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Brand new it’s 3 weeksBrand new setup?? How old?
You probably had a small amount of nitrites. Nitrate tests work by breaking nitrates down into nitrites first. Any amount of nitrites will appear as a larger amount of nitrates.This is my tank it has some what of a large sand bed it’s about 2in deep, live rock and dry rock. I dosed 2ppm 2 days ago and now it seems it’s all zero out..is that possible?
So yes I had spikes of ammonia 2ppm nitrites were 5ppm and nitrates were 80+.. it lasted about 2 days. And now this is what it is (in the picture) I’m just curious if nitrates can go down on its own or did I not dose enough ammonia, but I did have spikes.FYI... 2 ppm ammonia should have topped out at 5.4ppm nitrite which should have left 7.2ppm nitrate in the tank. Our hobby level test kits aren't too accurate. I would read your nitrate sample as close to 5ppm which I would call very reasonable if you think you started with 2ppm ammonia.
I had 5ppm for 2 daysYou probably had a small amount of nitrites. Nitrate tests work by breaking nitrates down into nitrites first. Any amount of nitrites will appear as a larger amount of nitrates.
YesSince you have live rock in the tank, yes, it's possible. I'm guessing the large piece on the left is what is being referred to as "live rock?"
A small amount of nitrites will cause a nitrate test to read very high. I think that is what you saw. When the nitrites came down, it made it look like nitrates were also dropping. In reality, nitrates were increasing. It's a trick nitrate test kits play. Testing for nitrates is pretty much useless unless you have no nitrites.I had 5ppm for 2 days
A small amount of nitrites will cause a nitrate test to read very high. I think that is what you saw. When the nitrites came down, it made it look like nitrates were also dropping. In reality, nitrates were increasing. It's a trick nitrate test kits play. Testing for nitrates is pretty much useless unless you have no nitrites.
With 2ppm of ammonia you should have ended up with around 7ppm of nitrate. I would say that the color you have could reasonably be interpreted as around 7ppm.So in this case tho I have no nitrites but my nitrates went down as well, I tested a few hours later to make sure my nitrates stayed low and they seemed to stay at 0 (yellow) possibly 5. Should they be higher then 5 at the end of the cycle?
So should I do a water change? Or keep dosing until my ammonia goes away in 24hrs? At this point ammonia and nitrite goes away in about 2 days also nitrates get pretty low after nitrites drop. It’s very confusing I read large sand beds can remove nitrates along with live rock and circulation I think that’s what’s happening hereWith 2ppm of ammonia you should have ended up with around 7ppm of nitrate. I would say that the color you have could reasonably be interpreted as around 7ppm.
So should I do a water change? Or keep dosing until my ammonia goes away in 24hrs? At this point ammonia and nitrite goes away in about 2 days also nitrates get pretty low after nitrites drop. It’s very confusing I read large sand beds can remove nitrates along with live rock and circulation I think that’s what’s happening here
It's not a large sand bed, but a deep sand bed that will reduce nutrients. The bacteria that do de-nitrification live in low oxygen areas of the tank. Typically this is under 3"+ or sand or deep within live rock. While you may have some of this going on, it normally only works well in older tanks that have something specifically established to support these bacteria. In most other tanks it happens at such a low rate it won't be noticeable.So should I do a water change? Or keep dosing until my ammonia goes away in 24hrs? At this point ammonia and nitrite goes away in about 2 days also nitrates get pretty low after nitrites drop. It’s very confusing I read large sand beds can remove nitrates along with live rock and circulation I think that’s what’s happening here