API water tests can be misleading

[Jimmy Gibson]

After testing my water this morning I was concerned that my ammonia level might be high..... so I run a test on my city water. The city water sample had the chlorine removed via a cartridge filter and they do not use chlormides....... according to this I suppose I have zero ammonia...... don’t really know what to believe......also this is a fresh kit bought this spring. Opinions please

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

The bottom one is the city water

 

[Jhn]

Or you have ammonia in your tap water even after the filter. Did you test the water before it got to the filter? Is this an reverse osmosis system?

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

I doubt or I hope that our city water doesn’t have ammonia in it. But I will test with the chlorine in

 

[mgmine]

My opinion of test kits isn't much. You get what you pay for which was proven to me once at a county testing lab. I was also advised not to buy one by a pond store that sells the kits. When people test their water they feel they have to do something to correct their high test results. So they go out and buy more stuff to put in their pond based on what they have read somewhere on the internet. They can't see any difference, in other words, their fish are still alive or whatever else they were trying to fix seems to have worked so now they spread the word on the internet that product X does the trick, When in reality the pond probably took care of itself or whatever they thought was the problem really wasn't a problem. Think of a ditch along the side of the road and think of the frogs and other things that live in that environment. Test that water and see what you find, just don't tell the frogs they are suppose to be dead or that the water isn't supposed to be clear. Although clear water doesn't mean healthy water it's what everyone is after.

 

[j.w]

I can't remember when I last used a test kit. Prolly when I started up the pond and now it all fends for itself other than filters, some net scooping of debris and some slow water in, slow water out once in awhile, kinda like if it was fed by a stream and I do have well water which I tested once a long,long time ago also.

 

[Tula]

What other options are available to test our pond water?

 

[j.w]

None that I know of.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

Since I am experienced at losing fish to high ammonia...... I know the symptoms of bad water, I have tested the water maybe twice this summer. My reason for testing it this time was we have had an extraordinary amount of rain in the last month so I was wondering what the ph was..... needless to say I have chucked this kit. Might get another next spring