API Nitrate/Nitrite Testing Problems

[jcardona1]

Its orange to green... mine is never orange though...

As for the lids leaking I wrap mine in a rag.

ah yes, Kh is blue to yellow, GH is orange to green. KH isn't bad, but like you said, GH never changes colors, even after adding 20+ drops. I had the same problem, and read about others having the same issue with the API kit, so I tried Nutrafin and it worked like a charm, changed colors after 5-6 drops.

 

[Tien]

Never had a test tube leak. When you shake it, clamp your finger on the top and the bottom and squeeze. It will squeeze the lid into the tube and seal it.

Plus, I invert my tubes several times and it mixes fine. If you want to test your mixing methods, add two drops of red food coloring to the tube and either shake or invert several times. You will see that inverting it a few times will mix it just as well as violently shaking it.

I hold the lid down tight as well but it still leaks a good amount.

 

[Tien]

Only API test I have is for ammonia. Cap doesn't leak on that one. May have just been a bad batch of caps they produced or something.

Could just search for chemistry supplies online and buy some new test tubes with stoppers. They're cheap, if you buy in bulk you can literally get them for pennies apiece, but you can probably find someone selling 6 or 10 for less than $10. Fill the API tube with the recommended amount of water and pour it into the new tube, mark a line to know where to fill the new one to next time.

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/product/1389 - Plastic, but you can find glass too with a bit of searching.

Good Idea. I might have to do this.