API calcium test kit

[aquasport24]

When do you stop dripping drops .When in first turn from pink to velvet or keep on dripping until it turns into the velvet color in the manual..It took me about 20 drops from pink to velvet,but i lost count when i tried to bring the velvet (purple like) like the manual....thx

[caferacermike]

Are you looking top down or through the side? I could never get API to work for me, kept saying my CA was around 800. I found that if you look down into the tube that the purple color appears sooner than from the side. I believe that to be the proper method for judging several of their color tests.

[aquasport24]

I looked at mine from the side.The test start and end color is not exactly the same as the color chart as it shown on the last page of the manual.My question is does it has to be exactly in color .

[SoLiD]

I went through 2 different testers and found one that worked more easily than the other. I can't remember the name of the tester but it always took about 10-20 minutes from start to finish adding all those darn drops. Then I got extreme and never looked back....


http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113762

[caferacermike]

I believe that the salifert and Seachem are much better and more reliable tests than API.

My point about looking through the top versus the side is that it produces a different color, I wasn't just speaking out loud. Look through the side and you see a light violet/pink color as the light passes through a 1/4" of liquid. Look top down and the color condenses as the light travels through 2" of liquid. And yes it can and will be the color on the sheet. You wouldn't just guess if the color was close enough for nitrite or ammonia would you?

[erikharrison]

You drop the drop in, shake, next drop, shake, next drop, shake. I had to see it to believe it. What a long drawn out process.

[SoLiD]

It wasn't that bad, I'm just felt like being lazy. I still use the Salifert tester from time to time to double check. But Mike is exactly right about looking from the top down versus from the sides...