Test kits good and bad?

justarn

Arapaima
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May 24, 2011
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Hey all I have been having mixed results with some uk nitrate test kits... I used strips for years and thought I was fine then after reading on here I decided to get a proper drip tube kit...

I started with an api kit which told me my big tank was at 60ppm!!!! The horror! Considering I water change 70 percent I week I was shocked, obviously I then tested my tap water and got 20ppm? Im now assuming its a duff kit, then I tryed a nutrafin kit today after three weeks of 80percent change a week and still 50ppm? I had two kits today though, tested with a waterlife kit, got 0ppm... relief from a trusted brand, dont always believe your test kits.. how can they sell products with such various results? I followed the instructions exactly on all three kits!

Anyone else wanna share test kit experiences?

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brich999

Jack Dempsey
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Did you check the expiration date? I went nutty when my nitrates started creeping through the roof. Ill admit I dont test water often at all but mine were reading like 80ppm. Then I tested my water and it showed 20ppm. Brought samples of tabk water to 2 lfs and they both said I was around 20ppm. Got home checked the kit and it was like 4 years past expiration date.

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justarn

Arapaima
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All in date mate... maybe other levels effect the test I dunno, I know our water is very hard here in kent uk..

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justarn

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Lol as is your avatar!-)

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justarn

Arapaima
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Right after lots off googling I come to the conclusion most nitrate test kits are rubbish?
Gonna ask for the more experienced testers to help out here, I will stick with my big tanks results and stock here...
Ive been doing 50 percent changes for years until 4-5 weeks ago when I tested for nitrates with a liquid api kit as said earlier in the post. Then I raised it to 80 percent-ish...
Tested today with the api kit and got 60-80ppm again!! After 5min of shaking and banging each bottle, not waterchanged yet today, then tested with waterlife kit and im between 5 and 25ppm on the scale... sound's more realistic?
Tank is about 296 gallon currently houses 4 midas at 12 11 10 8 inch, 13 inch butti, 12 inch gibbi, 9 inch irwini, 12 inch suncat, 16-17 inch wyckii which is very slender, about the same mass as the butti.... 80 percent a week should be enough right... running two fx6 and a 600lph internal....

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justarn

Arapaima
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Edit Between 0 and 25.

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justarn

Arapaima
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Am I overstocked? Looks empty to me, have had it more heavily stocked before and fish have bred? Damd nitrate test kits.... driving me mental, due to a possible water metre on its way and cost of water would be nice to know how much I need to change out a week?

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RD.

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In general, the UK is known for having high nitrate levels in the tap water, so finding 20ppm in yours certainly isn't surprising. In fact, from what I just read 50 ppm appears to be the safety "standard" set in your area.

https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/docs/wq_report.pdf


While your tank certainly doesn't appear to be overcrowded, how much you feed in total each week, and the total digestibility of that feed will have the main impact on your water quality. As an example, I keep a single adult midas in a 90 gallon, and feed a premium food fairly lightly, and even still I usually do at least a 60-70% water change each week.

So single 11" midas in a 90 gallon - 60-70% WC weekly.

Versus 4 midas at 12 11 10 8 inch, 13 inch butti, 12 inch gibbi, 9 inch irwini, 12 inch suncat, 16-17 inch wyckii in a 296 gallon - 80% WC weekly.

See how easy it would be for nitrates to creep up, even when performing a large weekly water change? Those are big fish, they eat a lot no doubt, and crap a lot. If you are starting off with nitrates in your tap water, it certainly wouldn't be out of line for them to creep up to 80 ppm in a week. Have you considered adding pothos to this tank?
 

justarn

Arapaima
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Cheers rd 'Southeren water' supplies us and promises less than 5ppm? In which less than 10ppm I thought was the law in the uk?
I feed once a day hikari gold medium to the cichlids and once every three days the catfish have a handful of quality sinking sturgeon pellets...
I would hate to think how high they were getting when I was doing 50 percent and missed a week!! Hopefully the waterlife kit is right eh!
I have often thought about the 1 oscar too 75 gallon rule which would make me over stocked!
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justarn

Arapaima
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Not really up to speed on pothos tbh honest, its a plant that really helps lowers nitrate right? I will do some googling and see if its available here.

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