Nitrate at 0, is this bad?

[tmz]

Nitrate is not not zero in the sea. It's around 0.2ppm in reef surface water and 0.5 to 2.5ppm at greater depths ,possibly even higher where more organic matter is degrading.

 

[serbusfish]

Just curious, are you using an API nitrate test kit? If so, when they say to shake the bottle for 1 minute, they mean it. There is a chemical in there that need to be put back into suspension and if its not, it will always give a false 0.

No, Salifert. But I have used the API kit with my freshwater tank and am aware of this problem. As I said though my LFS guy even tried a more expensive high range kit and it still showed 0.

 

[CStrickland]

"High range" kits are useful because they are more accurate when there is a high amount of nitrate in the water. It seems like if you want to know whether you have 0ppm or .02ppm, a low range kit would be better?

Edit: I looked at the Red Sea high range kit on dr. Foster smith and it is for levels greater than 4ppm.