Salifert Ammonia test

[Reef_dachs]

Any advice on the Salifert ammonia tests for accuracy? I switched from API a few weeks ago. My ammonia levels have been in the .15 -.25 range even with weekly 20% water changes. I did a water change yesterday and the ammonia after the change was reading between .15-.25 again.
I decided to do another change today to get the levels down.I also decided to check my new water befor putting it in the tank. It was testing at .15 - this is RODI water from the LFS and I add my own Instant Ocean Reef Salt. Shouldn’t the ammonia be 0 in new water that is freshly mixed? Could I be using the test wrong? My alk levels have been super high too, am I testing wrong?

 

[brandon429]

We have sustained non zero ammonia reported for most brands most of them indicate consistent low levels. Your test likely has a tan conversion that makes it read in the hundredths vs the tenths reported nh3 / the only param we care about regarding cycling params

my chemistry friends here remind me that the initial reading shows all forms of nitrogen but we only care about nh3 and when the conversion is ran, what some tests kits show look correct

what you are watching is for hold vs rise


if this is a post cycle tank then by virtue of being cycled it’s not gonna rise back up

if this is a tank in cycle, and the ammonia came down to that level from a higher set point, the motion back down and now holding steady shows you are cycled

you added bottle bac a few weeks ago right?

there are posts in the chem forum of new water mixing to permit some positive reads this is common too. Digital test kits like seneye shows us thousands ppm is the turnover rate average, I think a few mechanisms exist for the tests to read higher than nh3 is being actually converted, thousandths ppm rate

cycles cannot stick and hold in the tenths ppm in reefing, by virtue of active surface area ammonia either runs at the consistent safe levels or it rises overnite to lethal levels due to lack of natural controls. No mid ground is permitted ammonia is in-demand and not left to accumulate in a reef with common surface area, post pics of your tank