Salifert?

[littlehermit0]

So basically people say that my nitrites and ammonia should be at 0 but that's technically impossible, even after 100% water changes, my test readings never gave 0 there's always a tiny bit of something like 0.1 nitrite or 0.15 ammonia, anyone with the same problem?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Is there fish in the tank?
Anything alive in the tank that you are feeding?

Livestock will pee and poo, and food will rot, so there is always ammonia in the water, the tank is always cycling, it never stops. The test kits these days can pick up the trace ammounts of ammonia and nitrite in the water, but the tank is cycling, means the ammonia is being converted to nitrite then nitrate fast enough.

As folks have mentioned, the nitrate level is the important number, so what is the nitrate level?

 

[littlehermit0]

Is there fish in the tank?
Anything alive in the tank that you are feeding?

Livestock will pee and poo, and food will rot, so there is always ammonia in the water, the tank is always cycling, it never stops. The test kits these days can pick up the trace ammounts of ammonia and nitrite in the water, but the tank is cycling, means the ammonia is being converted to nitrite then nitrate fast enough.

As folks have mentioned, the nitrate level is the important number, so what is the nitrate level?

No fish, invertebrates only and nitrate makes me so mad, it never decreases even after 3 weeks of dosing waste away and doing water changes everyday, it's at 35 ppm

 

[Waters]

How large is your tank? Have you ever tested your new saltwater for either nitrate or ammonia?

 

[littlehermit0]

How large is your tank? Have you ever tested your new saltwater for either nitrate or ammonia?

Nitrites, nitrates and everything was always present

 

[Waters]

Nitrites, nitrates and everything was always present

Are you using RO/DI water with your new salt mix? You shouldn't have any ammonia with RO/DI water. RO/DI also removes most nitrates also if I am not mistaken. Maybe have the water tested by a LFS to verify your test kits are good? How large is your tank and how large are your weekly water changes?

 

[littlehermit0]

Are you using RO/DI water with your new salt mix? You shouldn't have any ammonia with RO/DI water. RO/DI also removes most nitrates also if I am not mistaken. Maybe have the water tested by a LFS to verify your test kits are good? How large is your tank and how large are your weekly water changes?

10% twice or once weekly, maybe ammonia wasn't present but nitrate was, it's probably from the salt, the tank is 6 gallons

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

There's no reason to say that nitrite should be zero, and I'd stop testing it.

I also do not consider that ammonia value a concern, whether it is real or test error (which it may be).

Some people dose ammonia, and my recommendation for them is to dose 0.1 ppm at a time anyway. :)

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-ammonia-dosing-for-low-nitrate-systems.987087/
"IMO, it is safe to add 0.1 ppm ammonia (equivalent to 0.36 ppm nitrate) at once to any reef tank, and one can likely add more, if it mixes in well"