Test results after 2 week holiday!

[black ghost]

If 6 drops doesn’t register it will tell us nothing. You need to add ammonia so that it registers on a test kit, like 1 or 2 ppm, then see if that goes in 24 hours.

[TheRealDealMrNeil]

So this morning around 9am we put 12 drops of Dr Timms in.. which I believe would be 4ppm.. and now at nearly 6pm the levels have changed but as much as expected? See pics below - last night and tonight. Results look like PH 7.6, High PH 7.4, Ammonia nearly 0.25, Nitrites between 0.25 & 0.5ppm and Nirates 5.0

[black ghost]

4ppm ammonia produces 14.56 ppm nitrate. Your nitrate results seem to be consistently 0-5, which means they’re wrong. You need to bang the reagent #2 bottle on the table or wall or something, a few times, before you do the shaking, to get an accurate result.
I’m curious, do you not measure the ammonia that you add? You seem to be guessing at how many ppm you’ve added?

[TheRealDealMrNeil]

4ppm ammonia produces 14.56 ppm nitrate. Your nitrate results seem to be consistently 0-5, which means they’re wrong. You need to bang the reagent #2 bottle on the table or wall or something, a few times, before you do the shaking, to get an accurate result.
I’m curious, do you not measure the ammonia that you add? You seem to be guessing at how many ppm you’ve added?

So I’ve shaken each of the little bottles for a few seconds before sticking the 3, 5, 8 or 10 drops in the test tubes.

I’ve been using an ammonia calculator.. enter the current ammonia value, desired value, ammonia % of bottle, tank volume and it suggests the quantity of ammonia to dose in ml.. then just convert that to drops.. am I doing that wrong? The tank is 57litre a with some artificial plants, rock decoration, driftwood and 1 x Lilaeopsis brasiliensis which is divided into 4.

[fr499y]

That’s if using ammonia. If your using dr Tim’s - follow the bottle.

[plankton]

Are you using Dr.Tim's ammonia or the bacteria-in-a-bottle?

Forget that, you've already stated it it's the ammonia....

[TheRealDealMrNeil]

I first dosed with Aqua Care Bio Boost a few weeks back and now Dr Tim’s. I’ve just tested and the ammonia result is clear from what went in yesterday. So following the dr Tim’s instructions I’ve added another 11 drops and will test in 24hrs.

[TheRealDealMrNeil]

Here's a quick revision of the last few days..

6pm - Monday 24th - PH 7.6, Ammonia 0.25, Nitrite 0.5, Nitrate 5
8am - Tuesday 25th - PH 7.6, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0
9am - Tuesday 25th - Added 11 drops of Dr Tim's Ammonia
11pm - Tuesday 25th - PH 7.6, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5
11:15pm Tuesday 25th - Added 11 drops of Dr Tim's ammonia
8am - Wednesday 26th - PH 7.6, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0.25, Nitrate 10

****
Just worked out...

So I've been dosing 1/4 the amount of ammonia i should have...

Dr Tim's used to suggest 1 drop per US gallon but since 2016 suggest 4 drops per US gallon
I've obviously been reading mixed instructions!

I think the results say the tank is working.. i think.. but I'll see what the test results are tonight and add the correct dosage of the Dr Tim's i have.. It'll be 44 drops instead of 11 drops!

[TheRealDealMrNeil]

See my post above… and here’s tonight’s…

[plankton]

3 days of that and you should be done.
I only test every 24 hours when necessary, saves on the test kit....and the twice a day doesn't show much.

It must have been doing something before, but not enough to show.