Okay, Finally - Some API Master Kit Results...PLEASE Help Me Analyze

[Floyd R Turbo]

you really NEED to know is that ammonia and nitrite should be under 0.25ppm

They really should be zero all the time after a cycle is completed. If they're not zero, you have a problem.

 

[taylorodw]

Right. This advice was meant for a tank where the cycle needed to catch up. I should edit the original.

I agree that a 6 month old tank should be cycled (0 ammonia and nitrite), and perhaps, as you mentioned, residual ammonia from ammo-lock is the problem.

I just wanted to be thorough with answering Osage's questions directly.

 

[Osage_Winter]

You've got it. If you add the tap water before the dechlorinator, the chemicals in the water have time to start killing off your bacteria colonies.

I understand. I shall use your suggested method from here on in.

If your ammonia or nitrite readings are anything above zero, it means your biofilter isn't fully established yet. While you wait for the bacteria colonies to grow, you have to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels below 0.25ppm to keep your fish from being poisoned. To do this, you have to monitor the water parameters constantly. Once your testing shows 0ppm for both ammonia and nitrite, you can reduce your testing to once a week or so.

Okay; you know, the interesting (and frustrating) thing is, it seems like for many of my results for each parameter, the color chart could equal somewhere "in the middle" of a range, where I'm uncertain what the exact number is...that's why I provided my results for all of you in a "between" fashion...

It doesn't hurt to shake all of them. I believe it's one of the nitrate test bottles that you have to shake. A chemical in the bottle precipitates out and you have to redissolve it to get accurate readings. Follow the directions and you shouldn't have a problem.

I did follow the directions, precisely, and it seems one of the bottles is all that needs shaking, like you said -- apparently, Nitrate #2, as is being discussed...

Prime is safe up to a 5x dose I believe. I don't know what would happen if you overdosed beyond that. I know my bottle is good for 60g a capful. It may vary depending on the bottle size. They may have different caps. Just dump the Prime into the tank. Keep it simple.

Gotcha -- I only asked because someone at AquaticCommunity named "Xavier" suggested dropping the Prime into that little hole in the AquaClear 110's flow control switch area...

 

[Osage_Winter]

I have a thread I started on the subject of the API test kits after years of use. Give this a read:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/observations-on-api-test-kits-126327.html

I'll do that, Floyd. Thanks.

The only bottle you need to shake vigorously is the Nitrate #2 bottle. Shake it for at least 15, preferably 30 seconds before adding the drops. The reason is that the #2 bottle has a solid that settles out to the bottom, and you need to get that mixed up very well.

Right -- that's what I thought, that it was Nitrate #2 (as I indicated to Taylor) and I definitely did shake it for the 30 seconds...

Keep all the bottles vertical when adding drops. I give the bottles a light squeeze in the vertical postion and hold, turn upside-down while slightly letting off (to keep from squirting), let off completely (this clears the nozzle of any bubbles) then add the drops. Squeeze gently and try to get all the drops the same size - if you go too fast, the drops can get too big or too small and that can throw your test off. I shoot for 1 drop per second.

Indeed...

At times, the Nitrate #2 bottle nozzle may become clogged with a piece of the solid if it did not get shaken up enough - you'll know that because when you squeeze it, the drops stop. If that happens, let off, cap it, shake a few times, make sure the nozzle it clear by giving it a few gentle squeezes in the up position, then continue.

One of the bottles gave me a hard time in terms of opening the cap, actually -- I can't recall which one, but I am thinking it was the Nitrate #2, and it was kind of "stuck" with a bunch of crunchy "junk" on the cap lip...

It's OK to give each of the other bottles a shake before adding drops, but it doesn't have to be vigorous and you have to make sure you do the squeeze as described above to clear the nozzle of air bubbles. That way you get consistent sized drops. I've seen an LFS test with the dropper bottle horizontal. Don't do that.

I simply followed the directions, which indicated to shake only one of the bottles, if I can recall...

I've been following your other thread. This tank has been up and running for 6 months, hasn't it?

My wife and I estimate it's been running since approximately September or August...

If that's the case, then it should be cycled, but I seem to remember that you were using ammo-lock or something else that may have prevented the cycle. Have you managed to get the gravel vac working yet?

We are going to attempt a water change over the next day or so with the Top Fin vac once more -- but as for the AmmoLock, I actually used AmmoniaSafe from Tetra, but that was only once...I did treat the tank with Rid-Ich, though, when I misdiagnosed a case of Ich, which ended up being a Wen growth on one of my fancys...

How much longer is it going to take this tank to cycle? Is there anything I need to do for this process?

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Re: Shaking the number 2 bottle. That'll be why my nitrate readings have never *ever* been higher than 5ppm!

 

[Osage_Winter]

Re: Shaking the number 2 bottle. That'll be why my nitrate readings have never *ever* been higher than 5ppm!

 

[BigJim]

If you don't shake the bottle, your results will be wrong.

 

[Osage_Winter]

But we're talking strictly the number two bottle, yes?

 

[bluerose]

Osage: Mark is commenting that he's been making a mistake, I think.

Read the directions for the test kit, follow them faithfully, and YOU WILL BE FINE.

Stop second-guessing yourself! I think this is a lot of where your problems stem from.

 

[BigJim]

I believe that's the only bottle that definitely needs to be shaken. One of the chemicals precipitates out of solution. Shaking it redissolves it. If you don't shake the bottle, the precipitated chemical stays in the bottle in solid form and doesn't react in the solution.

 

[Osage_Winter]

Osage: Mark is commenting that he's been making a mistake, I think.

Read the directions for the test kit, follow them faithfully, and YOU WILL BE FINE.

Stop second-guessing yourself! I think this is a lot of where your problems stem from.

I did follow the directions faithfully...