Ammonia test reading odd color.

[IworkatPSP]

While doing water tests at work, the ammonia came up an odd milky white color.... I tested my home tank's water and it came up the brownish white color. I then tested a customer's water and the ammonia showed the brownish white as well.

All other parameters in our store's system are perfect, but ammonia is not even showing a color on the list. What could be causing this? Could a phosban reactor be throwing off the color of the test?

Test kit is the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals brand.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[JG]

Are you using the same glass testing tube? If so, I would try another test tube to check for cross contamination.

 

[emorrison33]

It could also be that the reagent is old...I had a problem once and the test kit was old...I brought it back to my LFS and got another one...never went back to that store again though.

 

[steve-s]

Is the test kit Nessler based or Salicylate? Could be it's not meant for SW use... Generally the darker the color, the higher the ammonia. Milky white or no color change would indicate a Nessler test kit. Yellow would be at the bottom of the scale with it getting darker (bluish/green) as the level of ammonia increases when using a Salicylate kit. Also be sure you are only referncing NH3-, it is the only concernable value in SW aquaria so be sure you are using the appropriate color chart as well.

Test kit age is definately a factor in accuracey.

Cheers
Steve

 

[AquaReefer]

I tested the store's water in tube A:, came up whitish color.

Then I tested my tank's water from home in tube B:, it came up a yellowish brown color.

Got new test kit off the shelf, tested store's water in tube C:, came up whitish color.

Tested my home tank's water in tube D:, got the yellowish brown color.

And its the ammonia test from the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Marine Test Kit, so I'm pretty sure it is meant for saltwater.

Thanks,

Matt
IworkatPSP
P.S. At my friend's house, and didnt feel like changing names.

 

[steve-s]

And its the ammonia test from the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Marine Test Kit, so I'm pretty sure it is meant for saltwater.

AP makes both a FW only (Nessler) and a FW/SW (Salicylate) ammonia test kit. If it does not specifically say for use with SW, then it's a Nessler kit.

Cheers
Steve