No3 Nitrate problems after adding blue gig.

[Donly1]

added a Blue gig on 11/7/15 its looks great. eating chunks of fresh shrimp and hosting a clown, but I'm having trouble with nitrates since adding the blue gig anemone to my FOWLR 20 gallon tall tank.

I did a 10 gallon water change three days ago. I added a photo of the nitrate No3 test from today (on left my ro water and on right my tank water 3 days later and after a 10 gallon water change today). Very high No3 80ppm for two 50% water changes in three days.

Ph 8.2, temp 77, am=0 No=2

My particular 20 gallon tall has been set up for well over a year with Hydor SlimSkim, HOB reactor, and canister filter with AquaRay Ultima 1500 NP light running 12 hours a day. 20# live rock and sand coral as substrate.

It has had the two ocy clowns, 2 pajama Cardinals, one watchman goby, cleaner shrimp, 2 sea urchins in there from the beginning with 5 gallon changes every week with ro water and reef crystal salt.

Any ideas on how to keep the N03 down under 40ppm?

 

[Newtybar]

Maybe the fresh shrimp caused a spike?

 

[Donly1]

I have not fed the blue gig any shrimp all weekend since the 50% water change on friday, then Monday did another 50% and still showing 80ppm. Now what do I try?

 

[rffanat1c]

Try another test kit

 

[brewman1987]

Yeah try another kit, I have 3 api kits that all show different levels of nitrates from 0-50ppm

 

[Donly1]

new photo from last night

new photo from last night

how does it look?

 

[brewman1987]

Other than it looks slightly bleached, how's the mouth? Closed tight?

 

[OrionN]

Too many thread on this problem by the same OP. Should consolidate to just one thread

 

[Donly1]

I took some advice about the different test kits. I took my water 2 a couple of Lfs and watch them do a test. Both said that your water is perfect. They do not shake the bottle or the test tubes for nitrate after they cap them. The instructions clearly state to shake the nitrate tube for at least one minute. That's what I've been doing. I took my test kit which expires in 2017 and did a test, shaking the bottles a bit, and the nitrate tube for one full minute after dropping, and the another tube with no shaking. Welcome to find out the tube with no shaking looks awesome, but when you shake the nitrate tube for 1 minute after put the cap on it it shows almost 80 parts per million difference. Has anyone else had this issue?