First "Real" test results of my tank

[rocket]

I finally got a few Salifert test kits and tested my water. Before I post the results I am concerned that my Calcium kit is flawed, it came without the plastic syringe tip. The tip affects how much air is in the syringe, right? So is it critical to have that tip to get an accurate reading?

The readings I got are:
Alk - 7.7dKH
Phosphate - 0.0
PH - 8.0
Calcium - 290 w/ syringe tip, 315 w/o tip

I have the dip sticks to test Nitrite and Nitrate - both 0 and Ammonia - 0.

I have used only IO salt and RO/DI since it was set up 6 months ago, so it looks like I need to add some buffer.
What is my next best move???
Thanks for your help,
Nate

 

[jezzeaepi]

You dont really need the tip. It just makes the drops easier.

How often do you do water changes, and do you have stony coral?

 

[CarlaW]

I finally got a few Salifert test kits and tested my water. Before I post the results I am concerned that my Calcium kit is flawed, it came without the plastic syringe tip. The tip affects how much air is in the syringe, right? So is it critical to have that tip to get an accurate reading?

The readings I got are:
Alk - 7.7dKH
Phosphate - 0.0
PH - 8.0
Calcium - 315

I have the dip sticks to test Nitrite and Nitrate - both 0 and Ammonia - 0.

I have used only IO salt and RO/DI since it was set up 6 months ago, so it looks like I need to add some buffer.
What is my next best move???
Thanks for your help,
Nate

Give Kevin a call and see if he might have an extra tip around!

 

[rocket]

Ah good idea Charlie! Thanks.
Jezzeaepi, I do a 15g water change a couple times a month. Yes I have some corals, a hammer, frogspawn and a brain worm. I also have a crocea clam.

 

[returnofsid]

Look wedged into the bottom of the box...lol. I just bought one...FROM Kevin, that's where the tip was. I sure was glad I found it before taking it back to Kevin....I was about to. I'd have felt a lil' silly.

 

[Lew90]

Hi Rocker,


I'm not sure I would trust the kit since the tip is missing. Think about it...Salifert tells you to make sure the tip is attached and to make sure the tip does not come out of the solution while your filling the syringe.

Describes how to read the piston, and that the air inside the syringe is normal. So if they went to all that extent in describing the process. Then I would believe your test readings to be low.

Let us know how you turn out

Best of Luck

Regards,
Lew90

 

[chris&barb]

the tip just gives you a smaller drop, it doesnt effect how much fluid is drawn into the syringe. if you place the syringe with out the tip in the fluid and draw 1ml or with the tip to 1ml you are still drawing 1ml

 

[rocket]

Sid! Way to go man, I thought no way, I looked in the box and no tip. Then I opened the bottom lid and boo-ya! there she be! Thanks man!
I will go retest and see where its at.

 

[rocket]

the tip just gives you a smaller drop, it doesnt effect how much fluid is drawn into the syringe. if you place the syringe with out the tip in the fluid and draw 1ml or with the tip to 1ml you are still drawing 1ml

Thats what I originally thought, but with the Alk test, the tip changed the amount of air that is in the syringe which would change the amount of fluid, so unless the instructions say to rid the syringe of air after drawing in the fluid I don't see how that not having the tip would give an accurate result...
I'm gonna retest and see if it changes the result.
Thanks for the input!

 

[rocket]

SO after retesting WITH the syringe tip, I now have a CA value of 290 instead of 315.

 

[returnofsid]

LOL UH OH...even lower. Check out my recent thread on this same subject. I got a lot of GREAT advice from DonW. There's a couple links there to Randy's 2 part recipe for Ca and Alk. There's also a great link for a chemistry calculator that's invaluable in our situations. I follows the recipe, DonW's advice and the advice of the calculator and I got my Alk and Ca right where I wanted them in a matter of a few days!! Here's a link to my thread. At the moment, it's the thread directly below this one.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22798

 

[chris&barb]

but with the Alk test, the tip changed the amount of air that is in the syringe which would change the amount of fluid,

with the tip on there will be more air in the syringe but when you pull back to 1ml you are still only pulling in 1ml of fluid. remember that you dont read where the fluid level is in the syringe but where the plunger is. you could stick a 10' long hose on the syringe and pull the plunger back to 1ml, never see any fluid in the syringe, do the test, read where the plunger is and still be accurate

 

[returnofsid]

Yes, that's correct, your measurements and results are based on where the black plunger is. As long as you start with the plunger at 1ml, it'll always work!

 

[rocket]

Ok cool. But how come my results were so different with or without the tip?

 

[chris&barb]

must likely because you get a bigger drop without the tip. 1 drop with out the tip is = too about 3 or 4 drop with the tip, so its harder to differentiate exactly how much fluid was need to change colors. you could have been right on the edge of a color change with the previous drop then you added another big drop and got the change but you might have only needed 1/4 of that drop to get the change

 

[returnofsid]

That's the thing with Salifert tests and using that tip. It allows you to really narrow things down with the use of that tip and tiny drops of solution. I agree, you're results are probably different because you don't have as much control over the size of drop without that tip. I'd say the tip is a good thing and should always be used, for this very reason.

 

[steve-s]

Ok cool. But how come my results were so different with or without the tip?

There an air gap between the plunger and the liquid in the syringe. The tip help offset for that air gap.

 

[ilektrik22]

The tip is equal in volume to the air gap, thus you have to be certain that the tip is air tight to the syring, otherwise their will be air escaping into the syringe and you won't really be drawing up 1 ml. And if you don't use the tip ( mine broke) then your just have to make sure the muniscus ( can't spell that) is right at 1ml.

The difference between your results, and I know this from experience, might be from reading the numbering on the syringe backwards...sounds so stupid but for some reason I was doing it for a few days there, and I work in ananalytical chemistry lab...DOH, I should know better.

 

[Haole]

The difference between your results, and I know this from experience, might be from reading the numbering on the syringe backwards...sounds so stupid but for some reason I was doing it for a few days there, and I work in ananalytical chemistry lab...DOH, I should know better.

:lol: Too funny, but don’t be embarrassed. I still have to read the directions from beginning to end every time I break out my kits. My short term memory must be spent... I blame it on my high school years.

 

[returnofsid]

Haole, I've decided "I remember the directions and don't need to read them," and then confused the directions for the Alk test and Ca test....totally getting strange results back and wasting fluid...lol.