I had heard from this forum that the test strips could be inaccurate. So I bought a Freshwater Master Kit for my 4 week old tank. I had been testing the ammonia with the drop type two bottle test and had finally saw my ammonia levels drop to almost 0 PPM but my nitrites were between 5-10 and my pH was at 6.4 (minimum on the strip). Despite constant water changes and the use of Amquel+, I could not get these to change much. I put some crushed coral in a bag in the filter, partly cause of the low pH and the low buffering reading on the strips, but did not see any increase in either.
When I tested with the new Master kit, I found the ammonium at 0 PPM, the nitrites at slightly less than 0.25 PPM and the nitrates at 10. I also found I had a pH of 7.0 on the nose. I was amazed at the difference between the two kits and tested each again to verify. By these numbers, my tank has almost cycled on a fish cycle.
Does anyone else have experience with the strips being this far off? I would appreciate any comments. Thanks.
When I tested with the new Master kit, I found the ammonium at 0 PPM, the nitrites at slightly less than 0.25 PPM and the nitrates at 10. I also found I had a pH of 7.0 on the nose. I was amazed at the difference between the two kits and tested each again to verify. By these numbers, my tank has almost cycled on a fish cycle.
Does anyone else have experience with the strips being this far off? I would appreciate any comments. Thanks.