Api test- is this normal?

[Dooboedoo12]

So I keep testing my nitrates and for the first hour it's yellow. It isn't until about 8 hours later that the color begins to darken into 180ppm. Is that normal? I shake bottle one for 30 sec add the drops than shake the test tube and the bottle 2 for 30 seconds than add than shake the test tube for a minute than leave it.


Anyone else have that happen to them?

 

[Delapool]

So I keep testing my nitrates and for the first hour it's yellow. It isn't until about 8 hours later that the color begins to darken into 180ppm. Is that normal? I shake bottle one for 30 sec add the drops than shake the test tube and the bottle 2 for 30 seconds than add than shake the test tube for a minute than leave it.


Anyone else have that happen to them?

Pretty sure you read after 5 minutes. What do the instructions say?

 

[BL1ND1ND3X]

Don't worry about what it says after 8 hours just worry about what it says in about 5 mins.
Mine read about 10 and sometimes I'll leave it in the test tube over night and its pretty dark.

 

[threnjen]

Maybe you shouldn't shake bottle 1, it doesn't say that in the directions. I wouldn't shake more things than directed.

I've kept my nitrate tests for over a week as part of my science experiments. I had 10 days of tests lined up and they did not continue to change color after their initial development.

Edit: as a note my nitrates were never over 5 anyway, so this may make a difference

 

[willikris]

So I keep testing my nitrates and for the first hour it's yellow. It isn't until about 8 hours later that the color begins to darken into 180ppm. Is that normal? I shake bottle one for 30 sec add the drops than shake the test tube and the bottle 2 for 30 seconds than add than shake the test tube for a minute than leave it.


Anyone else have that happen to them?

Mine does that too. Just ignore the dark color over 8 hours. Just use the reading after the five minute time span.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Sometimes you need to whack the bottles on the tank stand to bust stuff up in the bottle. And shake till your arms hurt.

 

[willikris]

Sometimes you need to whack the bottles on the tank stand to bust stuff up in the bottle. And shake till your arms hurt.

Very true! I have to shake the crap out of mine or I get bad results...if I don't shake bottle #2 like crazy, the test shows a reading of 5ppm when it's really more like 50 ppm...I'm still cycling so my nitrates are high FYI...

 

[Dooboedoo12]

All very good advice I woke up this morning and did the same test over night for the nitrites and nitrates. It's mad funny bc the nitrates became red again and the nitrites even became lighter. It's like the water wants to have fish in it so it's pulling some magic trick