How do you read an api test kit???

[noobtothereef]

I have api test kits for nitrates and phosphates. On the nitrate kit anything over 20 looks exactly the same, but when your at 15 or 20 with the orange color, how do you look at the vial? Do you put it on top of the card under a light and look through it? Do you hold it next to the card in front of a light looking through the vial? Looking at it different ways can vary your results a good 10-15ppm..........

 

[fcmatt]

i use indirect good lighting and place the vial against the white part of the card.
not looking down through the top of the tube.. but through the side of the tube.

nitrate is pretty easy for me as it always reads 0 ;-)
phosphate is pretty tough though and consider APIs kit for low level checking to be
pretty useless.

If you are in the 15-20 range with nitrates i would not really be too concerned with
uber accuracy at that point. It just tells you that nitrate levels are pretty darn high.

 

[sirreal63]

That's exactly why I quit using them many years ago. Save yourself some headache and get Salifert next time. It is much easier on the eyes. If I remember right you view it from the side, if that helps.

 

[sslak]

Easy, if it's not yellow then you have nitrates.

You're shooting for 0. It really doesn't matter what the reading is, if it turns red or orange at all, then you have nitrates present.

 

[noobtothereef]

im just trying to tell if my pellets are dropping them any