Last time I bought an API liquid test kit, I got a dud. 
The nitrate test didn't work for beans. It showed 0 nitrates for everything - no matter what tank I tested (even a well established tank that should have had nitrates) it came out 0. Was really strange.
All the other tests worked just fine.
And I ended up buying a strip test just to use for nitrates (though it technically showed everything else too).
By the time I realized it was a dud, it was too late to take it back to the store - was the end of the cycle and when no nitrates ever showed up I got suspicious. Took water into the store and they showed nitrates. So I bought the strip test and that showed them too - but it had been what... 7 or 8 weeks at that point since I had purchased it.
Ah well. I still have the kit too - it's a little over a year old now - the rest of the tests still work. Nitrates still don't.
Not sure what the life-span is for these kits though? Anyone know? I did not see an expiration date anywhere on the kit, so I'm unsure about that.
The nitrate test didn't work for beans. It showed 0 nitrates for everything - no matter what tank I tested (even a well established tank that should have had nitrates) it came out 0. Was really strange.
All the other tests worked just fine.
And I ended up buying a strip test just to use for nitrates (though it technically showed everything else too).
By the time I realized it was a dud, it was too late to take it back to the store - was the end of the cycle and when no nitrates ever showed up I got suspicious. Took water into the store and they showed nitrates. So I bought the strip test and that showed them too - but it had been what... 7 or 8 weeks at that point since I had purchased it.
Ah well. I still have the kit too - it's a little over a year old now - the rest of the tests still work. Nitrates still don't.
Not sure what the life-span is for these kits though? Anyone know? I did not see an expiration date anywhere on the kit, so I'm unsure about that.
