Contradictory test results what do I believe

[danreef55]

@Randy Holmes-Farley - Sir I would greatly appreciate your guidance with conflicting test results. Here is some baseline information:

235 gallon display with 180gal sump. Total of 370gals of water in total

Display is dry Marco rock and bare bottom

Sump has a refugium chamber with 20lbs live rock and live sand 33x24x18

Cycle began on 2-9-25

Dr. Tim's and dropped a pair of tiny clowns, 2 blue reef chromis & flame hawk. The cycle didn't break so I added Fritz Turbo 900 waited 10 days and it still didn't break. This Thursday I dosed around round of Fritz.

I have been using a Hanna multiparameter meter. According to today's result ammonia is at .05ppm nitrite of 38ppb and Nitrate 3.8ppm. The testing log is attached,

Sea Chem ammonia alert reads zero & Dip strip also zero

If the nitrite wasn't present, I would have assumed it was just an issue with the reagents or something. Is it possible the Hanna is providing false reading? sorry for the length of the post.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley - Sir I would greatly appreciate your guidance with conflicting test results. Here is some baseline information:

235 gallon display with 180gal sump. Total of 370gals of water in total

Display is dry Marco rock and bare bottom

Sump has a refugium chamber with 20lbs live rock and live sand 33x24x18

Cycle began on 2-9-25

Dr. Tim's and dropped a pair of tiny clowns, 2 blue reef chromis & flame hawk. The cycle didn't break so I added Fritz Turbo 900 waited 10 days and it still didn't break. This Thursday I dosed around round of Fritz.

I have been using a Hanna multiparameter meter. According to today's result ammonia is at .05ppm nitrite of 38ppb and Nitrate 3.8ppm. The testing log is attached,

Sea Chem ammonia alert reads zero & Dip strip also zero

If the nitrite wasn't present, I would have assumed it was just an issue with the reagents or something. Is it possible the Hanna is providing false reading? sorry for the length of the post.

You are wondering if the nitrate reading is accurate? Why would it be something else?

It all seems fine to me. :)

 

[danreef55]

You are wondering if the nitrate reading is accurate? Why would it be something else?

It all seems fine to me. :)

Two ammonia tests are zero and the Hanna is .05

 

[BeanAnimal]

Where did ammonia start? If it has come down, then all is fine. Don’t get caught up in accuracy, rather just the trend, you have nitrate, so there are nitrifying bacteria and everything is headed in the right direction.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Two ammonia tests are zero and the Hanna is .05

All of those are no concern. Unless ammonia is above 0.5 ppm total ammonia, there’s no issue.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/ammonia-is-our-friend.1062/

 

[danreef55]

 

[danreef55]

All of those are no concern. Unless ammonia is above 0.5 ppm total ammonia, there’s no issue.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/ammonia-is-our-friend.1062/

Thanks so much for your advice

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks so much for your advice

You’re welcome.

Happy Reefing!

 

[BeanAnimal]

FWIW … it appears to have peaked from the 3rd to the 6th and headed back down. As Randy indicated, you are fine.

 

[danreef55]

Thank BA

 

[Dan_P]

Two ammonia tests are zero and the Hanna is .05

Two ammonia tests are zero and the Hanna is .05

The dip strip measurement might be worthless. The Seachem Alert is measuring free ammonia, a small fraction of the total ammonia that the Hanna test measures. The Hanna test reading of 0.05 ppm may not be different from zero, but even taking the reading literally, that level is of no concern. The free ammonia would only be about 0.005 ppm and consistent with the Seachem Alert test

By the way, with the presence of nitrite, the nitrate measurement will be reading high. The nitrite measurement might be 38 ppm N-NO2, making the nitrite concentration closer to 0.1 ppm and throwing off the nitrate test.

 

[brandon429]

And, at this degree of wait time and nutrient in place, it's not possible not to have been cycled about three weeks ago. So it's really set in.

The readings above factored against the wait time are those of a cycled tank. The expectation to have zero on both ammonia and nitrite vs low levels + time counted as ready is what constitutes old cycling science.

The sole impact to your fish now is disease preps. Skip them and u can expect the % risk found in today's disease forum help posts.

Applying time factor as chief predictor of being cycled removes the disagreements that go back and forth with test kit relays. It's the ultimate objective measure, new ways of assessment for the ready state

In this case you provided fritz (3 days to implantation max) and fish and feed. Your cycle was ready by day ten like all the charts say

Isn't it the case that on that Hanna meter, any initial ammonia inputs were resolved/ lowering by day ten?

 

[BeanAnimal]

old cycling science.

Please stop this ridiculous nonsense — there is no “old” or “new” science, Brandon — just your mission to complicate the simple. You have been asked ad nauseam to provide actual definitions, and you can’t.

Applying time factor as chief predictor of being cycled removes the disagreements that go back and forth with test kit relays. It's the ultimate objective measure, new ways of assessment for the ready state

That is word soup and also not correct. Bacterial growth rates will vary based on the environment and available food.