Hi there all!
I posted this in my build thread, but I just wanted to be sure to give any of you folks who haven't noticed this a heads up. I apologize if this has already been written; I ran a quick search and didn't see anything, but if I am duplicating, I am happy to delete:
I have a few things to say about my API Master Test Kit, which is why I am posting this in a separate post than my last progress update.
First of all, I kept getting a positive ammonia test even before I had added anything but salt water to the tank. Kind of annoying, but I just attributed that to my MarcoRocks having a little bit of something still on them. The ammonia test has been consistently positive and consistently hard to read considering it's super cloudy, so I did a bit of R2R research and found that Salifert typically is the better option when it comes to ammonia tests. I also read on another site that the API test vials are notoriously incorrect when it comes to the 5mL lines. Would you believe all 4 of my vials had their lines in different places? Seriously.
That being said, I actually measured 5mL of water into each vial and not a single vial had it correct. Unbelievable. Well, lesson learned: this will be the last of these kits that I purchase.
Considering how severely shaken my confidence in this kit had become, I ran an ammonia test using distilled water to be sure that absolute zero was, in fact, attainable, and it actually is. I also ran two more ammonia tests: one filled to the incorrect 5mL line and the other with correctly measured 5mL. Results of all of these tests below:
5mL Distilled Water measured into vial:
Absolute 0 result with distilled water:
Tank water test result--vial filled to the API line:
Tank water test result--vial filled with measured 5mL;
I am honestly pretty frustrated with this test considering the difference in the two tank water tests is so slight despite one of them being more dilute than the other, but it is what it is at this point. I ordered a Salifert ammonia test kit and I'm just writing this one off as a loss. Very disappointing.
I posted this in my build thread, but I just wanted to be sure to give any of you folks who haven't noticed this a heads up. I apologize if this has already been written; I ran a quick search and didn't see anything, but if I am duplicating, I am happy to delete:
I have a few things to say about my API Master Test Kit, which is why I am posting this in a separate post than my last progress update.
First of all, I kept getting a positive ammonia test even before I had added anything but salt water to the tank. Kind of annoying, but I just attributed that to my MarcoRocks having a little bit of something still on them. The ammonia test has been consistently positive and consistently hard to read considering it's super cloudy, so I did a bit of R2R research and found that Salifert typically is the better option when it comes to ammonia tests. I also read on another site that the API test vials are notoriously incorrect when it comes to the 5mL lines. Would you believe all 4 of my vials had their lines in different places? Seriously.
That being said, I actually measured 5mL of water into each vial and not a single vial had it correct. Unbelievable. Well, lesson learned: this will be the last of these kits that I purchase.
Considering how severely shaken my confidence in this kit had become, I ran an ammonia test using distilled water to be sure that absolute zero was, in fact, attainable, and it actually is. I also ran two more ammonia tests: one filled to the incorrect 5mL line and the other with correctly measured 5mL. Results of all of these tests below:
5mL Distilled Water measured into vial:
Absolute 0 result with distilled water:
Tank water test result--vial filled to the API line:
Tank water test result--vial filled with measured 5mL;
I am honestly pretty frustrated with this test considering the difference in the two tank water tests is so slight despite one of them being more dilute than the other, but it is what it is at this point. I ordered a Salifert ammonia test kit and I'm just writing this one off as a loss. Very disappointing.