red sea nitrate test kit

diddley

diddley

Member
i have a new red sea test kit that always tests at zero. anyone else experience this? i have a seachem nitrate kit that i use as a backup, seachem kits are sketchy in my opinion. i guess i'll have to try salifert. my first red sea kit worked great. do the ph and nitrate kits from salifert work like their calcium and alk, i.e. dripping reagents from a small dropper until you get a color change in the test vial? just curious. thanks everybody.
 
diddley

diddley

Member
i forgot to mention that i've tested the kit on three different tanks, including one at the fish store, which they said was about 40 ppm nitrate. all test zero. this kit is a lemon.
 
donmgicwon

donmgicwon

Member

Originally posted by diddley
the first red sea kit i used came in their marine lab multi. it was fine. this one is junk.
The one I'm using came with the Marine Lab kit too. I also bought the "Reef Lab" (came with PO4, NO3 and CA) I haven't used the NO3 from the reef lab kit yet but I think I will try it this weekend and compare the results. I will let you know what I get.
 
diddley

diddley

Member
please do. my first kit, which came with the lab was fine. i watched my nitrates rise and lower after the cycle, but i used all the reagents. so, i bought this one and it's useless. also the the color shades on the test card are noticeably different with the second (stand-alone) kit having darker shades of the sames colors, especially in the lower markings. thanks again.
 
donmgicwon

donmgicwon

Member
Originally posted by i watched my nitrates rise and lower after the cycle,. [/B]
Do you mean nitrAtes or nitrItes? Your nitrates should continue to move up after the cycle, not lower.
 
D

dandt40

Guest
i just tested mine last night with the nitrate test from the reef lab kit and it was not 0....
 
donmgicwon

donmgicwon

Member

Originally posted by diddley
i observed trates slowly lower over the last six months while doing weekly waterchanges.
Oh.
Well, I just checked my records and on 4/4 my NO3 level was at 3 PPM then on 4/17 it was down to 2.5, on 4/26 it was a little lower and after that it checked zero. I forgot about these results I guess that is why you should write them down. Maybe you are really at 0 from just doing regular W/C's. I change 10-12 gallons a week. My PO4 is currently at 0.15 with a high of 1.0 on 4/17. What does your PO4 check? I will still try both kits and let you know the results. I will test BEFORE my W/C this time (I have always tested right after) and see what I get.
 
diddley

diddley

Member
i wish that was the case. i've checked the kit on three tanks, two of them i know don't have 0 trates. one was the lfs tank, which they said was "around" 40. my kit=0. my phosphates are 0.03 with a salifert kit. i use marc weiss phosphate and silicate magnet. thanks for the updates.
 
donmgicwon

donmgicwon

Member
I tested (using both kits) Sunday, before my weekly water change. Orig. kit was still zero, new kit had a very slight violet tint to it (possibly somewhere between 1.0 and 2.5 ppm). My conclusion is: Part A has to be shaken for 30 seconds RIGHT before dripping into the TT , the new kit has less air in the bottle (bottle is full), the more times you use the kit the more air there is in the bottle, so when you shake, then drip the bottle with less reagent there is more air mixed in so you get a diluted test. I realize I am grasping at straws here but it is the only thing I can come up with. Let me know what you think.
 
diddley

diddley

Member
i tested again today, the 15th, on a tank i know is not zero. it's low, but NOT zero. but the test read zero, AGAIN. i shook the first reagant like crazy, in fact, i shook the snot out of all of them, just for kicks. i'm going to test a freshwater tank tomorrow that i know is around 50. the test states it's good for both fresh and salt. the vendor has said they will replace the kit. i'll let you know the freshwater results.
 
donmgicwon

donmgicwon

Member

Originally posted by diddley
i shook the first reagant like crazy, in fact, i shook the snot out of all of them, just for kicks. .
Did you notice all the bubbles/air in the drops? The new-full bottle didn't bubble as much.
 
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