Nitrate

[sanchezkk]

I had this same problem when using a API liquid test kit. Mine always read 20 ppm by my next water change. I went out and bought two different test kits and both showed only trace amounts if nitrate. I even tested the same water with all three kits. Only the liquid API kit showed 20 ppm. The other two did not show but trace amount. I think there is a problem with that test kit. I have a 100 g tank with 35 g sum/refug, skimmer, 2500 GPS return and 2 power heads. I also have 150 lbs live rock.

Hey Gregory,

In the API nitrate test kit instructions half way down it says take the number you get from the reading and divide it by 4.4 and that's where your nitrates are. You should be at 4.54ppm. :thumbup:

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[kwandrsn]

I've read that but want sure if anyone actually went by that

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[sanchezkk]

I do and no issues here. I've been using API for a year now and I've been good to go.

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[kwandrsn]

Ok cool I was getting concerned I would get it down to 10 and it would go to 20 in a week. So just as long as it doesn't reach 40 I'm good then right?

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[sanchezkk]

Sounds safe to me. Can anyone vouch for my answer?

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[Reefing Madness]

Hey Gregory,

In the API nitrate test kit instructions half way down it says take the number you get from the reading and divide it by 4.4 and that's where your nitrates are. You should be at 4.54ppm. :thumbup:

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I've got the Instructions sitting right in front of me (API), I must have a different test kit, no where do I read this divide by 4.4. ??
I do know that unless you shake both bottles for a good minute to mix them well, or you will get inaccurate reaadings.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Ok cool I was getting concerned I would get it down to 10 and it would go to 20 in a week. So just as long as it doesn't reach 40 I'm good then right?

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Yea, keep em under 40.

 

[fragmatic]

Ok I paid $55 for 18lbs of live rock with tons of hitchhikers including mussels and a polythoa polyp and a mushroom and also a hermit crab lol





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Looking good, as your bacteria in the new LR catch up you will see the nitrates and nitrites go down. Feed enough to feed growth of the bacteria, but increase it in small increments. It should come around fairly quickly now.

BTW... this is going to be an assume tank.

 

[kwandrsn]

What the API instructions say is that their test will give you a reading 4.4 times higher than sine other tests cause it tests a little different like total nitrates instead of something else

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[kwandrsn]

Looking good, as your bacteria in the new LR catch up you will see the nitrates and nitrites go down. Feed enough to feed growth of the bacteria, but increase it in small increments. It should come around fairly quickly now.

BTW... this is going to be an assume tank.

And thank you, yeah its going to be awesome. My nitrites stay at 0. Everything seems great except my calcium stays around 380

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[fragmatic]

Are you dosing alk and calc? I do and will never not dose them again... it is called stability.

 

[kwandrsn]

My kh stays about 10 and I am dosing with reef code a for calcium but it doesnt seem to do much but cost me money

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[Reefing Madness]

? I dose Calcion, Kent Magnesium, and Baking Soda for ALK. I get my water right every time. No trouble with Nitrates, no trouble PH, no trouble with high or low numbers, I check em twice a week, dose whats needed. Water change once every 6 months.

 

[kwandrsn]

Wow I do a 10-15 gallon water change in my 36 gallon weekly

Here is, what it get
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Ph 8.0
Temp 77
Salt 1.025
Calcium 380
Kh 10
Phosphate 0 to 0.25
Nitrate gets down to 10 and then in a week its up to 20

This week I removed the nitrate reducer filter pad and the phosphate reducer pad and I replaced my other 2 floss filters instead of rinsing them out and I also have purigen in one side

I was just rinsing all the pads out and replacing the phos pad and nitrate pad every month or so

I'm hoping my new setup will help as well

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[kwandrsn]

Only thing I dose is the reef code a.

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[Reefing Madness]

SUmp/Fuge. That would help a ton.

 

[tspreef]

I wound caution doing such larch water changes in such a new tank. I personally would stick to 10 percent especially if you are doing weekly changes. I think the level of nitrate you are seeing is normal for how young your tank is. I always had great success adding macro algae to reduce the nitrate when my tank was new. Now i struggle to grow any macro algae in my sump or tank. It takes 6 months to a year, depending on how much rock or sand you have, for anaerobic bacteria to start getting a grip on the amount of nitrate you have. Also maybe stay away from flake food as most have lots of nitrate in them. Have you tested phosphates? That could be a source and if it is just run a GFO reactor. Hope this helps, just be patient.


Thomas...
Motto: I dream therefore I am

 

[Gregory]

Hey Sanchezkk thanks for the information. I checked my API instructions and you were right. It's not under notes or important or any thing like hat but was under testing tips. I will post a picture of the instructions if I can figure out how. And it is worded weird. Not that you should divide by 4.4. But all other tests will show 4.4 times LESS than this test. Because of this small note that I did not notice I have wasted a lot of salt. Purchased de-nitrate pads, de-nitrate resins. Stressed over my nitrates being so high. I have talked to lfs in my home area and in stlouis told them the test kit I was using and no one knew to tell me this one small point. THANKS A MILLION. You are also correct that when I decide the result by 4.4 it is righ in line with the other two test kits. Great information.

 

[Gregory]

Sorry I thought the picture would be better. I think that this is something important to point out if you are using API liquid test kits. I wish I would have realized this. All else fails read instructions better. lol.

 

[kwandrsn]

Yeah my phosphates stay 0 to 0.25 I was doing such large changes because I was worried about my nitrates being 20. I was, afraid it would hurt my coral. I was only doing 4 gallon water changes at first cause I only had a bucket to mix it in now I have a 32 gallon brute trash can and a pump and heater so I constantly have it mixing. Now if I can get two pumps one to pump out out of trash can into a bucket and another to pump from my bucket up to my tank I would be set. I will take your advice and only do about 5 gallons a week.

I'm not sure about how much sand and rock I have there was about a half a 5 gallon bucket of sand and another 5 gallon bucket of rock just guessing maybe 20 or more lbs of rock in it all that was dried out. and I have also added 20.5 lbs of live rock

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