Salifert Ca test question

I got in my Salifert Ca test. I ran it a few times.

Your suppose to add drops till it turns from pink to light blue.

That's all fine I guess. But every other Salifert test I have when it changes colors, it changes colors.

This Ca test, it's like oil in water. You kind of just expand how much of it is blue.

I am assuming that everyone reads this as just having a sliver of pink or no pink left at all before calling it 'light blue' right? It doesn't mean just as soon as you start having a light blue layer does it?

 

Are you stirring it up between drops? Mines says to swirl or stir after every drop.

 

Peredhil

when you get the blue appearing, you give it an extra swirl and the pink takes over again

repeat this until the pink no longer reclaims the colour and the liquid is fully blue

Steve

 

Yes. I am using swirl method

Well, every couple drops... really after every single one, goodness. It's most of the syringe... I'll try it more tediously next time

I know what you mean, my Salifert Alk test does just that. This Ca one, the pink doesn't reclaim, it really stays as layers.

 

I would check the expiration date.

I do swirl after every drop, as well as constantly while adding to get near the end of the syringe, and don't have this issue.

 

Well you don't have to do after every drop. I wait until I'm almost at the end of the syringe then start doing it every drop.

 

Check the expiration date just to be safe.

 

The color change is pretty obvious when it happens. Are you sure you Ca isn't greater than 500ppm. You may want to empty the syringe (1 ml total = 500 ppm) and refill the syringe and keep filling. The ppm result from the second syringe's reading + 500 ppm is your result.

 

exp: 12/2015

 

You can cheat to speed up the process. I add the last reagent until the syringe is at 40ml, then I do one at a time. I know my Ca is higher then that measure anyway. I didn't begin doing the test this way at first but I've tried single drop and my method and it's exactly the same everytime.

You'll notice the instructions say "clear blue" color...meaning no hint of purple at all. As soon as I see blue from the purple I mark that. HTH