High nitrate and now i have none ?

[Piece of reef]

Hey guys
So a couple of weeks ago my nitrate was 40 ppm (api test) and my phosphate was 0.25 (salifert test)

Ive been changing filter socks twice a week and i bought a nitrate salifert kit

Now my nitrates read 0 on salifert and 5ppm on api test kit

And my phosphate reads 0.15 ( hanna phosphorus ulr)

Just wondering if its anything i need to be concerned about ?

I found it strange that 2 weeks ago i was researching how to lower them
And now i have 0 nitrate

I only have fish and some cuc and a cleaner
No corals yet

 

[trout]

Your initial readings could be due to a combination of testing error and your choice of test kits. The second test results are likely to be more accurate. That said, each test kit has an error margin. If I am not mistaken, Hanna has an error margin of 0.03 ppm. This is something to think about.

Assuming that the test results are fairly accurate, your system is nitrogen-limited, meaning that you will have difficulty in reducing phosphates unless you use phosphate adsorbers or increase the amount of nitrogen in the water column.

People use different methods in these situations to increase nitrogen, including adding more fish, dosing amino acids, sodium nitrates or calcium nitrates.

I hope this helps.

 

[Piece of reef]

Your initial readings could be due to a combination of testing error and your choice of test kits. The second test results are likely to be more accurate. That said, each test kit has an error margin. If I am not mistaken, Hanna has an error margin of 0.03 ppm. This is something to think about.

Assuming that the test results are fairly accurate, your system is nitrogen-limited, meaning that you will have difficulty in reducing phosphates unless you use phosphate adsorbers or increase the amount of nitrogen in the water column.

People use different methods in these situations to increase nitrogen, including adding more fish, dosing amino acids, sodium nitrates or calcium nitrates.

I hope this helps.

Thank you !
yes the initial test kit was used because it was what i had at the time waiting on orders to come through

Alright, so should i act on the 0 nitrates quickly with one of the solutions you have mentioned ?
Or is it not so serious that it needs to be acted on asap?


Sorry just need clarification

 

[trout]

Would you be able to provide more information about your system with a picture if possible?

How many fish have you got, do you have any what some people may call nuisance algae and/or algae scrubber/algae bed in your sump? If so, what is their growth like?

Do you have any signs of cyanobacteria or dinoflagellates in your system?

 

[Piece of reef]

Would you be able to provide more information about your system with a picture if possible?

How many fish have you got, do you have any what some people may call nuisance algae and/or algae scrubber/algae bed in your sump? If so, what is their growth like?

Do you have any signs of cyanobacteria or dinoflagellates in your system?

So i have 2 clownfish only, 1 cleaner shrimp, 3 nassarius snails, and 4 hermits

No nuisance algae, i just went through the diatom phase and now its dissapearing abit left on the overflow box,

No signs of dino or cyano so far


In my sump i have, filter sock first, then 2 heaters, then marine pure balls(also seeding some floss for qt tank)
Then skimmer (i also have a temporary bottle attached to the oveflow of the skimmer) and chiller pump
Then return pump

 

[Pistondog]

No action required since nitrates not likely zero without some active removal or consumption.

 

[Piece of reef]

No action required since nitrates not likely zero without some active removal or consumption.

I thought changing out filter sock was removing it, and skimmer, so does that mean itd be at such a low reading the salifert kit just shows 0?

 

[mdb_talon]

I thought changing out filter sock was removing it, and skimmer, so does that mean itd be at such a low reading the salifert kit just shows 0?

Changing filter socks does not remove nitrates in itself. If done frequently it removes detritus before it breaks down and becomes nitrates, but it not really an export of existing nitrates.

I see no reasonable explanation for your numbers to drop that quickly based off what you said so i am going with testing error or faulty test kits.

 

[Pistondog]

I thought changing out filter sock was removing it, and skimmer, so does that mean itd be at such a low reading the salifert kit just shows 0?

The stuff in sox and what skimmer removes are organics that break down into nitrates and phosphates, so you are removing some. But neither is a perfect remover, or none of us would be running refugiums for chaeto or carbon dosing that consume these nutrients. Without corals or plants growing, a small amount of nitrates will always exist and accumulate until diluted via water change.

 

[Piece of reef]

Changing filter socks does not remove nitrates in itself. If done frequently it removes detritus before it breaks down and becomes nitrates, but it not really an export of existing nitrates.

I see no reasonable explanation for your numbers to drop that quickly based off what you said so i am going with testing error or faulty test kits.

I 100% agree the original test kit isnt the most reliable, api kit, so it reading 40ppm was most likely wrong

But i read up that the salifert nitrate is reliable for its nitrates test ? Im going to redo a test today just to see if ive made an error during testing

The stuff in sox and what skimmer removes are organics that break down into nitrates and phosphates, so you are removing some. But neither is a perfect remover, or none of us would be running refugiums for chaeto or carbon dosing that consume these nutrients. Without corals or plants growing, a small amount of nitrates will always exist and accumulate until diluted via water change.

Thank you, so no action required, ill retest it today just to double check i did it correctly,

 

[trout]

Thanks for the photos. Since there are no cyanobacteria or dinoflagellates, I would not take any corrective action. If you buy more fish in the future, you will find that NO3 will start to climb up a little, which will then help heterotrophic bacteria consume proportionally more PO4.

 

[Piece of reef]

Thanks for the photos. Since there are no cyanobacteria or dinoflagellates, I would not take any corrective action. If you buy more fish in the future, you will find that NO3 will start to climb up a little, which will then help heterotrophic bacteria consume proportionally more PO4.

Awesome thanks all for your feedback
Appreciate it

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Api nitrate test is worthless. Trust the salifert reading.