API test kit

[esoxlucius]

Is it possible for the test liquids to differ from batch to batch? 3 weeks ago i bought a new batch of nitrate test liquid, my old batch had run out. The expiry date on my new batch is 2019. The expiry date on my old batch was 2017 so they are definitely different batches. I do my water change when my nitrates start creeping into the deep orange colour, maybe 20-30ppm. This is every 6 days according to my old batch of test liquid. However, my new batch of test liquid is showing my nitrates to be only a mid orange colour after 6 days. According to my new test liquid i could probably stretch to every 7 days now. Nothing has changed in my tank feeding and stock wise. Has anyone else noticed similar anomolies when starting a new batch of test liquid, whether it be nitrate or any of the other water parameters?

 

[rodger]

I don't trust the liquid API kit. I use strips for nitrate tests from LaMotte.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

API might change something to improve their products, so I wouldn't worry much and 1 day early or later water change not going to hurt your fish.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

I have seen a lot of people talk about variation of the API nitrate test. I think it's pretty much only good enough to give you a ballpark figure for your nitrates. Yellow is obviously very low to zero. Light orange is probably under 10ppm. Regular orange is probably anywhere from 10-25ppm. Dark orange is probably 25-40ppm. Then you start to see red in the color and I think that any time you see red in the color it is definitely time to change the water.

I usually try to keep my 29, which is lightly stocked, under 10-15ppm. This is about a 60% water change every week.

Unfortunately, my son's 10 gal Glowfish tank is pretty heavily stocked so it gets pretty high before the weekly water change. It probably gets up around 40ppm before I get the water changed. It gets a 95% water change weekly.

You should be fine to keep your current schedule.

 

[pops]

API test kit are far better than strips IMHO, I only test every few months these days to see if any thing is changed after testing twice a week to gauge what my nitrate creep is and water changes planed accordingly. I like once a week so stocked for that or less, either way its 90% or fin level every Saturday whither they need it or not, all other tank maintenance needs to be done once a week and so no reason not to change as much water at that time as I can. it aint going to hurt the fish. Saturday is tank maintenance and water changes on all tanks. Every Saturday.

 

[pops]

rule of thumb, any hint of red in test, water change time.

 

[nzafi]

Pretty sure everyone has said strips aren't great. I just ordered a Salifert nitrate test kit. More expensive but a lot more accuracy and suppose to be much better than API. Will continue to use API for other tests for now.