API masterkit liquid testing help?

[AngelFishGirl]

We don't even drink the water from our tap. We buy Dasani and Aquafina. Or Cub Food's RO water (for our lemon water pitcher)
None of us like the taste of our tap water. I will test right now and check.

Someone else said it must be my tap because large water changes don't do anything to it (I vacuum my gravel every time too) and nothing would stop the nitrates.

[dmolavi]

The test strips are horribly innacurate.

w.r.t. the nitrAte test, make sure you shake the dickens out of bottle 2. I think they say to shake it for 30 seconds before adding it to the tube, I shake it for a minute or more.

Be careful w/ RO water in a FW tank. You will need to remineralize it so that your fish don't die of osmotic shock. Seachem Replenish is one product that can be used.

[AngelFishGirl]

I do shake it to death. Lol

[AngelFishGirl]

Okay after testing nitrates in tap water are coming out <5.0

Okay I'm gonna start a new thread