Nitrate question

[DeanB500]

Hi everyone,

My new marine tank has been running for 4 weeks now. I purchased "live" sand (Arag Alive) and 15kg of cured(minus the 4hr drive home) LR to get me started.

Ive been testing and testing like a mad scientist watching my parameters like a hawk. Currently:
Amm:0
Nitri:0
Nitra:0
P04: 0.03
pH:8.0
Alk: 8dkh
Cal:470ppm
Mg: ?? - no kit yet

My question is that i don't seem to be seeing ANY Nitrates yet. Why could this be?

Originally i had a hard time reading my API Ammonia test as it went cloudy (unlike when its in freshwater) and that threw me a little. To get an idea exactly what a 0 reading looked like - a made a fresh salt/RO mix, let it sit for 24 hrs and then tested that for my baseline 0 reading.
3 weeks ago, i was definitely seeing 0.5ppm which i confirmed by buying a Salifert Ammonia test and repeating the above test.
Today, they are both clearly 0ammonia, same for nitrite.

Where has my nitrate gone? At first i thought that it was me not shaking the bottle hard enough, so i tested some water from my Freshwater tank to confirm the test was performing - this all checked out fine showing 20ppm. Now i'm out of ideas.

 

[Pife]

What kit are you using? Your tank could be cycled.

 

[DeanB500]

API Saltwater Master kit and Salifert kits as well to confirm.

If it was cycled, surely I'd see something on the nitrates front?

 

[adakin]

Your signature says your tank has algae (assuming it's the same tank)... I would guess a lot of your nitrates are being consumed by that.

 

[SwampyBill]

You might add another ammonia source just to make sure it's truly cycled. A raw shrimp would work.

 

[DeanB500]

Your signature says your tank has algae (assuming it's the same tank)... I would guess a lot of your nitrates are being consumed by that.

That's a fair point. It's pretty clattered in algae just now. :uzi:
I was hoping the use of RO water would minimise its appearance during startup, but it's just as bad, if not worse than my tap-water-freshwater during it's maturing.

 

[DeanB500]

You might add another ammonia source just to make sure it's truly cycled. A raw shrimp would work.

There's already a fairly disgusting hunk of it bobbing along in the flow from the VorTech.

 

[SwampyBill]

How long has it been in? Yea, it ain't pretty & doesn't smell like a rose bush, but sure works good...Maybe you could put it in a stocking footie & bury it under sand or anchor it to rock. Or take it out & add a liquid source of ammonia.

 

[DeanB500]

How long has it been in? Yea, it ain't pretty & doesn't smell like a rose bush, but sure works good...Maybe you could put it in a stocking footie & bury it under sand or anchor it to rock. Or take it out & add a liquid source of ammonia.

I had wanted to use a liquid source of ammonia, but it turned into a real headache and unnecessary worry when I realised almost too late that the brand that had been recommended to me on a few occasions as being 100% pure turned out to also contain some surfactants or detergents.

I had shrimp in the fridge already. Seemed like a safe no-brainier at the time.

I guess it's been in a little over 3weeks.

 

[SwampyBill]

When testing for ammonia & nitrites, what was highest reading before it got down to 0?

 

[DeanB500]

When testing for ammonia & nitrites, what was highest reading before it got down to 0?

That's the bit that's got me puzzled.

Never seen a dot of nitrite. Highest ammonia was 0.5ppm. Even with the 4hr die off while my LR was being transported home and with the addition of the uncooked shrimp (that's now mostly snot)

When I was cycling my fresh, the test tube was solid green for weeks.

My LFS is great for marine stock, and they've just got in a massive resupply. I'm itching to see something swim around in my massive investment, but by the same token, I'm in no rush to see it become a graveyard.

 

[SwampyBill]

It might've spiked w/o you catching it, esp. w/ the cured rock. When you say the ammonia test was all cloudy, what was the reading?

 

[DeanB500]

Right now, it's 0. I find it hard to distinguish the colours at the lower end of the scale so I have an ro salt mix that I test at the same time to compare a true 0 colour to.

Don't all ammonia tests go cloudy with saltwater?

 

[SwampyBill]

Yes, ammonia test gets a cloudy greenish-yellow color w/ API test kit...I just saw where u posted highest ammonia levels; sorry, my bad. Do about a 25% water change, & test levels again. Depending on results, you're probly ready for your CUC. Good luck!

 

[PatW]

If you have piles of algae, it sounds as if they have sucked all the nitrates out of the water.

 

[DeanB500]

Yes, ammonia test gets a cloudy greenish-yellow color w/ API test kit...I just saw where u posted highest ammonia levels; sorry, my bad. Do about a 25% water change, & test levels again. Depending on results, you're probly ready for your CUC. Good luck!

No worries. Thanks for your help. It's going to have to be a 15% change cos that's the max my bucket will allow
Confirmation bias reins supreme - CUC it is!!! Wooop.

 

[SwampyBill]

15% is fine. When you add CUC, I'd suggest snails...Hermits tend to kill snails & each other for their shells, even when there's plenty empties around...btw, welcome to Reef Central!!