question about the master test kit?

[xobettaox]

i've been using the test strips and i compared what i got with them and the master test kit that i got today. the test strips say i have a ph of about 7.3 and nitrates are really dark pink, closer to 80. the liquid test kit says that my ph is 8.2 and i have no nitrates. if i had no nitrates wouldn't the test strip have stayed clear...? i don't get it.

[shellieca]

Did you do the liquid test correctly? You have to make sure to use both bottles, shaking them really well. I usually hit them against the palm of my hand. I can't tell you how many times I've messed up & had to start over. I would re-do the test to make sure it was done correctly. If you do have ntitrates at 80 you would need to some big water changes to get them down to a safe level.

[xobettaox]

i'm doing the fishless cycling. is it better to do a water change or wait until the tank is cycled? i'll re try it... testing is kind of a pain...

[shellieca]

LOL. It takes a little getting used to. When I 1st started using the liquid test I didn't like it & almost went back to strips. You'll get the hang of it. How long has your tank been cycling? When testing with the strips did you ever see a nitrite spike? I would retest the water with the liquid test kit, if the nitrates are still in the 80's then I would do a water change because too high nitrAtes can effect your cycle.

[xobettaox]

it's been cycling 2 weeks. my nitrites were at 3 for awhile, but now they are .5ish. would that be considered a spike? i redid the nitrate test again with the strips and the liquid. i got the same for both, around 80 and 0. i used both bottles, shook it good, and waited 5 min.. i don't know what i'm doing wrong

[xobettaox]

ok, i tried again after adding my ammonia. now its at 5 ppm. which one should i go with?

[callistra]

The nitrates test contains a lot of instructions about shaking, in various stages.. Make sure you do that.. or it will show 0. You even have to shake the bottle before using the drops.

1) Fill the test tube to the line - make sure it is clean and DRY and you're not testing your tap water
2) Invert bottle #1 completely (not at an angle) upside down and count out 10 drops.
3) Cap it, and shake this up a bit
4) Shake the BOTTLE #2 for a minimum of 30 seconds, really hard
5) Completely invert the bottle #2 (no angle) and count out 10 drops.
6) Cap it again. Shake HARD for a FULL minute
7) Let it sit 5 minutes.

Go with the drops kit. You're doing a fishless cycle? That's fine. Just leave it alone. Don't seed with any more ammonia. Don't do a water change.

[xobettaox]

Callistra-- omg.... thank you so much!! i kept looking at the nitrite instructions (duh--it looked like nitrate every time, it's been a long day ) do you mean not to add anymore ammonia and just let the tank cycle? it goes from 5ppm to 0ppm overnight, the bacteria won't die without it? again thank you!!

[AyalaCookiejar]

Keep adding ammonia so the BB has a food source. Going from that high of ammonia to 0 in one day is a good sign! It's completely cycled when you have no ammonia or nitrite readings.

Before adding the fish you need to do one BIG water change (like 80%) to get the nitrates back down. After that, your fish will provide the ammonia for the BB. Still keep testing though to watch for any mini cycles.

[shellieca]

Glad Callistra was able to help you out.

Only add ammonia once in a 24 hr period. If youre nitrItes haven't zeroed out then you not fully cycled yet but are close. Mine just completely disappeared one day.