API test kits (nitrate)

[haxalot]

Was checking the progress of my cycling tank (forgot about it for 2 weeks) and initially got a reading of 10 nitrate after a 5 minute wait.

However, the lazy mua, left the test tubes uncleaned for the night, and the next day when I went to wash them, the colour of the nitrate tube was a very very dark red that corresponded to 160 on the chart. That the true reading?

 

[tlindsey]

I'm going to say 10ppm probably is the right read if the tank is cycling. How long has this been?

 

[haxalot]

About 3 weeks total, ammonia source (shrimp) was removed at about after a week with a 50% pwc that left it between 4-8ppm. No additional ammonia source was added for 2 weeks which was followed by the readings I was questioning about. The ammonia and nitrites that I took at the same time were showing 1ppm ammonia and 5ppm+ nitrites.