|| So I decided to get into this planted aquarium business with my 20g
|| tank with several Crypt wendtii and Anubias nana barely hanging on
|| for a couple of yeas now due to low light (half-dead 20W
|| fluorescent), lack of CO2 and fertilization (all other plants died
|| off). I started by adding a 55W power-compact from AHsupply and some
|| fertilization from Seachem, added some fast-growing plants, and have
|| the Eco-complete substrate and CO2 regulator on order. No need to
|| mention that immediately I got a huge algae bloom ... but that's not
|| the question I wanted to ask now.

Welcome to the hobby... hahaha...

|| I bought two nitrate test kits: one from Red Sea which was rated as a
|| "decent middle-end" kit, and - for comparison and a peace of mind -
|| another one from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. Now, instead of peace of
|| mind, I have a headache. At the first measurement, the Red Sea test
|| gave ~8 ppm NO3 (between 5 and 10), while the AP test - 80 ppm! One
|| week later, the Red Sea shows 2.5 ppm, and the AP - 20 ppm, and
|| finally one week later - 0 ppm on the Red Sea test, and 5 ppm on the
|| AP. Tap water measures 0 ppm with both tests. So it seems that there
|| is a 10 times difference between readings (in the last measurement, 0
|| ppm on the Red Sea test could be as well 0.5 ppm). And yes, I
|| followed the instructions precisely and used the correct scale.

This is pretty typical for most kits.. one may be older, and the regents do
expire... even if bought new, you won't know how long they've sat before
being sold...

|| Now the obvious question is which test kit should I believe? The real
|| question, however, should be what is the reason of such a huge
|| discrepancy between test kits? Red Sea test kit uses 3 reagents,
|| while AP test kit - only 2 reagents, so they probably use different
|| chemical reactions. Could it be the interference from some other
|| chemicals in the water, such as phosphates (I have high phosphates
|| at 1.5 ppm which won't go down, in contrast to nitrates)? Anybody
|| has any ideas?

Good luck on finding a good answer... I've managed to 'live' with my
results, because of the frustration of varying kits... Get one, a good one,
verify that it's 'close' and negotiate life as best you can...

--
RedForeman ©® future fabricator and creator of a ratbike
streetfighter!!! ==========================
2003 TRX450ES
1992 TRX-350 XX (For Sale)
'98 Tacoma Ext Cab 4X4 Lifted....
==========================
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is that better??