One other thought: Since you are doing a fishless cycle, are you sure your numbers are going down? I found my AP tests gave really odd results (kind of a non-colour/muddyish) when my nitrites and nitrates were way off the charts. I did another test with 4mL tap water to 1 mL tank water and confirmed the numbers were way out of line. A large water change did the trick. I redosed with ammonia after that.
nitrite test
- Thread starter wilson004
- Start date
hmm .. I got a muddy brown result on one person's tank recently and i cant for the life of me remember what caused it. hmm
One thing you should probably check is that your test tubes are very clean before testing. i know contamination of the tinyiest amount of ammonia (test ammonia but only flush it with clear water once) reagent blows the ph up big time. It might be that you hit some combination that causes the test to turn brown.
Another thing you can try is do a test and let it sit for a day or 2. If what i think is happening the brown should percipitate( ie fall out of solution, settle , like rain ).
It might be a combination of water conditioner, nitrite reagent, and ammonia test or maybe even hand lotion or perfume (or some other type of aeromatics).
A water change can never hurt though. Do that and then try playing with the variables if it doesn't work.
One thing you should probably check is that your test tubes are very clean before testing. i know contamination of the tinyiest amount of ammonia (test ammonia but only flush it with clear water once) reagent blows the ph up big time. It might be that you hit some combination that causes the test to turn brown.
Another thing you can try is do a test and let it sit for a day or 2. If what i think is happening the brown should percipitate( ie fall out of solution, settle , like rain ).
It might be a combination of water conditioner, nitrite reagent, and ammonia test or maybe even hand lotion or perfume (or some other type of aeromatics).
A water change can never hurt though. Do that and then try playing with the variables if it doesn't work.
The nitrite test is very different chemistry from ammonia, for one thing, ammonia isn't an interferant.
An NO2 test is only good for about 20 minutes after the reagents are mixed, after that they degrade, so letting the brown settle won't work. Besides it'll only settle if it's a suspension, which would appear chunky.
Extremely high NO2 concentrations is a definite possibility. I can imagine a very dark pink, the extreme end of the produced colour apearing almost brown... hmmm....
If you want to learn more about the tests, pick up "Methods in Seawater Analysis" by Grasshoff and Kremling. It's a standard Chemical Oceanography text that outlines the verious chemical methods used in analyses. The salt doesn't make a difference.
An NO2 test is only good for about 20 minutes after the reagents are mixed, after that they degrade, so letting the brown settle won't work. Besides it'll only settle if it's a suspension, which would appear chunky.
Extremely high NO2 concentrations is a definite possibility. I can imagine a very dark pink, the extreme end of the produced colour apearing almost brown... hmmm....
If you want to learn more about the tests, pick up "Methods in Seawater Analysis" by Grasshoff and Kremling. It's a standard Chemical Oceanography text that outlines the verious chemical methods used in analyses. The salt doesn't make a difference.
happychem said:
Sorry, i didn't mean to imply that the test would be usable after sitting. I was asking for them to let it sit to see if its a suspension. A fine suspension wouldn't appear chunky. Some suspensions are so fine that you have to weeks or use a centrefuge for it to settle out. The brown precipitate would narrow down some of the possible contaminants.
i beleve bleach or chlorine contaminates in nitrite test produces a brown precipitate but i cant remember.
I'm pretty sure a weak contamination of potassium permagenate can do the same thing. At least it did in my dump cup when i was cycling last (im too lazy to walk to sink). There could have been something else in there too.
Also i have never noticed any color change in my nitrite tests after several days. Sometimes i keep a few tests in the tubes for a few days to keep a record of changs in chemistry. The test does stain the tube requring you to use some sort of brush to get the blue/purple color out of them.
Although i have been repeatedly proven wrong. I have an old AP master test kit with the nessler ammonia test. I was just forcefully notified that the new ones have salacytic tests. The nitrite test may have changed also
Hmmm, very possible that bleach or permanganate could interfere with the test. They wouldn't be listed in the text because neither are present in natural waters.
A strong oxidant like permanganate could either convert the NO2 to NO3, which won't form the azo dye (the pink colour you see), or very possibly react with the sulphanilamide, as could bleach (hypoclorite). Very interesting... I might have to try that out...
Although, I'm still not sure why either of these would be in his tank.
A strong oxidant like permanganate could either convert the NO2 to NO3, which won't form the azo dye (the pink colour you see), or very possibly react with the sulphanilamide, as could bleach (hypoclorite). Very interesting... I might have to try that out...
Although, I'm still not sure why either of these would be in his tank.
it might have been be a detergent also .. any ways you need to do lots of water changes.
I tried a taint (like maybe .01mg, one or 2 particles of dust maybe a bit more. my scale loses resolution at .1 mg) of permanganate and it went tan almost instantly but the oxidation ate the dye so there was no blue at all
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I tried a taint (like maybe .01mg, one or 2 particles of dust maybe a bit more. my scale loses resolution at .1 mg) of permanganate and it went tan almost instantly but the oxidation ate the dye so there was no blue at all
.
