Daily nitrate input

[Wildreefs]

Just trying to figure out if it is a testing error, let’s say in a heavily stocked 150 gallon tank, roughly how many nitrates could be added daily via food?

I know it’s a guess, I tested Monday and got 20, 3 days later 40 according to Hanna checker. Is it possible to accumulate 10 ppm a day ? Figured it would be more in the range or 2-3 ppm

Thank you

 

[Garf]

Just trying to figure out if it is a testing error, let’s say in a heavily stocked 150 gallon tank, roughly how many nitrates could be added daily via food?

I know it’s a guess, I tested Monday and got 20, 3 days later 40 according to Hanna checker. Is it possible to accumulate 10 ppm a day ? Figured it would be more in the range or 2-3 ppm

Thank you

Well, that’s a lot, lol. Perhaps a little nitrite is interfering with the nitrate test kit.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Just trying to figure out if it is a testing error, let’s say in a heavily stocked 150 gallon tank, roughly how many nitrates could be added daily via food?

I know it’s a guess, I tested Monday and got 20, 3 days later 40 according to Hanna checker. Is it possible to accumulate 10 ppm a day ? Figured it would be more in the range or 2-3 ppm

Thank you

How old is the tank and how much food are you adding?

In a mature tank I'd expect any reasonable amount of Nitrate would be consumed by bacteria.
Is your Alk stable or increasing more than you expect?

 

[biom]

The food will not rise nitrate directly, it should be first digested and ammonia released and then ammonia to be oxidized to nitrate. If you didn't change the feeding regime then explanation why nitrate is raising could be: 1) testing error; 2 ) something died and decomposing; 3) nitrite interfering the test: 4) something happened to bacteria (or algae) that is usually using nitrate - in could be phosphate, organic carbon or trace elements deficiency (or surplus).

 

[Wildreefs]

Maybe I misworded it. If I test Monday, then again Wednesday, is it possible to see a 20 ppm jump in nitrate , regardless if it’s the good/ammonia that went in Monday or 3 days or a week before

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I agree with folks that it is a lot, and may just reflect some testing variability. Food do have the potential to raise nitrate quite a bit as they are metabolized, but consumption is also significant, offsetting a lot of it.

 

[Wildreefs]

I agree with folks that it is a lot, and may just reflect some testing variability. Food do have the potential to raise nitrate quite a bit as they are metabolized, but consumption is also significant, offsetting a lot of it.

So is it safe to say, even with 60 fish, and feeding the equivalent of let’s say 10 mysis cubes a day, that I am not producing 20 nitrates in a single day?

Just trying to figure out why my 50 mls of Nopox has not worked in two months yet, or if I should go higher . Just switched to vodka yesterday, starting at 20 mls a day

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So is it safe to say, even with 60 fish, and feeding the equivalent of let’s say 10 mysis cubes a day, that I am not producing 20 nitrates in a single day?

Just trying to figure out why my 50 mls of Nopox has not worked in two months yet, or if I should go higher . Just switched to vodka yesterday, starting at 20 mls a day

I’d watch it over at least a week to try to understand the rate of rise.