Nitrates high and low HELP
- Thread starter karenjo
- Start date
pbuck
Member
Well, you shouldn't have any nitrates in a reef tank or if you do they should be barely visable when you test for them. I just tested my 14 month old reef tank and I couldn't notice any on the test. If you have a fish only tank you can get away with some. I am not sure on how much though.
joesox
New Member
The test kit that I have also has a low and high range on it, I can't remember what brand it is, but you read the low range, and if it reads above the top level of this range you retest it with a sample diluted with a certain amount of RO water. It took me a little while to figure this out but it was in the instructions.
Good luck
Good luck
broomer5
Active Member
karenjo,
Are you following these instructions to the letter ?
You only use 1 ml of tankwater on the medium range test, and do not add the NO3-2 reagent.
You use 10 ml of tankwater on the low range test, and you only use the NO3-2 liquid reagent when doing this low-range test.
**************************************************
Medium range procedure:
1] Fill test tube with 1 ml of water.
2] Add 1 level scoop NO3-1.
3] Add 1 level scoop NO3-3 (NO3-2 is omitted in this procedure) and swirl gently for 30 seconds.
4] Let it stand for 3 mintues.
5] Place the test tube on a white part of the color chart and compare colors looking from the top.
If the color corresponds to a value significantly lower than
10 mg/L try using the low range procedure to obtain a
better resolved value.
Low range procedure:
1] fill test tube with 10 ml of water.
2] Add 1 level scoop NO3-1.
3] Add 1 drop of NO3-2 reagent.
4] Add 1 level scoop NO3-3 and swirl gently for 30
seconds.
5] Let it stand for 3 minutes.
6] Place the test tube on a white part of the color chart and compare colors looking from the top.
Divide the values on the chart by 10!
Note: A reading, after division, of 10 mg/L (ppm) could
imply that the value is higher. Use medium range
procedure in such cases.
Values on the chart are in mg/L or ppm NO3.
Are you following these instructions to the letter ?
You only use 1 ml of tankwater on the medium range test, and do not add the NO3-2 reagent.
You use 10 ml of tankwater on the low range test, and you only use the NO3-2 liquid reagent when doing this low-range test.
**************************************************
Medium range procedure:
1] Fill test tube with 1 ml of water.
2] Add 1 level scoop NO3-1.
3] Add 1 level scoop NO3-3 (NO3-2 is omitted in this procedure) and swirl gently for 30 seconds.
4] Let it stand for 3 mintues.
5] Place the test tube on a white part of the color chart and compare colors looking from the top.
If the color corresponds to a value significantly lower than
10 mg/L try using the low range procedure to obtain a
better resolved value.
Low range procedure:
1] fill test tube with 10 ml of water.
2] Add 1 level scoop NO3-1.
3] Add 1 drop of NO3-2 reagent.
4] Add 1 level scoop NO3-3 and swirl gently for 30
seconds.
5] Let it stand for 3 minutes.
6] Place the test tube on a white part of the color chart and compare colors looking from the top.
Divide the values on the chart by 10!
Note: A reading, after division, of 10 mg/L (ppm) could
imply that the value is higher. Use medium range
procedure in such cases.
Values on the chart are in mg/L or ppm NO3.
karenjo
Member
Broomer,
Thanks for trying to help. I followed those same instructions. That is why I am so confused. Please help me I dont know what to do. I did a 10% water change a week and a half ago, but I dont know if I should do another to lower the nitrates. My snails, crabs, and feather dusters seem to be fine.
Thanks for trying to help. I followed those same instructions. That is why I am so confused. Please help me I dont know what to do. I did a 10% water change a week and a half ago, but I dont know if I should do another to lower the nitrates. My snails, crabs, and feather dusters seem to be fine.
foulbrew
Member
Karenjo,
If this is the newly cycled tank you mention in your previous post I would expect your nitrates to be extremely high until you water change them away.
After your cycle was complete did you do a large water change? Or two? If not, do it. I'm talking about 50% of your volume, not 10%.
If this is the newly cycled tank you mention in your previous post I would expect your nitrates to be extremely high until you water change them away.
After your cycle was complete did you do a large water change? Or two? If not, do it. I'm talking about 50% of your volume, not 10%.
karenjo
Member
I have done a water change about 2 weeks ago. It was about 10%. My biggest question is that I did the test twice and I got two completely different readings. I followed instructions for each type of test and got two extremely different readings.
2.5 low range
100 medium range
Nitrate Salifert test
2.5 low range
100 medium range
Nitrate Salifert test
broomer5
Active Member
If you did the test twice - did them just as the instructions say - and got those readings - then all I can imagine is that the test kit is bad.
I would take a sample to LFS for testing at this point.
If their readings are extremely different from yours - then buy a new test kit.
If nitrates are truely high - water changes are in order.
If the readings are say 100 mg/L and you only do a 10% water change ........ you would then expect them to be 90 mg/L.
That's assuming no "new" nitrate is being produced in the tank, and that your saltwater mix / freshwater source are both nitrate free as well.
That's about all I can think of right now karenjo
I would take a sample to LFS for testing at this point.
If their readings are extremely different from yours - then buy a new test kit.
If nitrates are truely high - water changes are in order.
If the readings are say 100 mg/L and you only do a 10% water change ........ you would then expect them to be 90 mg/L.
That's assuming no "new" nitrate is being produced in the tank, and that your saltwater mix / freshwater source are both nitrate free as well.
That's about all I can think of right now karenjo