Water testing tips

J

jlines

AC Members
Feb 3, 2008
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I'm using liquid ammonia tests to check my water.

First off .25 and .5 on my color chart are nearly identical. Also, depending upon the amount light in the room the color in the tube looks different.

Any suggestions for getting accurate readings?
 
My suggestion is to buy test kits those test strips aren't really all that. I use to have some for testing my water and it was not worth it. If the test strips were more reliable like the test kits I would buy them. The test strips I had were a free sample bottle from Jungle Labs. We all love free samples but this is one free sample that wasn't worth it. With the test kits that require water from the tank in a tube and the drops of the chemical that come with it are more reliable and your results are easier to read.
 
Try holding the sample against a piece of white paper, in general ligthing. Do this consistently on all future tests for consistency in readings.

For the ammonia test, if it indicates .25 or greater, do a water change. What is the ammonia reading on your tap water?
 
When I look at a water sample I make sure my back is to the light so the light falls flat onto the test card and not from an angle. I also make sure it's a nice bright light.

Q
 
my tank is cycling and im a bit obsessive about the tests, im currently about .7 ammonia or so and doing a 50% wc today

my tap water is 0 on all tests except nitrates which is low

thanks for the all the good tips
 
rbishop said:
Try holding the sample against a piece of white paper, in general ligthing. Do this consistently on all future tests for consistency in readings.

For the ammonia test, if it indicates .25 or greater, do a water change. What is the ammonia reading on your tap water?
Click to expand...

Should you hold the tube sideways flat against the white card, flat and away from the card or take the lid off the top and look down the tube against the card/away from the card? You will notice that there is a huge difference in the readings. I think what the original poster was really asking is what way actually gives the BEST and most ACCURATE reading according to the color cards enclosed in the kit. You can read it anyway you like to get consistent readings, but they may be the wrong readings, (at least not the most ACCURATE).
Even in saying that...........how do we REALLY know that the tests are calibrated properly? A good example is ammonia. At only .25 or any reading at all is not too good......so I guess what I am saying is that the test kits give good guidelines but there are sooooo many variables.
I am a press operator/designer with color theory as a background and I have always shaken my head a bit at the liquid testing kits. Albeit they are much better than the paper test strips.
Sorry about the "venting" but what I would really like to see is a test kit for the advanced that tells you exactly what type of lighting, (D50, 60, etc.), what spectrum the lighting was, the density value of the cards (stock substrate as well as the densities of the colors), when "they" calibrated or made the kits.
The other problem, as mentioned was how close the color is for each step, it would be nice to have a greater difference but I don't think that is possible.
Ex. Green of any shade = 0ppm, Red of any shade = .25ppm
This is pretty much impossible but it would sure help the beginners.
anyways, sorry to hi-jack this post but the original poster brought up an excellent topic.........I think!

Cheers.
 
i also have a graphic design background so im similarly obsessive about the colors, it would be nice to get an exact number out to that second decimal, but it sounds like that may be wishful thinking
 
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