So hard to match up the colors. What levels do I have?

[fixingstill]

So hard to match up the colors. What levels do I have?

I am using this chart:
http://jayoe.com/tank/API_tests.pdf

 

[fixingstill]

Oh, I am using my old freshwater kit but use the saltwater chart to look up.

 

[Sk8r]

You may have better luck if you set the vial on a white surface under strong overhead light and look down into the tube---you won't match the intensity, but your color, whether, say a true blue or not, would be clearer.

As you get deeper into this hobby (no pun intended) I recommend you get test kits that return precise numbers. I use Salifert for most---there's color matching for nitrate, etc, but alkalinity, (and if reef, calcium and magnesium) use a syringe: you squirt drops until the fluid clearly changes opacity or goes from blue to pink, and you look at the syringe and read how much fluid remains in the syringe---then glance at a paper chart to find the reading, eg, 420 calcium; 8.3 alkalinity, etc. For salinity, get a refractometer: it will pay for itself in live fish. Ignore ph in favor of alkalinity as your tank gets going. 8.3 is a nice reading on the dkh scale.

 

[ZenGuitarGuy]

Ignore ph in favor of alkalinity as your tank gets going. 8.3 is a nice reading on the dkh scale.

Does this still apply if your tank is FOWLR?

 

[thegrun]

Yes, alkalinity is much more important to keep in line even in a fish only tank. I wouldn't worry about calcium or magnesium in a fish only tank but your alkalinity should be kept in range.

 

[thegrun]

pH 8.2
Ammonia 0.25 although API is notorious for reading 0.25 when in fact the ammonia is zero.
Nitrite either 0 or 0.25, difficult to tell
Nitrate around 10
Is this a new tank?

 

[fixingstill]

New tank with LR and LS. I did ghost feeding and added bio-spira. Ammonia was dark green at first. Then after a few days, it stuck at this light green color but it was really hard to match up. I went out and bought couple fish and they seem happy. Then, I have been testing with this API (freshwater kit but saltwater chart) and I could not decide it was 0.25 or 0.50 or 0.00. The color for 0.50ppm seems lighter than 0.00 or 0.25.

So, I ordered the red sea kit from Amazon and it came in today and I did a test. The results are:

Ammonia 0 and Nitrate 20?

Damn the API test. It had me worry for a week of why Ammonia was 0.5, 1.00, or 0.25... Now I can take my kids to buy a few damsels this weekend.

You are right. API is notorious for reading 0.25.

 

[creep]

Be careful with Damsels. They can be super aggressive and a huge pain in the long run. I got damsels with my first tank and regretted it as soon as I tried adding other fish to the aquarium.