SeaChem Phosphate Test Kit

[ringfinger]

I know that I deserve a beating for this, but I have been using my test kit for several months now and today was the first time I tried running the reference test sample. It was supposed to show 1ppm, but came up ZERO. I shook the bottle, ran it several times over, and 0ppm was always the result. :censor:

Soooooo after several months of battling green water/hair algae, dosing and testing constantly to maintain a 10:1 ratio, purchasing a UV sterilizer, replanting twice in frustration, and nearly losing all hope....it is possible that my test kit is a dud?

I don't have access to another kit, so either my test is bad or the reference sample is bad and I have no way of figuring which? No LFS does water testing here in town either. Any advice?

 

[jsoong]

Make your own reference solution?

If you have some water soluble house plant fertilizer, make up a solution & see what you get with your kit. Your concentration doesn't have to be exact .... just a ball-park to see if you get more than 0.

 

[Purrbox]

Take a gallon of water dose with your Phosphate to 1ppm and test. If you still get 0 for an answer, order a new test kit.

 

[ringfinger]

Thanks. It worked, so my reference bottle must be where the problem is.

I kinda wish it was the test kits fault...

 

[malkore]

my tank tears through phosphate. i basically just dose often and try to keep green spot algae at a minimum.