Red Sea results vs api master

JasTheReefer

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I’m getting mixed results. I’m currently fighting bypropsis (sorry if I spelled that wrong.) I have been testing 0 for nitrate and phosphate on my Api test kit for about a month. Now that I have started this battle I decided to test using my Red Sea and my results are completely different. Still 0 and 0 on my master test kit, but Red Sea gives me these results. Which should I go off of? I am thinking about buying Hannah checkers for nitrate and phosphate, would that be a good idea? Nitrate on my api is zero, Red Sea shows this which definitely is not zero. I don’t have a Red Sea phosphate test, but my Alk for both are different, api giving me 7 and Red Sea giving me 8.5. My ph is missing from my Red Sea but api says 8.3, I am confused lol.

6979F466-5BF6-44C4-BCF3-6DBA6E3FE504.jpeg 10037FB6-746D-4151-A839-6B1926F074AF.jpeg
 
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JasTheReefer

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Api results taken at the exact same time as Red Sea.
 

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JasTheReefer

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Phosphate does appear .25 in that picture but it was not, I just moved to different lighting. Maybe that’s why my api results are off? Should I be under bright light I was using normal room lights, that is my laundry rooms bright lights in picture.
 

BeachWater2

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You can have tons of hair algae and no measurable nitrate or phosphate. (Don't ask me how I know that...) All of it goes straight into the algae. That said, it looks to me like the API is showing a lot more than zero. Zero nitrate is a really bright clear yellow - no orange. Zero phosphate is a pale clear yellow - no green. You a have to hold the card up behind the tube in bright light. It also changes depending on how long after the test. Make sure you are reading the directions about how long to wait for a reading, and how to shake the tube and so on. Different test kits give somewhat different results, the main thing is that you have a consistent measurement. That way you know if it's going up or down.
 

slojim

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2 things. I had bryopsis. Running nutrients to 0 didnt help, just led to cyano. Fluconazole worked. But regarding nitrate tests, I used both api and red sea and always have good agreement when I compare. But api is sensitive to shaking the bottle per the instructions. If you haven't been doing that, your reagent bottle might be out of whack.. Expired reagents are not and miss, so check the dates. You'll get lots of responses bashing api, but I've used them more than anything else and I don't have the bad results others report. I get occasional bad readings from other brands, but it helps to know your trend.
 
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JasTheReefer

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2 things. I had bryopsis. Running nutrients to 0 didnt help, just led to cyano. Fluconazole worked. But regarding nitrate tests, I used both api and red sea and always have good agreement when I compare. But api is sensitive to shaking the bottle per the instructions. If you haven't been doing that, your reagent bottle might be out of whack.. Expired reagents are not and miss, so check the dates. You'll get lots of responses bashing api, but I've used them more than anything else and I don't have the bad results others report. I get occasional bad readings from other brands, but it helps to know your trend.
Well I have been going off my api, and after making myself look like a fool and overreacting by posting this, my results were the same after really closely looking. I set them all up right after posting this and I did have the same results with nitrate (I see about 10 IMO) and yes .25 phosphates. I feel like a fool for over reacting but seems that as my bypropsis is dying with my twice a week scrubbing I finally can see a bit of nutrients popping up. Should’ve looked more closely and not jumped the gun on mixed results. I also tend to have a hard time deciphering on these color charts and will be buying Hannah checkers.
 
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JasTheReefer

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You can have tons of hair algae and no measurable nitrate or phosphate. (Don't ask me how I know that...) All of it goes straight into the algae. That said, it looks to me like the API is showing a lot more than zero. Zero nitrate is a really bright clear yellow - no orange. Zero phosphate is a pale clear yellow - no green. You a have to hold the card up behind the tube in bright light. It also changes depending on how long after the test. Make sure you are reading the directions about how long to wait for a reading, and how to shake the tube and so on. Different test kits give somewhat different results, the main thing is that you have a consistent measurement. That way you know if it's going up or down.
I did all tests exactly how it says, I jumped the gun on mixed results without looking more closely with my crappy eyes.
 
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JasTheReefer

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API isn't great for test kits, red sea is definitely better, would go based off that.
I feel like the color charts on both of these test kits is just too difficult to read. Maybe it’s just me. Red Sea is definitely easier with it being brighter colors though.
 

DeniableArc

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Keep a eye on that bryopsis, once you scrub it will spread. Bryopsis was the terminator of algae’s I still have nightmares about it!
 
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JasTheReefer

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Keep a eye on that bryopsis, once you scrub it will spread. Bryopsis was the terminator of algae’s I still have nightmares about it!
I’m honestly thinking it’s gha but a couple people on here told me it’s bryopsis.

E7DA43F0-BCC4-4AC1-A880-08D59846FB6E.jpeg F7754748-C65D-4A4B-801F-036E4EC199A6.jpeg
 
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JasTheReefer

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Doesn’t look like bryopsis to me. Bryopsis has a very distinctive fern like pattern, a close up pic would confirm but I doubt it.
I can post one tomorrow if you want to see, I honestly think it’s turf algae. My hermits I added today are going to town which I know most cuc members don’t eat bryopsis. It’s thick and short and really hard to remove unless it’s grown out. It comes off in chunks.
 

blaxsun

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The Red Sea pro nitrate with the colour spinning tool is a lot easier to read
The Nyos nitrate test kit is probably the easiest and most accurate (short of a laboratory) that I've used. But I also have the Red Sea one and I'd rate it a close second.
 

Mr. Mojo Rising

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There are countless threads on the forum from people that have 2 different test kits and 2 different result (I have Hanna and saliphert test kits which give different results) i would bet a case of beer with anyone that if there were 3 test kits there would be 3 different results. Like others have mentioned, if you have algae, then the phosphate and nitrate test is inaccurate. I think our test kits are "good indications", but I would not live and die by any test results. The most sane approach to testing IMO is just pick one kit that you are confident with and stick with it
 

BeachWater2

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I feel like the color charts on both of these test kits is just too difficult to read. Maybe it’s just me. Red Sea is definitely easier with it being brighter colors though.
I find it easier to see contrasts, so I look for the colors that don't match. I can always tell which ones contrast. Then it's obvious which ones match. If I'm trying to match them directly I get confused.
 

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