Cycling questions with conflicting numbers

[llovasco]

Hello everyone!

I am new to the saltwater world and set up a new 29 gallon just over a week ago. After dry rock and live sand it has a water volume of 22 gallons. I am currently using Walmart purple cap distilled water and IO reef crystals. I have been dosing pure ammonia and stability over the last week. I tested my water yesterday at the lfs and they only tested phosphate and nitrates but those came back with .5 phosphate and 80 nitrates. I believe they used Salifert tests. They were very surprised by these numbers and suggested several 25% water changes.

I have been testing regularly at home using API, which I know if not as accurate, but when I got home from the lfs I tested my water and my parameters show .25 ammonia, .5 nitrites and 10 nitrates as shown. I cannot believe that my test is that far off from theirs. I have had freshwater aquariums for some time so I am confident that I am doing the test correctly.

My question is before I start doing changes what is everyone’s thoughts? I have read that nitrites present can cause a false nitrate reading. Is that possibly what happened at the lfs or should I really be doing some water changes now just one week into my cycle?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

llovasco

 

[rkpetersen]

I think your numbers are more likely to be correct. I don't see how you could have gotten to 80 nitrates in that short a time. A phosphate of 0.5 is also very high and seem unlikely unless your dry rock has leached quite a bit. Nitrites can falsely elevate nitrate readings, which is why you don't bother measuring nitrate until nitrite has fallen to 0. But it still doesn't sound right. If it were me, I'd purchase some better tests and check it again myself. Red Sea or Hanna.

 

[PatW]

I would get the Salifert tests. They are not that expensive. The API nitrate test drives me nuts. And he API ammonia test tends to indicate ammonia at a low level when it is in fact 0.

The problem is that a little ammonia in PPM translates into far more nitrate in PPM. Ammonia has a molecular weight of something like 18 and nitrate of 71. So one ppm of ammonia produces 3 ppm of nitrate.

I would suggest doing a giant water change of nearly 100% if you can swing it. Going at it 25% at a time will take a long time to get nitrates down to around 10% which is about the target you might aim for.

 

[Garf]

Hello everyone!

I am new to the saltwater world and set up a new 29 gallon just over a week ago. After dry rock and live sand it has a water volume of 22 gallons. I am currently using Walmart purple cap distilled water and IO reef crystals. I have been dosing pure ammonia and stability over the last week. I tested my water yesterday at the lfs and they only tested phosphate and nitrates but those came back with .5 phosphate and 80 nitrates. I believe they used Salifert tests. They were very surprised by these numbers and suggested several 25% water changes.

I have been testing regularly at home using API, which I know if not as accurate, but when I got home from the lfs I tested my water and my parameters show .25 ammonia, .5 nitrites and 10 nitrates as shown. I cannot believe that my test is that far off from theirs. I have had freshwater aquariums for some time so I am confident that I am doing the test correctly.

My question is before I start doing changes what is everyone’s thoughts? I have read that nitrites present can cause a false nitrate reading. Is that possibly what happened at the lfs or should I really be doing some water changes now just one week into my cycle?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

llovasco

I would Stop dosing ammonia and stability. Ammonia is ok in sample. Nitrite is high but you can do a water change which will bring it down. Then you’ll probably see nitrite fall off a cliff. Have you got an alternative LFS?

 

[llovasco]

I would Stop dosing ammonia and stability. Ammonia is ok in sample. Nitrite is high but you can do a water change which will bring it down. Then you’ll probably see nitrite fall off a cliff. Have you got an alternative LFS?

The one I went to is about an hour and a half away and the closer ones that I know of do not do testing but I will inquire on that to be sure.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

You are cycled. Nitrites are non-toxic. Odd thing is high nitrites usually show up as very high nitrates in testing (literally learned that today). Get some reliable test kits that are not API. Cycles happen faster than most will think. Stop dosing stability and ammonia and do a large WC to bring down nitrates.