beaslbob
Well-Known Member
For newbies I have been reporting levels in two tanks. One is a 20g with powerhead, play sand used to culture macro algaes. The other is my 55g display with 5 damsels, a yellow tang, 2 crabs, 10 hermits, 4 turbo snales, bahama and green brittle stars, banded coral shrimp. It has base rock, 3" play sand with CC on top, bunch of macro algaes, tetra tech pf 500 with empty filter pads.
20g sat (sun)
ammonia 0.0 (0.0)
nitrites 0.0 (0.0)
nitrAtes 0.0 (0.0)
ph 8.4 (8.4)
55g sat (sun)
ammonia 0.0 (.2)
nitrites 0.0 0.0
nitrAtes (old test kit)
160
nitrates (new test kit)
40.0 (40.0)
ph 8.4 (8.4)
55g observation: Banded Coral shrimp sucessfully molted friday night/sat morn.
I ran out of my nitrate test kit and discovered my old kit was way too sensitive. At the lower levels it did read 0.0 but with any nitrates at all it pegged the test. I took a covered glass of tank water to the LFS sunday and both the new kit and their other brand different test tested at 20 ppm for the display tank. That is reasonable because the tank water had been sealed for an hour or so and therefore anaerobic bacteria may have lower the nitrate level (from the later measured 40ppm).
During the time last week I had been measureing 160ppm all the livestock seemed fine and active. Additionally, the algae boom after i increased lighting seemed to continue to lesson. Algae in the glass was much less and the rocks were slowly returning to the non algae colors.
The 20g still has cloudness but the macros are growing vigorously. And all the tests have returned to 0.0
No water changes were done on either tank. Only replacing water the evaporates (1 gal both tanks yesterday).
Draw you own conculstions, but one thing to consider is why were nitrates (even with the bad kit) dropping while there still were nitrItes in the system? The answer is obvious and there were no bubles comming from the sand. This is what I have noticed before on this tank (after initial setup) so it is not a fluke. (And I think I know why.
)
My main conclusion is to not rely soley on test kits. Use your eyes and nose also. Don't get me wrong. If you see a bump up in nitrItes, stop feeding and then they go down, you did the right thing even if no distress is noticed in the fish or cloudiness in the tank. But if you see algae disappearing and active healthy livestock, but nitrAtes pegged, then look at the test kit. And if you see cloudiness and foul odors, take action even if tests are ok.
Ok OK guys. this will be the last report. Seems everything was ok after all.
20g sat (sun)
ammonia 0.0 (0.0)
nitrites 0.0 (0.0)
nitrAtes 0.0 (0.0)
ph 8.4 (8.4)
55g sat (sun)
ammonia 0.0 (.2)
nitrites 0.0 0.0
nitrAtes (old test kit)
160
nitrates (new test kit)
40.0 (40.0)
ph 8.4 (8.4)
55g observation: Banded Coral shrimp sucessfully molted friday night/sat morn.
I ran out of my nitrate test kit and discovered my old kit was way too sensitive. At the lower levels it did read 0.0 but with any nitrates at all it pegged the test. I took a covered glass of tank water to the LFS sunday and both the new kit and their other brand different test tested at 20 ppm for the display tank. That is reasonable because the tank water had been sealed for an hour or so and therefore anaerobic bacteria may have lower the nitrate level (from the later measured 40ppm).
During the time last week I had been measureing 160ppm all the livestock seemed fine and active. Additionally, the algae boom after i increased lighting seemed to continue to lesson. Algae in the glass was much less and the rocks were slowly returning to the non algae colors.
The 20g still has cloudness but the macros are growing vigorously. And all the tests have returned to 0.0
No water changes were done on either tank. Only replacing water the evaporates (1 gal both tanks yesterday).
Draw you own conculstions, but one thing to consider is why were nitrates (even with the bad kit) dropping while there still were nitrItes in the system? The answer is obvious and there were no bubles comming from the sand. This is what I have noticed before on this tank (after initial setup) so it is not a fluke. (And I think I know why.
)My main conclusion is to not rely soley on test kits. Use your eyes and nose also. Don't get me wrong. If you see a bump up in nitrItes, stop feeding and then they go down, you did the right thing even if no distress is noticed in the fish or cloudiness in the tank. But if you see algae disappearing and active healthy livestock, but nitrAtes pegged, then look at the test kit. And if you see cloudiness and foul odors, take action even if tests are ok.
Ok OK guys. this will be the last report. Seems everything was ok after all.
