Marine Nitrite Test (NO2)
User manual
Understanding and controlling nitrite levels
Nitrite NO2 is produced out of ammonia by the nitrifying bacteria in your aquarium. As nitrite is highly toxic to all water life, it is vital that the nitrite level in the water is zero. The best way to harbour these bacteria is in a biological filter. A new ‘clean’ filter needs time to have a sufficient number of bacteria to grow inside it. You can give this growth a boost by adding the right type of bacteria from the moment the biological filter is started. For all types of water, Colombo has the right product with the right bacteria.
An optimal nitrite level is simply 0 mg/l. When the nitrite level is 0.5 mg/l or higher, it means that there are not enough bacteria present. In this case we recommend to add Colombo Marine Bacto.
General Guidelines
- Always take care that the test tube is clean before use.
- Clean the tube directly after use.
- Take the volume of the water sample as precisely as possible.
- Keep the drop bottle perfectly vertical during dropping.
- Take care that no air bubbles are included in the drops.
Test procedure:
- Take a water sample of 5 ml.
- Add 5 drops of NO2 test fluid.
- Shake well.
- Wait 5 minutes.
- Determine the NO2-value using the included colour chart.
Test procedure:
- Take a water sample of 5 ml.
- Add 5 drops of NO2 test fluid.
- Shake well.
- Wait 5 minutes.
- Determine the NO2-value using the included colour chart.
For judging the colour of the water sample after adding all the test fluids, proceed as follows: put the test tube on the included colour chart and look through the tube on to the chart from directly above it. Do not look in direct sun light, but at indirect light. Compare the colour of the water sample with the colours on the chart. The closest colour shows the corresponding value. Generally the colours of the sample and on the chart will not be exactly the same, as values in practice will always be between the standard values, and thus a mixture of both consecutive values. Therefore, one should estimate between which colours the sample really lies.
For judging the colour of the water sample after adding all the test fluids, proceed as follows: put the test tube on the included colour chart and look through the tube on to the chart from directly above it. Do not look in direct sun light, but at indirect light. Compare the colour of the water sample with the colours on the chart. The closest colour shows the corresponding value. Generally the colours of the sample and on the chart will not be exactly the same, as values in practice will always be between the standard values, and thus a mixture of both consecutive values. Therefore, one should estimate between which colours the sample really lies.