Showing Ammonia and Nitrates but no Nitrites?

silverado61

silverado61

Well-Known Member
It's not me Jay. My tank still won't be set up for a few month's. This is from another forum on facebook and I just found it hard to believe that someone can show Ammonia and Nitrates but absolutely no Nitrites using a SaliFert test kit. Or any test kit for that matter. How's that possible?
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Probably being consumed faster than being produced.

It's irrelevant anyway. Nitrite in saltwater probably won't reach levels high enough to be considered toxic to fish like in freshwater.
 
silverado61

silverado61

Well-Known Member
2quills said:
Probably being consumed faster than being produced.

It's irrelevant anyway. Nitrite in saltwater probably won't reach levels high enough to be considered toxic to fish like in freshwater.
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But if it's being consumed faster than it's produced, how can there be Nitrates? Especially at that high a reading? Doesn't Ammonia produce Nitrites then Nitrites produce Nitrates? How can there be no middle man?
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
There are bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite and then others that oxidize nitrite into nitrate. There may be more of one than the other.

Or there may be nitrates coming from the water source being used that isn't getting fully filtered out.

If diatoms are already present they may be consuming the nitrite. Each situation could be slightly different while bacteria populations and or macro algae equalize in the system.
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
I agree with 2quills. That's why it takes a year or more for a tank to fully stabilize. My 220 has been up for 10 years and I will still see outbreaks of new hitchhikers that I have never seen before. Our systems are constantly re-equilibrating, and they are all different.
 
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