RYANLAWRENCE
Aquarium Advice Freak
Does anyone else's API test tubes leak when you shake them? I find this quite annoying not to mention semi dangerous since a lot of the chemical are strong acids haha. Anyone else have this annoying problem?
API test kit design Fail?
- Thread starter RYANLAWRENCE
- Start date
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allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
yea!!and then when you drop them in the sink they break!!! ive broken 2 luckily they were extras.
Bettababe1011
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yeah. It's odd. Considering I'm a klutz, I've spilled small amounts on myself and freaked out. But nothing happened. I had no reaction. But it could be a danger. And an annoyance as well.
Henry405
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I do too, and most of the time, its from the nitrate test tube. I was all of my tubes at once so the chances of me always using the same test tube and cap for my nitrate is very small
Hubert90
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ditto! I wonder if it alters the results in anyways
Mine did leak at first when shaking but just use your thumb on the bottom of the tube and index finger on the cap and press, at least that stopped mine from leaking when shaking.
Oh and, the Nutrafin kit's are worse as the cap sits inside the glass opening.
The air trapped inside lifts the cap no matter what I do.
Oh and, the Nutrafin kit's are worse as the cap sits inside the glass opening.
The air trapped inside lifts the cap no matter what I do.
Fishbone13
Aquarium Advice Freak
Yup same problem here. A real crappy design.
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
Moved to General Hardware/Equipment Discussion
Hubert90
Aquarium Advice Addict
Wonder y eheim, fluval and sachem don't design their own test kit. Unless they already have!
Homedog98
Aquarium Advice Addict
j2112j said:
That method can alter the results... Just saying.
Hubert90
Aquarium Advice Addict
Homedog98 said:
How?
Homedog98
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'm not sure why, but I think it's from the amount of air that gets in. I stop my tubes from leaking by holding the sides of the cap, wrapping everything but the cap in a paper towel, shake, and hold on for dear life!
JBsDad
Aquarium Advice Regular
I have the same problem. I leak tested all of the tubes and caps and found one set that does not leak so it's the only one I use. I'm trying to find some cork or rubber stoppers for the tubes. I absolutely believe that the leaking can and will alter the test results because the chemicals being tested are measured in parts per million. There is no way of knowing how much reagent has leaked during the shaking process which will throw off the entire test.
For the cost of the API kits, you would think they could use a better stopper.
For the cost of the API kits, you would think they could use a better stopper.
No, you misread his post. Read it again. He's not putting his finger directly over the open end of the tube and exposing it to the water and chemicals inside. He's holding the cap down with his finger.
No, a little leaking won't alter the test results. You're measuring the concentration of certain molecules in the water. Yes, they're in parts per million, but when you leak a little bit of the solution, you're leaking the solute and the solvent (and the test chemicals) roughly equally. You'd need to remove a significant portion of the solute without removing any solvent (or vice versa) to seriously affect the results. It's not an issue, trust me.
HUKIT
Aquarium Advice Addict
I play musical caps, having over 20 test tubes and caps it's a game to find out which cap is the tightest. Otherwise I just wrap it tightly with a paper towel.
This is a problem for me as well.. And I also find it helps if I place my thumb on bottom and index finger on top cap squeeze gently and then shake away. But for safety I always wrap papertowel around it prior to doing this as well...
Hubert90
Aquarium Advice Addict
Is it necessary to shake the test tubes? Or it sufficient to just turn it up and down? Hope I'm not off topic. But I think that helps with the leakage abit
It's important for the nitrate test. The others are fine with turning up and down a few times.
