Master Test Kit FAILED!!

[pgrhodes1]

I test my water with the Master Test Kit (expires 8/2018) at least twice a day and have for the last 7 weeks. Trusted it completely. Fish started acting strange last Friday. Checked and rechecked my water. All was normal but changed water anyway. Saturday AM 5 dead fish including my Rainbow Shark who I REALLY liked. Changed water, made a 45 mile trip to town to get test strips to see if they would show different than my Master Kit. Sure enough the Master Kit is showing 0 Nitrite (beautiful blue color) but the strip shows 5.0 Nitrites. Absolutely makes me sick to think I trusted something so completely. Be WARNED that kit is not the end all that people make it out to be. Have no idea what caused the spike but sure wish I had known it was happening....

 

[Masha]

The API nitrate test needs to be shaken very, very, very vigorously to work. There is a powder in the bottle that settles and must be stirred up.

I believe the instructions tell you how to do this. Sorry you lost your fish, that's horrible.

For future reference, nitrates will hardly ever be 0 in a cycled tank, so if you see 0, test again.

 

[pgrhodes1]

Nitrates are testing same as strips. It is the nitrites that were showing 0 and the strips were showing 5.0. They are now nitrites 0 with kit, nitrites .5 on strips after multiple water changes.

 

[Masha]

Oh sorry- misread!

 

[pgrhodes1]

No problems. Thanks anyway for trying to help....

 

[Masha]

Well, I hope you can figure out the cause. Any idea?

 

[pgrhodes1]

The only thing I did different was clean my canister filter. I used fish tank water to rinse sponge and did not touch the filter media. However, fish were acting funny before that. If the Nitrites test had worked I would know exactly when the spike occurred but I have no idea. Emailed the company and let them know how very disappointed I am with their product. The strips may not be as precise as the kit when it works but I am going with the strips from now on.

 

[Masha]

Yes, simply rinsing the sponge doesn't sound like a likely cause.