Questions regarding testing

[Ktran350]

Hello all,

I decided to get back into the hobby and picked up a JBJ 45. I am doing the DR. Tim's fish less cycle and test using API. Today will be day 12 of the cycle. A few days ago (8/17) tested .5 for ammonia and high nitrites (about 5 ppm) so took a sample to the LFS to confirm my readings and it was confirmed about .5 ppm Ammonia and 2 ppm nitrite. I was than told to put in a small CUC to keep the ammonia going (just got a few snails and hermits. I tested again Sunday 8/19 and showed 0 ammonia and 5 ppm nitrite (thinking my test kit is bad) I brought it to LFS to confirm showed 0 ammonia and almost 0 nitrite. I went and got an API test strip and it shows high nitrite. I'm at a lost as in what to believe. I test at home and nitrite readings are high and at the LFS they are low showing cycle is almost done. However, snails and hermit crabs are doing well and shows no signs of distress. Based on that do you think the LFS' testing is good? Thanks

 

[Rover88]

API test strips aren't the most accurate, what test is the LFS using?


I would believe that it is low ammonia and high nitrite. The cycle starts with ammonia and then moves to nitrite, as a result the nitrite lags behind the ammonia portion of the cycle. You shouldn't have added a CuC until you showed zero ammonia and nitrite, but LFS' stores like to sell you stuff.

Just keep testing and wait. Eventually the nitrite will 'catch up' and you will start to see nitrate instead.

 

[nereefpat]

There isn't an easy way to know whether to trust your kit or their kit more.

Just don't add any more animals until your kits are showing zero ammonia and nitrite. It may take another week or two. Nothing good happens quickly in this hobby.

 

[Happyschneider]

a few things, when you test, you should always have a reference that you can test to see if the test a) works and b) shows correct results. Unfortunately, there are no pre-mixed saltwater solutions that give you a known amount of ammonia or nitrite to my knowledge.

Whatever you do, you need to get better tests for the values you measure. Strips are not good enough to see these movements. The only thing I can recommend is the ammonia alert from seachem. But that one should not normally show much in a normal cycle. Personally, I don't think nitrite is very important other than determine that you can trust your nitrate read outs (nitrite influences your nitrate measurements). So I would go for Ammonia, Nitrate, Phosphate and then long term once you have corals you want calcium and alkalinity and magnesium as it is important for the stability of calcium and alkalinity in solution. Obviously, you want a good way to measure salinity and temperature.

The good news is that nitrite is not toxic to your cuc, at least not at the concentrations you will normally encounter without pushing the system with pure ammonia and doing a dosing mistake.

 

[Ktran350]

Thanks for the responses. I am using the API saltwater test kit and have the Salifert Calcium, alkaline and phosphate test. I just bought the API test strips as another way of referencing my results (more of a ballpark). I have a ARC refractometer and salinity is at 1.024-1.025. The LFS was using API test kit as well. My test kit came used with my tank and had an expiration date of 11/2020. Just trying to figure out the disconnect between my results and the LFS. I have not had a algae bloom but did see some “brown” stuff on the sand bed and powerhead a day or two into the cycle. That has since went away.

 

[Rover88]

The brown stuff was mostly like diatoms, its common.