N i t r a t e s

[noelskii]

Does a SUPER H I G H range nitrate test kit exist?

I'm pretty sure mine is in the 200s (I think). My tank is 93 gallons and I must've done about 100 gallons worth of water change in the span of 2 weeks. After each WC I test for nitrates using salifert and sure enough it's still at 100 easy...

I'm pretty sure nitrates don't leech off of the rocks, and I have been vacuuming out all the detritus from the tank and rocks during each WC. My tank is BB with starboard so all the detritus accumulate in the back of tank and it is very easy to vacuum out. My sump is super clean.

My tank inhabitants are doing just fine. Corals are still growing and all my fish are thriving (about 15 fish). Clowns are still laying eggs, anemones are HUGE, shrimps are good. No nuisance algae at all (except occasional glass cleaning), coralline is all there.

 

[afernandez]

Do you have a skimmer?

 

[Marek-S]

I would test with different test kit first .

 

[SI REEF]

Mix a batch of new salt and test that before you add it to the tank to check the kit

 

[noelskii]

I've tested my RODI itself and a new batch of mixed saltwater using the RODI and both come up 0.

No skimmer yet, but that's for the long run.

 

[Niko]

As long as there are no ill effects, I would say keep doing what you're doing now. Don't fix it if it aint broken

 

[E.intheC]

I agree with the advice about using a different test kit

 

[ourcoralreef]

I had a friend that had high nitrates we bleached his rock did a cure and redsea cycle after 6-8 weeks he could add stuff and now happy with his nutrients

My first thought would be its the rock
How long have you had the rock
Where did you get it from

Also testing with multiple kits or bring water to a store to see if your nitrates are really that high

What are your other levels

 

[Dre]

Ill bet $1.00 the test kit is correct. A 93 gal tank with rocks and substrate I'm sure. 100 gal water change in two weeks. 15 fish and no skimmer nor scrubber? Your nitrate is high bro.

 

[Dre]

You're feeding too much without a skimmer. Cut back on feedings and continue with water change. You need a skimmer and Macro algae badly. As we all know corals and fish can tolerate high nitrate but it not a good idea. Your tank is susceptible to a crash

 

[ZippysFunLand]

Maybe try getting a regular nitrate test kit and doubling (or tripling) the amount of tank water you add... Just a thought. Makes sense to me.. Or put in 1/2 tank water, 1/2 newly mixed RODI salt water... that should give you 1/2 reading.

 

[noelskii]

I had a friend that had high nitrates we bleached his rock did a cure and redsea cycle after 6-8 weeks he could add stuff and now happy with his nutrients

My first thought would be its the rock
How long have you had the rock
Where did you get it from

Also testing with multiple kits or bring water to a store to see if your nitrates are really that high

What are your other levels

Rocks don't leach nitrates.

Most of the rocks are probably over 10yrs old. PO4 is at .03 the others- alk, cal, mag are spot on (don't remember the actuals).

Ill bet $1.00 the test kit is correct. A 93 gal tank with rocks and substrate I'm sure. 100 gal water change in two weeks. 15 fish and no skimmer nor scrubber? Your nitrate is high bro.

I know the test kit is good, but wanted to see if there was a test kit that can measure above 100. I understand the nitrates are high lol. And i'm sure it's not 100- It's def way higher than that. A skimmer will help, but it won't pull out nitrates as fast as large water changes. A skimmer is in the works.

 

[Euroreefer]

Pics :bigeyes2:

 

[ourcoralreef]

Rocks don't leach nitrates.

Most of the rocks are probably over 10yrs old. PO4 is at .03 the others- alk, cal, mag are spot on (don't remember the actuals).

They can, they don?t directly leach nitrates but the bacteria in your system converts it into nitrates (in a healthy system)

The rock has been in your system for over 10 years or you purchased a system that it was in for over 10 years

How long is this latest setup running for

If no amonia phosphate nitrite then i would say its a feeding thing and you are not removing extra nutrients from the water, mechanically (skimmer etc) and organically (algea)

Not switching out media or filter socks can also do it

 

[ZippysFunLand]

Did you say that your phosphate is at .03 and your nitrate is at 200??? Your kit must be bad, or your using purigen that needs to be washed... or maybe some chemical phosphate remover is in there somewhere.

 

[asianer]

you should just start a 10 gallon fresh water tank.

 

[afernandez]

Any filter socks /mechnical filtration?

How many kits have you tested with?

How old are you?re nitrates ?

How old are the test kits?

 

[Dre]

I know the test kit is good, but wanted to see if there was a test kit that can measure above 100. I understand the nitrates are high lol. And i'm sure it's not 100- It's def way higher than that. A skimmer will help, but it won't pull out nitrates as fast as large water changes. A skimmer is in the works.

Yeah, your right. Water change will definitely bring it down faster. Without doing water change, your tank would have crashed.


As for the test kits, you'd have to do some researching to find the one you're looking for. In the meantime cut back on feedings. Good luck

 

[MDreef]

Rocks don't leach nitrates.

Most of the rocks are probably over 10yrs old. PO4 is at .03 the others- alk, cal, mag are spot on (don't remember the actuals).



I know the test kit is good, but wanted to see if there was a test kit that can measure above 100. I understand the nitrates are high lol. And i'm sure it's not 100- It's def way higher than that. A skimmer will help, but it won't pull out nitrates as fast as large water changes. A skimmer is in the works.

Your salifert can probably detect a higher concentration, the reason why it's not on the color card is that at higher concentrations the changes become very subtle and usually require further dilution which increases complexity of testing at home. In labs one would generally use a spectro/photometer.

LaMotte, Hach, Mettler Toledo used to make nitrate nitrogen detection test kits that could detect higher ranges, if you find it you'll have to insert the value in a simple equation to get to the NO3.

Skimmer will take a long time, the fastest way to reduce would be carbon dosing.
Out of curiosity, at such high imbalance of N ratio are you having issues with cyano, dinos etc?

 

[ZippysFunLand]

Out of curiosity, at such high imbalance of N ratio are you having issues with cyano, dinos etc?

I was wondering the same. Green hair as well, but Green Hair and Cyano usually thrive on high phosphate \ low nitrate.