Nitrate question for randy or someone wit more knowledge than me!!!

[tunedtank]

Can some one please tell me if it's possible for ammonia to travel from the air into the water? Anytime I make up a batch of new salt make up water the longer it sits in basement in brute trash can the higher the nitrates get...ro/di is 0 tds with recently changed filters and it's not just in that one container any saltwater that sits in my basement test positive for nitrates over time but not 1 day after freshly mixed or a few hours after mixed? And unless the salifert test kit doesnt measure at all in fresh water than it does not collect in non aerated freshwater brute...and it seems to increase over time....the basement is non finished and from time to time i notice it will have a slight urine ammonia like smell that I haven't located the source of.....sorry for the rambling but I can't figure out what could be causeing this???? Is it possible for ammonia to travel from air to water assuming if I can smell it then its there?? Am I wrong in thinking it's enough gas in air for me to notice the smell??? Any help would be greatly appreciated?

 

[Diesel]

Don't think that's possible.
How high is you nitrate?

 

[tunedtank]

In the brute after a week it is 50ppm+

 

[tunedtank]

In the tank with same test kit it's between 5-10ppm

 

[Diesel]

In the brute after a week it is 50ppm+

That's high for new saltwater.

 

[Diesel]

In the tank with same test kit it's between 5-10ppm

That is a good level to have between 5 and 10.

Do you have a cover over your brute?
What kind of pump you using to mix your salt with?

 

[tunedtank]

I know that's the problem lol... when I first mix it to 35ppt once the water is clear I can test and it will be 0 then 24 hours later I can test and still get no reading. After 2-3 days I can test and it will be 10-20ppm and it continues to increase...I don't know how far it would climb because I toss out unused and make new after a few days because of this problem.??

 

[tunedtank]

I do have a cover and have tried it covered and uncovered with no luck and the pump Is a ocean runner 2500

 

[Diesel]

FYI, I test my salt water only if I get a new bucket of salt, after that I don't.
My No3 is going up as well the longer I let the water mix but I always think it's No3 that I don't have to dose in my tank when I do a water change.

 

[tunedtank]

So your saying that your newly mixed saltwater wI'll accumulate nitrates as well over time? I know it's a problem that's not so much a problem as in causing negative affects in the tank I would just really like to find and understand the cause behind it because it doesn't make much since to me...and I'm more curious of the cause of it than fixing it...the tank is acro dominant and doing great but I can't wrap my brain around what would cause it to happen.....thanks alot for the replies diesel I really appreciate your input

 

[Elementalj]

Some kind of biological activity is gong on in the basement and I'd like to know what for myself. Did you state that you've tried mixing water somewhere else and leaving it to test the theory?

 

[Diesel]

What kind of salt are you using?
Some salts have some clay in it more than others, over time that will settle on the canister that you mixed it in.
Recommended is that you mix salt water and with in a day or two you do your water change.
If I wait and sometimes it is mixing or a week or longer I see more settlement on the side or bottom in my container.
Again I'm not worried about itas No3 is straight food for my bacteria and corals.
If I detect 10ppm in my container of 100 gallon water but I use only 20 gallon in a 200 gallon tank I will dilute my No3 to when it's in my tank only to 1ppm which is nothing.
Same is with ALK, CAL, MAG and others what you measure in your new salt water.

 

[maroun.c]

Could it be that ur holding tank is leaching something? How about phosphates?

 

[tunedtank]

@Elementalj I have not tested making new water in a different part of the house, but I will now that you bring that up...I had tried mixing in different containers all with the same results...that's where I'm at as well I'm more curious about what and why it's going on than that its happening..

@Diesel I am using regular io salt...and I have seen other people where it creates a muck in the bottom of mixing container I have developed a hard residue in bottom of bucket that barely wants to scrape out but it's very very little...all other params rest normal for io salt alk 11-12 cal 450ish+ mag 1280-1320

@maroun.c I can say for sure that it's not leaching somethinh but it does it in any container...only with salt not fresh so i don't think it could be leaching....po4 test 0 on hanna ulr

Thanks all for the help

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Can some one please tell me if it's possible for ammonia to travel from the air into the water?

The answer to that question is yes, but in practice it is not likely to be an issue. There is some ammonia in new salt water, typically, and that may get converted into a small amount of nitrate over time. Maybe 1 ppm.

Bear in mind that a little nitrite can be detected as a lot of nitrate.

But I don't know exactly what is the issue here.

 

[tunedtank]

So randy are you saying that with there being some ammonia in new.salt water that maybe over time bacteria could be converting it to nitrite and the nitrate test results could be a false reading based on the nitrite level and with there being no anaerobic baceria in the mixing container nothing is taking it any further through the process?? If this was the case wouldnt everyone have this issue with aged makeup water?? Thank you for your input

 

[tunedtank]

I guess one way to test would be get my self some nitrite and ammonia test kits and to try mixing water somewhere else in the house....I guess it kinda makes a little more sense now just that the numbers are so high....randy would the little bit if nitrite testing to a lot of nitrate increase like that over time?? And to the amounts of 50ppm+? Again thank you for your input

 

[jason2459]

Do you have a cat?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

So randy are you saying that with there being some ammonia in new.salt water that maybe over time bacteria could be converting it to nitrite and the nitrate test results could be a false reading based on the nitrite level and with there being no anaerobic baceria in the mixing container nothing is taking it any further through the process?? If this was the case wouldnt everyone have this issue with aged makeup water?? Thank you for your input

Yes, there is ammonia in new salt water, but it would make less than 1 ppm or so of nitrate. Not 50 ppm.

It generally isn't worth measuring new salt water for ammonia or nitrate or phosphate if you are using 0 ppm TDS RO/DI. Any measurements are likely small or test error if using a decent salt brand.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I guess one way to test would be get my self some nitrite and ammonia test kits and to try mixing water somewhere else in the house....I guess it kinda makes a little more sense now just that the numbers are so high....randy would the little bit if nitrite testing to a lot of nitrate increase like that over time?? And to the amounts of 50ppm+? Again thank you for your input

I do not know the multiplying ratio of nitrite into nitrate in a typical kit, but I doubt it is high enough for the small amount of nitrite that could rise over time to measure as 50 ppm nitrate.