Measuring Exact Ammonia Level With Api Test Kit

Hello Fishlovers

I am having a tough time measuring Ammonia using API fresh water test kit. The color I get is usually yellow but not exact yellow for 0 ppm reading. It is as though somewhere between 0 ppm and 0.25 ppm color. Same color I have been getting for past 2 weeks. Can someone help if the reading is actual 0 or somewhere in between?

Please note that my Ph is 7.3, Nitrite is always 0 and Nitrate is around 15-20ppm

 

Id throw some plants in there

 

I see the same thing with mine, but I read somewhere here, that if you look down through the test tube from the top to double check it works better. When I do that it looks yellow, like 0.

 

It's pretty normal to have a green tint to the test for up to 6 months with a new tank. As long as it doesn't go above 0.25ppm your fish will be fine.

You could up your water changes to help. Doing 2 smaller changes a week, instead of one larger one, can help bring the ammonia down.

See if you can capture it with a picture.

 

Thanks a lot. That really helps

It's pretty normal to have a green tint to the test for up to 6 months with a new tank. As long as it doesn't go above 0.25ppm your fish will be fine.

You could up your water changes to help. Doing 2 smaller changes a week, instead of one larger one, can help bring the ammonia down.

See if you can capture it with a picture.

 

Yes, mine always reads like just barely a shade above zero. I take that to mean that it's actually zero. I have never tried or heard of the "looking through the top" trick. I'll have to do that now.

 

Google it - a very common problem.

I don't believe the API test is meant to resolve values under 0.25. If the colour looks under 0.25 it should be considered zero.

I have never had a true zero reading (yellow with no green tinge at all) in any of my six tanks over many years.

It always appears lower than the 0.25 reading though.

A reading of total ammonia under 0.25 at my pH and temperature is non-toxic so I don't worry about it.

It is also a tenth of the value that an LFS has to achieve in order to keep it's licence in my country.

Ammonia cannot be zero if fish are present because fish excrete ammonia all the time so there will always be some ammonia present.

 

Ammonia cannot be zero if fish are present because fish excrete ammonia all the time so there will always be some ammonia present.

I think this is the important part of the answer.

 

I have never really gotten the color yellow that is on the measurement card. It always appears to have a slight green tint. Barely, but noticeable, like everyone else said.

 

My water does the exact same thing. I used to be really concerned about it, but it hasn't had any affects on my fish as of yet. I wouldn't worry too much about it, just don't add a bunch of fish without giving the tank ample time to adjust in the future and you should be fine.

 

Google it - a very common problem.

I don't believe the API test is meant to resolve values under 0.25. If the colour looks under 0.25 it should be considered zero.

I have never had a true zero reading (yellow with no green tinge at all) in any of my six tanks over many years.

It always appears lower than the 0.25 reading though.

A reading of total ammonia under 0.25 at my pH and temperature is non-toxic so I don't worry about it.

It is also a tenth of the value that an LFS has to achieve in order to keep it's licence in my country.

Ammonia cannot be zero if fish are present because fish excrete ammonia all the time so there will always be some ammonia present.

Can you explain that last part, because my cycled, established tanks with fish in them all have zero ammonia.

 

Thanks for asking this question. This thread is reassuring as I have the same problem with the slightest green tint when testing for ammonia with Master API. Assume it's under 0.25 and okay if everything else is normal.

 

Yes, I will try to explain simply what I mean by the last part of my answer.

I firmly believe that:

1. Ammonia will never be zero.

and

2. It doesn't matter.

Lets say we have a cycled aquarium which has a suitable fish stocking and a suitable filter for the size of the tank.

The aquarium fish present in the aquarium excrete ammonia into the water all the time through their kidneys and gills so there is ammonia entering the water constantly.

Put simply, the ammonia produced travels in the water flow to the filter where it is removed.

Because the filter is removing ammonia constantly the ammonia does not build up to unsafe levels.

Because the fish are producing ammonia constantly there is always some ammonia entering the water and on its way to the filter.

Now to the API test.

The test measures the ammonia present in the water and therefore the ammonia constantly produced by the fish shows up in the test.

Provided that the fish stocking is suitable for the size of the tank, the ammonia that is constantly produced will not be at unsafe levels.

and...

Provided the filter is suitable for the size of the tank, the ammonia that is constantly produced will not build up to unsafe levels because the filter will remove it.

If you have a greenish tinge to your yellow test but it looks under 0.25 I believe it will be safe (I can explain this separately to avoid lengthening this post).

If you have a yellow colour without a greenish tinge your ammonia is even lower and I believe it will be safe.

Even with the yellow test result the ammonia will not actually be zero because ammonia is being produced constantly, but it will be low.

Don't be concerned that ammonia is never truly zero when fish are present. Ammonia is a natural part of the environment and it is completely normal for it to be present at low levels in ponds, lakes and rivers as well as aquaria.

 

Hello Fishlovers

I am having a tough time measuring Ammonia using API fresh water test kit. The color I get is usually yellow but not exact yellow for 0 ppm reading. It is as though somewhere between 0 ppm and 0.25 ppm color. Same color I have been getting for past 2 weeks. Can someone help if the reading is actual 0 or somewhere in between?

Please note that my Ph is 7.3, Nitrite is always 0 and Nitrate is around 15-20ppm

Sounds like you're cycled, ammonia probably is 0.

 

Do the test on a tube of bottled water at the same time and compare the results. The human eye can detect a difference in colour much more easily that working out what a colour is in isolation.

(You can use your tap water for this if you know from your local water quality reports - usually available online - that you don't have any significant ammonia in your water. But some areas do).

 

Yes, I will try to explain simply what I mean by the last part of my answer.

I firmly believe that:

1. Ammonia will never be zero.

and

2. It doesn't matter.

Lets say we have a cycled aquarium which has a suitable fish stocking and a suitable filter for the size of the tank.

The aquarium fish present in the aquarium excrete ammonia into the water all the time through their kidneys and gills so there is ammonia entering the water constantly.

Put simply, the ammonia produced travels in the water flow to the filter where it is removed.

Because the filter is removing ammonia constantly the ammonia does not build up to unsafe levels.

Because the fish are producing ammonia constantly there is always some ammonia entering the water and on its way to the filter.

Now to the API test.

The test measures the ammonia present in the water and therefore the ammonia constantly produced by the fish shows up in the test.

Provided that the fish stocking is suitable for the size of the tank, the ammonia that is constantly produced will not be at unsafe levels.

and...

Provided the filter is suitable for the size of the tank, the ammonia that is constantly produced will not build up to unsafe levels because the filter will remove it.

If you have a greenish tinge to your yellow test but it looks under 0.25 I believe it will be safe (I can explain this separately to avoid lengthening this post).

If you have a yellow colour without a greenish tinge your ammonia is even lower and I believe it will be safe.

Even with the yellow test result the ammonia will not actually be zero because ammonia is being produced constantly, but it will be low.

Don't be concerned that ammonia is never truly zero when fish are present. Ammonia is a natural part of the environment and it is completely normal for it to be present at low levels in ponds, lakes and rivers as well as aquaria.

Thank you for the explanation, I really appreciated it.

 

Do the test on a tube of bottled water at the same time and compare the results. The human eye can detect a difference in colour much more easily that working out what a colour is in isolation.

Been meaning to do this for a while as I have always had the same problem with my ammonia tests showing a slightly greenish colour but very confused with the results I've just had -




The test tube on the left is bottled spring water (which I assumed had 0ppm ammonia before I did the test) and the one on the right is one of my tanks. Is this a problem with the test kit, bottled water or something else?

 

I understand that bottled water can contain small amounts of ammonia which may give this result.

The level will be so low that it should not be a concern.