also a flashlight would be just fine for discerning the color so you don't have to wait to go outside.

It’s new, I’m not sure about the chart though, could be from my older kit. So maybe.

 

Best I can say is try reading it like this .View attachment 575415 Takes the guess work out of it. If you can see the color thru the vial that’s not it. It’s the last one you can’t see the color. I think yours is zero .View attachment 575415

I tried doing that but could still see the 0 and the 0.25 reading through it.

 

That’s zero!! .

 

Btw, seeing 0 nitrite(no2) is pretty common. Sometimes phase 3 of the cycle happens so fast that you never see an appreciable reading of NO2. If you have nitrates (N03) your cycle is doing its job!

 

Btw, seeing 0 nitrite(no2) is pretty common. Sometimes phase 3 of the cycle happens so fast that you never see an appreciable reading of NO2. If you have nitrates (N03) your cycle is doing its job!

That happened with one of my 3.5's. I seeded it with some filter medium from another tank and also used some Tetra Safe Start and the tank completely cycled in 5 or 6 days. I was testing on a frequent basis and never saw any nitrite reading at all. It went from 0.5 ammonia and nothing else to 0 ammonia and 5-10 nitrate with no nitrites ever showing up.

 

I bought the sailifert test and assuming I did it correctly, the tub in question is cycled. To me it looks like 0 ammonia. I feel better now, and I can stop doing 50% water changes on that 100 gallon tub every other day. I still may invest in that Hanna reader, it would be nice since I have a lot of tanks.

 

I bought the sailifert test and assuming I did it correctly, the tub in question is cycled. To me it looks like 0 ammonia. I feel better now, and I can stop doing 50% water changes on that 100 gallon tub every other day. I still may invest in that Hanna reader, it would be nice since I have a lot of tanks.

There ya go looks great! Now you have a backup to your test kits and didnt break the bank. That's why I haven't splurged on the electronic testing equipment. I'd say it looks the same to me. Theres so many tests out there....so to me if you still have to test for other things that are timed, then what's the big deal about testing for one more thing ya know.
Congrats!