Water Test Results.

[MrMoses]

Okay, I am cycling my tank with uncured vanuatu, it has been going for 2 weeks. I am not showing:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: .25
Nitrate: 0

How can my Ammonia and Nitrite be going down and my Nitrate drop to 0 without a water change? Is there something going on in my tank that gets rid of the Nitrates without my help?

 

[MrMoses]

I mean "I AM showing" not "I am not showing"

sorry

 

[JEFFR259]

When a tank begins it's cycle, it begins with elevated Ammonia levels. As the biological system matures, the tank/system is able to, more or less, convert the ammonia into Nitrite. Then the biological system in the tank will begin to convert the Nitrite into Nitrate. Finally, once the system is matured, it will begin to reduce the Nitrate to 0 or near 0 levels (like 5-10ppm) assuming you have adequete filtration (protein skimmer/refugium) and/or a good amount of live rock.

You've still got a few more weeks to go though....patience is a virtue

 

[JEFFR259]

in short, with frequent water testing, you will eventually begin to see the Nitrate levels rise and then fall as maturation completes

 

[drparker]

Ammonia is broken into Nitrite and then nitrate. Your readings show me your half to 3/4 through the cycle. Algae will consume nitrates, many people with algae outbreaks are surprised to have the readings for nitrate and phosphate be zero, but it's being used so fast you can't measure it.

 

[Aquarist007]

Re: Water Test Results.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14759759#post14759759 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrMoses
Okay, I am cycling my tank with uncured vanuatu, it has been going for 2 weeks. I am not showing:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: .25
Nitrate: 0

How can my Ammonia and Nitrite be going down and my Nitrate drop to 0 without a water change? Is there something going on in my tank that gets rid of the Nitrates without my help?

this is exactly what should happen.
ammonia spikes---aerobic bacteria cycle and break it down to nitrites
nitrites spike and anerobic bacteria cycle and break them down to nitrates
nitrates spike and anoxic bacteria break down the nitrates to nitrogen gas

this is why you wait until the spiked nitrates have gone down to zero---you biological filtration is now in place and you are ready to add stuff to your tank.

some reefers may do a water change if they are trying to preserve life hitch hiking in on the live rock. If the ammonia gets too high it will kill off the life so they do a water change.
Otherwise if you cycle your tank with partly to cured rock then you should not have to do a water change.

 

[MrMoses]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14759789#post14759789 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drparker
. Algae will consume nitrates, many people with algae outbreaks are surprised to have the readings for nitrate and phosphate be zero, but it's being used so fast you can't measure it.

When you say algae do you mean the bad kind of algae?

 

[drparker]

All kinds consume it, but yes you'll get a bloom of hair algae and is part of the normal cycle process. That's why people add good algae to the fuge/sump so those nutrients are there to feed a hair algae problem in the display tank.