# Colorblind & Ammonia Tests Kits



## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

So, I bought an ammonia test kit for my Betta... and I realized that I couldn't really read the results because I'm R/G colorblind. I realize this is going to be an issue moving forward. Does anyone have any suggestions for reading Ammonia/Nitrites/Nitrates other than a color-based indicator?

Also can someone help me determine what this color means?








Thanks :serious:


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## Toddlee (Jan 6, 2017)

You have 0 NH3. No ammonia. Keep posting pics we'll be your color eyes.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

Toddlee said:


> You have 0 NH3. No ammonia. Keep posting pics we'll be your color eyes.


Thank you! I really appreciate the support. It means a lot to know you have help around the corner (or the internet)!


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## CometTails (Feb 20, 2017)

thats actually .25 so maybe a small wayer change is need. and keep and eye on it. i saw i test kit on amazon that conected to your phone and gave you reading. ill see if i can find a link if ever you get mis informed or dont get a response. 

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## CometTails (Feb 20, 2017)

wont let me post a link but its a jbl test kit. And alot of hobbist are useing but it dose use the european method for calculating water peramitors you just need to convert back. but you should be good 

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## CometTails (Feb 20, 2017)

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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

CometTails said:


> thats actually .25 so maybe a small wayer change is need. and keep and eye on it. i saw i test kit on amazon that conected to your phone and gave you reading. ill see if i can find a link if ever you get mis informed or dont get a response.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G928T using Tapatalk


Much appreciated! Do you know if it's accurate? I'd be willing to take an accurate computer reading over color indicators any day.


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## CometTails (Feb 20, 2017)

i would read the reviews some say its not but i dont think some where reading it right. because i it uses the metric. and some people where getting it mixed up. 

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## Mothercrow (Sep 4, 2016)

The JBL test kit looks cool.

If you have an android phone or tablet, look for a free app in the Google Play store called Aquarium Note. It has a function in the tools tab that allows you to take a picture of the test tube and the results chart, and it tells you which color your test tube is closest to. Just make sure you set it up in good light, because shadows can and will change the answer you get.

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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

Do you know if they have anything like that for iPhone? It looks like either of the apps might be a good fit short of purchasing a photometer or a calorimeter from Hanna Instruments...


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

So I did a partial water change to be safe (30~40%), added prime, and tested again after a few hours. This is what I got. It looks very similar to the first one, but I'm still not sure. 

Could it be that this is base-line






for my kit, and I'm not ever going to see a good match?


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## bluebutterfly123 (Feb 23, 2017)

heyyanthony said:


> So I did a partial water change to be safe (30~40%), added prime, and tested again after a few hours. This is what I got. It looks very similar to the first one, but I'm still not sure.
> 
> Could it be that this is base-line
> View attachment 871289
> for my kit, and I'm not ever going to see a good match?


 Sorry to say, but this one is just a bit higher now.. It's the 3rd one from the top.. 

0.5 

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## CometTails (Feb 20, 2017)

i know in my old apartment ammonia levels where high in my tap water. if you have him in a small container you can get betta safe water. to start off with so there is no worry. 

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## cakes488 (Dec 2, 2015)

heyyanthony said:


> So I did a partial water change to be safe (30~40%), added prime, and tested again after a few hours. This is what I got. It looks very similar to the first one, but I'm still not sure.
> 
> Could it be that this is base-line
> View attachment 871289
> for my kit, and I'm not ever going to see a good match?


Test your water straight from the tap so you can get a baseline reading. But in a 1 gallon tank pee is going to build up fast. From your first test I thought it looked greenish I would do another partial water change later today to help bring ammonia down. Prime is also very helpful to detoxify until you can do so with water changes. I would do a partial water change every other day and prime in between.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

The weirdest thing is that I didn't use tap water to replace the water. I used a gallon of spring water and Prime... :serious:

Is it possible that adding Prime is messing with my readings? Also the tap water in my apartment is really basic (the pH indicator is consistently blu-ish, and required six drops of the API buffer to make it go down), could that impact my results?

This is what I got when I tested the ammonia for my tap water:









This is what I got after re-testing my tank water this morning (to be sure):


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## bluebutterfly123 (Feb 23, 2017)

This pic looks closer to the 1.0 (second pic) the first pic is perfect at a 0..

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## bluebutterfly123 (Feb 23, 2017)

I would suggest u use the tap water to change some water out because it's raising quite a bit.. 

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## bluebutterfly123 (Feb 23, 2017)

But make sure you remove the chlorine and other chemicals in the tap water first..

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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Prime can give false Ammonia reading. Seachem Ammonia Alert indicates true Ammonia reading.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

Ok. So I tested it again after adding treated tap water. I got this:









I tried using the Aquarium Note app on another phone, and it reads as between 0.0 ppm and 0.25 ppm leaning towards the 0.0 ppm.

Is Seachem's Ammonia Alert also a color indicator? And is it so much better that I should drop the API?


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## bluebutterfly123 (Feb 23, 2017)

This one is testing now at the 0.2..so much better 

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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

Since I'm using a prime conditioner, would it be safe to assume that the 0.2 might actually be ammonium (NH4) instead of ammonia (NH3)? 

I'm mainly concerned because there are times where I'm not home for a few days (for work-related travel), and I'm worried the water quality will deteriorate rapdily as I'm gone.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

Additionally, what tests are out there that will indicate the amount of un-ionized (free) ammonia? I'm afraid that I've been changing the water too quickly and might actually be dosing prime more often than I should.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-6710...&qid=1488491300&sr=8-1&keywords=ammonia+alert


Yes, it is color indicator which doesn't read Prime. It's easier for people to read the color when you upload results. Cell phone pictures can have weird colors sometimes. Pictures taken by my previous cell phone always looked yellowish in computer monitor. To be honest, I couldn't really tell if it was 0 or 0.25 ppm in your first picture. I think is was a bit lower than 0.25 ppm.


You can add fast growing plants in the tank. Anacharis, Hornwart, Brazilian Pennywort, Guppy Grass and such. They consume ammonia and nitrates. As a matter of fact, some people start a tank with a lot of fast growing plants and call it silent cycling. They are natural filters. Your Anabius are nice but they are slow glowing plants. 
With fast growing plants, you'll feel safer while you are on business trips.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

ryry2012 said:


> https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-6710...&qid=1488491300&sr=8-1&keywords=ammonia+alert
> 
> 
> Yes, it is color indicator which doesn't read Prime. It's easier for people to read the color when you upload results. Cell phone pictures can have weird colors sometimes. Pictures taken by my previous cell phone always looked yellowish in computer monitor. To be honest, I couldn't really tell if it was 0 or 0.25 ppm in your first picture. I think is was a bit lower than 0.25 ppm.
> ...


I've read about thiis alert. Do you think it will be safe enough to alert me if the levels get dangerous? I know that some people find them too slow, or non-responsive during spikes. I like the idea of having a simpler color structure. Also, I can actually tell the difference between _those_ colors!

It looks like I'll have to go plant shopping soon!


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

RussellTheShihTzu recommended me the Ammonia Alert. I tested with ammonia. It does work. As long as you stick with water change schedule with vacuum cleaning, pick up poops and left over food, and remove decaying plants, you won't have any ammonia problem. An airline tubing is very useful cleaning tool. Keeping clean water can also prevent the fish to get fin rot and fungus infection.


The Ammonia Alert's "Alert" is 0.2 ppm. You can do partial water change at this level. 


Plant shopping is a lot of fun


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

*New Reading*

Hey again.

I ordered the Ammonia Alert, and it should be coming in tomorrow (from Amazon). Until then, I only have the API test to work off of. I checked the levels again and this is what I got. I took two photos because of lighting, but its the same sample.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

0.25 ppm...can be slightly lower.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

sutrisno said:


> https://youtu.be/iif-RJe1rws
> 
> this is called seneye, a digital ph, amonia, and light sensor for aquarium use. No color test strip to look into, no need to calibrate. You can connect it to the internet and the result of the measurement will be sent to your email, phone ( text message ). the price is $250. In once a month you need to replace a sensor pad. So in a year you have to spent $120. But for betta i think this sensor is a expensive.
> 
> Sent from my Blade Q Lux using Tapatalk


That's AWESOME. 

If I had the money, I would totally get that. Though I'm not sure my level of experience and my one betta really require that level of monitoring. I know things could go wrong, but that's a bit of an investment! :surprise:


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

I looked at your other posts. You have a Spec III. It's a great tank with big filter sponge and bio rings - very good for cycling. You'll have to get rid of the activated carbon at some point though. I have a Spec V which has never given me fish-in cycling problem. I replaced the carbon with a Seachem Purigen bag right away. It's my personal choice to polish water. But Purigen is also good for controlling, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. 


It's not necessary, however, fast growing plants and a partial water change before business trips would work well. Bettas will be fine without eating for a week or longer. If you get someone to feed him, make sure the person feeds specific amount. Many people who don't have fish tend to overfeed which can cause ammonia spike and dead fish.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

No carbon? I didn't know that was an issue. Does it mess with the cycle? Also, would it be safe to run the tank without the carbon and replace it with something a week later? I'm running a bit low on cash now with all of the purchases/returns I've been doing at my LFSs.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

You'll have to replace the carbon once in a while. If you don't, it will start releasing what it collected. This means it can become rather harmful. You can google about it. The Sponge and the bio ceramics are the one most beneficial bacteria live. Removing it won't affect the cycle. 


You don't need to get Purigen. I just wanted to say I replaced it with the carbon.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

ryry2012 said:


> You'll have to replace the carbon once in a while. If you don't, it will start releasing what it collected. This means it can become rather harmful. You can google about it. The Sponge and the bio ceramics are the one most beneficial bacteria live. Removing it won't affect the cycle.
> 
> 
> You don't need to get Purigen. I just wanted to say I replaced it with the carbon.


I'll look into switching out the carbon then. Anything that helps keep the organic chemicals down longer sounds like a good thing at this point.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

*New Reading & First Time with Nitrites/Nitrates*

I got my Master Kit in the mail today, and was able to take a lunch break and run home to test my tank. I got these results after following the instructions:









I read this as near .25ppm nitrite and near .10ppm nitrates. They look a bit darker in the picture than in real life, so I'm personally rounding down the colors (what does that even mean) in my head. I'm not confident about my reading though, since the ammonia kit was such a hard time for me.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

Bump.

Does anyone know if my reading is accurate? My R/G colorblindness makes me feel I may be off.


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## sutrisno (Jan 24, 2016)

After spending hours of googling to a lot of DIY site about digital probe to measure ammonia level in water i have come to a conclusion that the technology is not suitable for any hobbyist use. They are expensive. 

The pros with a digital probe is no color visual needed. The parameter value is shown in numeric. 

But, i have something that you might want to try. Although you have to ask someone to help you. because this is a color visual test probe. 

The price is $8.99. And no need to calibrate whatsoever. it can last up to 1 year. I think spending $8.99 every year is very cheap. 

You have to take care of the sensor by never touch it with your finger and never came into contact with the fish body also. 

Visit the manufacture website for more information at :

https://www.pacificsentry.com/aquasingle.html


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

heyyanthony said:


> I got my Master Kit in the mail today, and was able to take a lunch break and run home to test my tank. I got these results after following the instructions:
> 
> View attachment 871641
> 
> ...


You are correct. 


Do partial water change to bring Nitrite down to 0 ppm. You want to keep Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20ppm or lower.


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

I'll do that then. What's the danger level for nitrites? I know I want to keep it as close to zero as possible, but I'm also fish-in cycling (first time and didn't know about cycling until too late) and I know its difficult to actually keep nitrites down until the cycle is done and over.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

http://www.bettafish.com/6105634-post1.html


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

Thanks! You've all been really helpful :yourock:


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## heyyanthony (Mar 1, 2017)

So I did an 70/80% water change this morning, and I tested again. I think I can tell the Nitrate results pretty well (looks close to 0ppm) but the Nitrate results boggle me. 















I know its not a danerous level, because I can tell the difference between the red and orange, but I can't realy tell the difference between any of the orange colors...


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## bluebutterfly123 (Feb 23, 2017)

It looks like 10ppm or 20ppm..could be in between they are very similar on the chart sheet .. So it's kinda hard to tell 

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