Nitrate testing question

[edmlfc1]

For the past 4 days I've tested both tanks with the same test kit. When I put Nitrate 1's drops from Annabelle's tank the color stays yellow, this is before I put the drops from Nitrate bottle 2.
On the new set up when I put Nitrate 1's drops it turns to a rusty orange color before I add Nitrate 2's drops. After I add Nitrate 2's drops it shows that I only have 5 nitrates.
Has anyone ever experienced a drastic color change by only adding Nitrate 1's drops? I've never seen this happen before. At first I thought there was something wrong with the test but it doesn't do that on Annabelle's tank. And it didn't do it before 4 days ago. I've never in all my years of testing water seen it do this.
In the tank:
Substrate that was used in a previous tank
River Rock from Petsmart
Fake plants (same as in Annabelle's tank)
Logs previously used in Annabelle's tank
Large rocks taken from Annabelle's tank and put into the new tank
My homemade bucket sump will with curlers (see Annabelle's new home for pics)
This has got me stumped. If it would have been doing it from day 1 I would think it was something in the tank.

[edmlfc1]

Totally forgot that I added Seachem's excel to the new tank just before it started doing this. Could that be it?
That's the only "new" thing I've done to it.

[sevenyearnight]

I have some excell, let me see if it does that on a tester.

[edmlfc1]

I shall await your test results...

[sevenyearnight]

The test solution did not look orange, only the same yellow.
I agree this is a bit disconcerting. I wonder why that is happening!

[sevenyearnight]

Ok, after adding the second solution, it may appear the slightest orangish yellow, and now comparing it to vial of non-excel water, it is a slightly darker yellow. But this is with both solutions added. Control water is from the tap, only one had excel added. The tap is yellow, the variable excel-water is a bit orangish, ever so slightly.

It might be the excel after all, maybe it reacts differently over time.

[edmlfc1]

I'm going to try and get a video of what mine does.

[edmlfc1]

Ok so when I do it outside it doesn't look so orange but I needed better lighting. When I brought it in the house it looked like tea.

[edmlfc1]

I think I'm going to go ahead and do a water change and see if the test results are normal after that. What I mean by normal is: It stays yellow until I add the second bottle. Just curious and there are no fish in the tank so I'm not that worried about it, yet. Have to make a run to the pet store for more prime before I do it.

[edmlfc1]

I just realized in my video I only put 8 drops instead of 10, this could be why it didn't turn that dark rusty orange. I did a 90 water change yesterday and retested this morning and it's still doing that. makes me wonder if my test results are accurate. Before I put any fish in I'm going to get a new kit and retest it. Also I think by overdosing the excel it has done a massive MTS massacre. After the water change I re-added ammonia to bring it back up to 4, this morning it was still at 4. Didn't add any ammonia today, I was at the point where the amm was going down to 0 every morning. Maybe my excel is just old, I've had it a while, I wonder if it expires.......I'll have to check my bottle.

[edmlfc1]

Just read on another forum. Forgot to copy and paste the address before closing the page but yes excel can go bad. Maybe a few more water changes and my nitrate test will test normal again. Still going to get a new test kit before adding fish.

[sevenyearnight]

I think if it's only doing that on that tank, that a new test isn't necessary. I'd replace it only if it did that on all the water tests. I'd definitely get the excel out of the water though.

[RTR]

What were the final test readings on the two tanks? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate?

I suspect it is the nature of the test, and lack of knowledge on the function of the test, but cannot confirm that without the full results.

[goldielocke76]

My test kit does that too. It's not super orangy, but it does that ever so slightly after I add the drops for the Nitrates. I thought it was normal because I didn't know any better. I thought it was just the dye. Does your ammonia kit do that as well? I know when I was cycling and had high ammonia, it turned really yellow after I added the 8 drops from the first bottle. Again, didn't think much of it because I didn't know any better.

[edmlfc1]

Double post