A while back I posted This Thread.

I had never been able to get nitrates in my tank, and couldn't figure out why.

WELL, since I got my new test kit from Koko, I tested for Nitrate...

and I have 10!!

So, in a nutshell, the Hagen Nitrate test kit is inaccurate. The Aquarium Pharmaceuticals kit is more realistic.

Mystery solved!

WOOHOO!!

Thanks for sharing that!

Very interesting!! Great info--thanks for sharing!

I have used both the Hagen/Nutrafin and Aquarium Pharmaceuticals nitrate test kits, and if the test a preformed according to the instructions both types of test kits give the same results.

Personally, I prefer the Hagen/Nutrafin nitrate test kit. The test is easier to do, the color chart is easier to match, and the kit comes with a pipette to fill the test tube and a base to hold it.

The only reasons I can think of that one test kit would show a different reading than the other would be either the test was not performed properly or the the test kit was out of date. The expiration date on Hagen/Nutrafin test kits is on the bottom of the box under the bar code.

Maybe it is just a coincindence that your nitrates showed up the first time you used your new kit? Your nitrates could have just begun to show up as you got your new kit. It could happen.

Anyway, congratulations on the progress of your cycle!

Bak2it,

I don't think that's the case. I know for a fact that the solutions aren't overdue, and I've used many, many, MANY different bottles of the stuff over the course of the past year as I test my water at work (I work at a pet store). I'm also pretty confident in my water-testing abilities, as I've been doing it for a year and a half at work. Maybe it's just inaccurate for the lower readings, as I have been able to get nitrate readings with the Hagen kit, but only at very high levels (>50), and never in my tank. I agree that the pipette is handy, though.


Becky,

Naw, I really don't think it is coincidence. This tank is VERY established.

I use the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals test kit and i have to say, i have a REALLY hard time telling just WHERE my NitrAtes are at. The dark oranges are SOOOOO close together, there's barely any difference in the degree of darkness, and depending on what light i'm trying to interpert it under, sometimes its almost impossible!

Is the other test more clear on the colors??

The hagen one is clearer, but you see its sometimes not as accurate. i'd stick with the one you have.

How accuriate are the test strips, does anyone know?? I've been considering using them during the week for quick testing, then using the "good tests" for detailed testing once or twice a week. With all new tanks running, i'd like to do multiple tests a day even, but with 4 tanks to test and other things in life like working, eating, my fave show LOST, sleep...... its hard to do more than once a day........

Not that accurate, from what I've read... but if you're not relying on them all the time, then it's probably ok to use in between "good" tests.

Squeeker, is this the Hagen/Nutrafin NO3 test kit you use at work?



Does your test kit at work have three bottles of solution? Do you add five drops of #1, five drops of #2, shake, shake bottle #3 for 15 seconds, add three drops of #3, and then wait for five minutes?

This is a photo of the results of a nitrAte test I did this afternoon on the water in my 90 gallon tank using both the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals and Hagen/Nutrafin nitrate test kits. Both tests indicate a nitrate level of 10PPM. But, as you can see the Hagen/Nutrafin color chart is easier to read.



I still can't figure out what could be causing you to get bad readings from the Hagen/Nutrafin test kit. The photo shows that when the test is preformed properly, both kits get the same results.

Rick

Yup, that's the one.

And yup, that's what I do.

Not sure what's going on with mine, but if it works for you... all the more power to ya!

I wonder if other "stuff" in the water makes the test read differently? IE different water conditioners, hardness, etc...?