I thought I could cheap out on test kits and didn't take the advice of my LFS when they recommended the premium kits. I started getting test results that didn't make sense with the cheap API kits, simular to your expierence. Then I ended up buying the premium kits and got the accuracy I needed.
Lessons learned, don't cheap out on this hobby if you want to be successful! The people on this forum are knowledgable and want you to succeed. This is a great community to be part of.
ps. If you want my API kits come by and I'll trade them for 1 beer each. I'll even accept cheap beer instead of the premium stuff
