Noob from Edinburgh

[IrvineHimself]

I actually find the JBL 7 in 1 test strips very useful,......

I wasn't questioning the overall efficacy of the test strips, I was referring to the version they sell that uses an app to calculate values. Getting old, with multiple vision problems, I think the idea behind the app is brilliant; however, if you read the privacy policy, by installing it, you are basically giving JBL permission to hoover up all the personal data on your smart phone. In addition, from the JBL promotional video I watched, it looked to me as if the results were being crowded out by adverts for JBL products.

... How I use the strips is that for safe parameters I’m looking for the presence of Nitrate and the non-presence of Nitrite....

As do I.... For ammonia [which is well under control], I use the Seachem 'Ammonia Alert' and double check this with NT Labs 'Aquarium Lab', but find it difficult to judge the colour gradations for nitrites/nitrates irrespective of which test I use. [Aquarium Lab, or either API or JBL strips]. It is for this reason I am seriously considering getting the Seachem test kit for nitrites/nitrates which seem to use a colour chart with much better resolution.

Edit: Remember, it's a new tank set up by a noob. So, it is unsurprising that I am having a few teething problems with cycling.

In general, among the first pieces of equipment I bought were a dozen 50ml test tubes along with a dozen 5ml syringes. I use these to precisely measure everything that goes in or out of my tank, then rinse thoroughly in cold tap water and air dry after each use. I also use timers to make sure I am waiting the appropriate interval before taking my readings.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

@dw1305 above posted a very good video in a correspondence discussion thread (he will definitely have the link) of a lecture by Tim Hovanec where there is talk on the Nitrogen Cycle, my takeaway from this (and it serves me well) is that there are two different assemblages of bacteria that complete the Nitrogen Cycle, the first of which converts Ammonia to Nitrite and the second assemblage converts Nitrite to Nitrate, the first assemblage constitutes around 70-80% of the total bacterial population and the second assemblage the rest, what is important is that the presence of Ammonia will inhibit the activity of the second assemblage.

I never did, but here it is <"Dr Timothy Hovanec's comments about Bacterial supplements">.

cheers Darrel