HELP!! Way different readings while testing Ammonia levels

[shrive81]

Hey guys so I have started the dr time one and only cycle.... added the bacteria and ammonia as directed.... I tested with a salifert test kit and showed little to no ammonia the next day but then I tested with a geismann test kit and it was basically dark blue which read ammonia was way over 2ppm... guess I’m confused on what one to believe.... has anyone else seen this? Technically today is day 3 and instructions say to add more ammonia but I do t know if I have zero or way to much at this point hahaha

 

[shrive81]

Anyone that can help it would be greatly apprecaited... on day 5 and still having the same readings... I did a 40% water change and added another bottle of dr. Tim's bacteria in thought that i might have got a bad bottle. Still getting a reading of basically no ammonia on the salifert test and a reading saying it is well over 2ppm on the geismann test. I had some nitrate initially and now it is showing barely .25mg/L

 

[Reef.]

Salifert test is very hard to read, chances are you have misread the result on that test.

Did you add the correct number of ammonia drops, if so then I wouldn’t worry.

 

[Reef.]

Stop with the water changes, you do those at the end of the cycle not part way into it.

 

[shrive81]

Stop with the water changes, you do those at the end of the cycle not part way into it.

ya so the salifert basically has no color to it its just cloudy white. Ya i followed the instructions exactly and tested multiple times with each kit and the salifert keeps coming back and little to no ammonia and the geissmann test kit as you can see above reads high... As for the water change i did that cause I felt I had extremely high ammonia levesl and the water also seemed cloudy as well. So that is when i did a 40% change and added another bottle of Dr. Tim's bacteria

 

[brandon429]

What your ammonia reads now doesn’t matter, because what you’ve added is guaranteed to grow bacteria. Simply swirl and mix what you have now for fifteen days

then change out all your water for new, and begin. Update so we can track early life in the tank for our cycling threads. What your tests read or don’t read this entire time doesn’t matter. Simply allowing a known mixture that produces bacteria in water to sit past its time on the bottle bac directions stated is guaranteed to seed the system, fifteen days provides extra deposit time. As you can see, hobby testers don’t help much they are just guesstimate kits, not required to be used other than how about a nitrate reading at the end. toss in one pinch of feed for carbon, Dr Reefs trick

 

[Reef.]

No big worry if it’s high, I can’t read you result as it’s covered but even if 5 it will just mean the cycle will take a little longer, I would test over a week and see if it starts to come down, then go from there.
As you say you added the correct amount so don’t worry, ammonia tests IMO are generally not great.

 

[shrive81]

thanks guys i guess knowledge isn't power at this point hahahaha. I just hate that one test says ammonia is gone and the other says its crazy high. I might go buy and API test kit and see what that says and just go with what the average is hahaha never thought this part of the process was going to be annoying

 

[Reef.]

Don’t bother API tests are not great either.

Keep testing with what you have and you’ll see it go down...with the salifert it can help to also fill a vial with just tank water to compare the colour against, helps to see any change in colour as it’s so subtle.