API liquid test kits results

[Niki_up]

hello all, sorry in advanced for the questions regarding readings.

I’m not a newbie in regards to fish keeping but am pretty new to using test kits. I use to do weekly water changes without testing my water, but want the test kit to guide me a little.

I have been taking readings regularly now as I want to understand AM, NI, and NA readings more.

I have not done a water change in 8 days.

A couple of days ago my reading were AM - 0, NI - 0, and NA - 5.

I tested today as I was expecting to have to do a water change, and everything was 0!

I know this tank is cycled for sure, as it has been running for a couple of years with the same filter media, just different stock in the tank.

When I restocked my tank just before Xmas I put a lot of new live plants in my tank. Could the live plants be using the very little NA I get in my tank along with being well under stocked be reasoning to all my readings being 0?

Also, if all my readings are 0 should I do a water change? I feel like I should.

TIA

 

[tlindsey]

hello all, sorry in advanced for the questions regarding readings.

I’m not a newbie in regards to fish keeping but am pretty new to using test kits. I use to do weekly water changes without testing my water, but want the test kit to guide me a little.

I have been taking readings regularly now as I want to understand AM, NI, and NA readings more.

I have not done a water change in 8 days.

A couple of days ago my reading were AM - 0, NI - 0, and NA - 5.

I tested today as I was expecting to have to do a water change, and everything was 0!

I know this tank is cycled for sure, as it has been running for a couple of years with the same filter media, just different stock in the tank.

When I restocked my tank just before Xmas I put a lot of new live plants in my tank. Could the live plants be using the very little NA I get in my tank along with being well under stocked be reasoning to all my readings being 0?

Also, if all my readings are 0 should I do a water change? I feel like I should.

TIA

I would suggest retesting for Nitrates but shake both test bottles #1and #2 vigorously before testing. You will probably have a positive reading after. A properly cycled aquarium will always show nitrate even if 5 ppm.

 

[duanes]

The plants may be using up enough nitrate to get negligible readings, especially if you are not overstocked, or overfeed.
But water changes are not just about nitrate.
Water changes replace certain buffers and may provide micronutrients for plants, and may help get rid of pheromones and other by-products of metabolism
There is probably no research to back up what I just wrote, but I would imagine funding for such aquarium research is also not readily thrown around these days.
That said, maybe you can go a little longer between water changes.

 

[esoxlucius]

If you've plenty of plants, very little stock and you feed very sparingly then nitrate will rise very slowly. You dont say what volume tank you have but if it's large then that factor along with the three others i mentioned will mean you could potentially go for quite some time before your nitrate gets to a level where a water change is due.

Also, as mentioned in a previous post, if you are new to the liquid test then be sure to totally trash bottle number 2. It needs shaking like mad. When it's left to stand it starts to crystallise so an unshaken or poorly shaken bottle will give you a false reading.

 

[Jexnell]

I learned the hard way about the bottles having to be vigorousy shaken/beat near to death.
I have been doing water changes every other day did a test came up with a zero reading, posted my resultes and got informed about the bottle shaking. Redid the test and it came out with a reading of 60. Did water changes every day for 2 weeks to get it down.

 

[MrsE88]

Agreed. Read the directions well. Bottle #2 needs to be violently shaken for at least 30 seconds and then the test tube needs to be vigorously shaken for a minute after putting the drops in. Wait 5mins for results. I believe that is what the directions said.

 

[Niki_up]

So when I got home again, I shook the bananas out of the bottles, re tested and shook the bananas out of he sample tube.

Pretty sure it is reading between 0-5, it’s a darker yellow than 0 but not the orange colour of 5.

As for tank, it is a 75g with three 2-2.5 inch JDs and here guppies (yes I know about he guppies not being a good fit, they will eventually become food, that’s the plan)

I fee twice a day on weekdays and 2-4 times a day on weekends. (Not sure if anything me knows the omega frozen brine shrimp, mysis packets, they get half for the first feeding and half for the second)

 

[DN328]

Agreed. Read the directions well. Bottle #2 needs to be violently shaken for at least 30 seconds and then the test tube needs to be vigorously shaken for a minute after putting the drops in. Wait 5mins for results. I believe that is what the directions said.

This is correct. I always add 15 seconds for each shake for good measure. Also, I believe instructions say to cap the tube after drops from bottle #1 and invert a feel times prior to adding drops from bottle #2.