LFS Test Kit Says Nitrates at 80!

ccbobafett · Oct 9, 2017

So today at my lfs they tested my water and the api test kit they use read nitrates at 80! My nitrates have never been above 5 usually around zero. I did do a water change before collecting water a lot of gunk in water when I collected water so could this be for reading? My tank is 90 gallons with a hob filter running phos guard purigen with sponge and filter floss. I also run a reef octopus 100 on back. The tank has 70-90 lbs of live rock and a deep sand bed about 6in in some parts of crushed coral. I do not have much algae either. Using rodi water and stock includes foxface snowflake moray, pair of clowns and cardinals and trio of chromis. My fish are small beside foxface and eel. Foxface about 5-6 inches and eel about 15. I feed the tank 2-3 times a day small amount of flake and half cube of mysis at night. I do give foxface seaweed daily and feed eel daily but he usually does not eat every night and is currently on a hunger strike? My fish seem fine acting normal beside eel not eating. I also usually do 10 percent water changes weekly. I plan to check water again tomorrow. Any help with this is much appreciated and my fish thank you. Thanks in advance.

Crabs McJones · Oct 9, 2017

Do you do your own tests at home as well or just the LFS? At 80 you should be seeing signs of trouble. LFS may have done the test incorrectly or like you had said with all that stuff mixed up it may have been a contaminated water sample. Keep us posted!! :)

jda · Oct 9, 2017

Get your own test kit.

I would not try and solve a nitrate problem until you know for sure that you have one.

ccbobafett · Oct 9, 2017

Thanks I did do my own but ran out of test kits so relying on lfs now. Yeah I am hoping it is just stuff in water stirred up or I am going to have a lot of work tomorrow. Thanks for very quick response that is why this forum is my favorite. I will update tomorrow and posts some pics. Thanks again.

ccbobafett · Oct 9, 2017

here is picture some algae on rocks but I have not cleaned them lately so starting to pile up. Not that bad of algae. I think I am going to cut back on seaweed for foxface every other day he is starting to get really fat.