Nitrite/Nitrate Tests during Cupramine?

[Kinghugo5]

Hi All,

I’m on day 3 of Cupramine and the nitrite/nitrate salifert test kit is reading high. 1 nitrite 25 nitrate. It’s a 29g and the ammonia badge is showing no ammonia.

Will Cupramine gives false positives on both of those? I know it will on ammonia but can’t find any info if it will with nitrate.

Thanks,

Nate

 

[Big G]

How long has the tank been up and cycling/running?
But to answer your question, false nitrite readings (like .5-1 ish) are very common with hobby test kits.

 

[Kinghugo5]

How long has the tank been up and cycling/running?
But to answer your question, false nitrite readings (like .5-1 ish) are very common with hobby test kits.

It was up for 2 weeks started with biospira before any fish then had a kole tang and tail spot blenny for about a week before my ich outbreak that sent the clowns, CBB and gramma to the tank. I know it was quite a bit more but seems odd that it would provoke that high of a spike.

 

[Big G]

My experience with Biospira and doing a "fishless" cycle using pure ammonia is that it usually takes about 4 weeks for the tank to move through the ammonia spike/drop (about 7-10 days), then nitrite spike/drop which takes 2-3 times as long.
By then the nitrates are very high and needing lots of water changes to get down to 5-10 range. Several times the hobby test kit, while showing a drop in nitrites, never completely dropped to "0" which was making me crazy until I found out about the "false positive" nitrite readings. So if you have been testing and you saw the nitrite spike and then drop, you "probably" are good to go, and just need some water changes to help out with the excess "nitrates" in your tank. Remember to pre-dose the water to the current copper level before adding new water to your tank. Never let the copper drop below therapeutic level, not even for a few minutes.

 

[Kinghugo5]

My experience with Biospira and doing a "fishless" cycle using pure ammonia is that it usually takes about 4 weeks for the tank to move through the ammonia spike/drop (about 7-10 days), then nitrite spike/drop which takes 2-3 times as long.
By then the nitrates are very high and needing lots of water changes to get down to 5-10 range. Several times the hobby test kit, while showing a drop in nitrites, never completely dropped to "0" which was making me crazy until I found out about the "false positive" nitrite readings. So if you have been testing and you saw the nitrite spike and then drop, you "probably" are good to go, and just need some water changes to help out with the excess "nitrates" in your tank. Remember to pre-dose the water to the current copper level before adding new water to your tank. Never let the copper drop below therapeutic level, not even for a few minutes.

Ok thank you! The fish, even the CBB are eating today so it can’t be that bad... I did a 30% water change earlier and it did bring nitrates down a bit..

 

[Big G]

Ok thank you! The fish, even the CBB are eating today so it can’t be that bad... I did a 30% water change earlier and it did bring nitrates down a bit..

It's amazing how much/many water changes are needed to bring high readings from cycling down to 5-10 range. Usually about 100% at at 25-50% at a time changes.
Oh, and congrats on the CBB. Tough fish to get to eat. Awesome it's eating. :)

 

[Kinghugo5]

It's amazing how much/many water changes are needed to bring high readings from cycling down to 5-10 range. Usually about 100% at at 25-50% at a time changes.
Oh, and congrats on the CBB. Tough fish to get to eat. Awesome it's eating. :)

He can’t resist live black worms, even covered in ich! Thanks!