Are my parameters ok?

[Hannahmunt]

I’m currently going through the ugly stage and today added a few snails and hermit crabs. As well as a pair of clowns.

i currently now have 3 chromis and two clowns.

I tested my water and shop said it was fine…but to me the nitrates look to high, I’ve done a 20% water change and will test again tomorrow.

tank is a month old, with live rock, and a few soft corals.

paramaters:

Nitrite: 0.25
Nitrate: 50
Phosphate: 0.1
Alkaline: 8.5
Ammonia: 0
Ph: 8.15
Salinity: 1025

 

[gbroadbridge]

I’m currently going through the ugly stage and today added a few snails and hermit crabs. As well as a pair of clowns.

i currently now have 3 chromis and two clowns.

I tested my water and shop said it was fine…but to me the nitrates look to high, I’ve done a 20% water change and will test again tomorrow.

tank is a month old, with live rock, and a few soft corals.

paramaters:

Nitrite: 0.25
Nitrate: 50
Phosphate: 0.1
Alkaline: 8.5
Ammonia: 0
Ph: 8.15
Salinity: 1025

Well, consider that a 20% water change will reduce nitrate by 20%, so doing another one now would
drop your Nitrate from 50 to 40 if you didn't add any Nitrates.

A 50% WC would drop them to 25.

In any event those Nitrates are not harmful to fish, and still okay for Soft Corals.

I'd just do a 50% WC

 

[Hannahmunt]

Thank you. So the fish and corals will be ok?

 

[Garf]

I’m currently going through the ugly stage and today added a few snails and hermit crabs. As well as a pair of clowns.

i currently now have 3 chromis and two clowns.

I tested my water and shop said it was fine…but to me the nitrates look to high, I’ve done a 20% water change and will test again tomorrow.

tank is a month old, with live rock, and a few soft corals.

paramaters:

Nitrite: 0.25
Nitrate: 50
Phosphate: 0.1
Alkaline: 8.5
Ammonia: 0
Ph: 8.15
Salinity: 1025

With nitrite in there, the nitrate test is probably erroneous. You should be good.

 

[Hannahmunt]

With nitrite in there, the nitrate test is probably erroneous. You should be good.

I’ve been using the salifert tests

 

[Garf]

I’ve been using the salifert tests

Yeah, there’s usually an interference between nitrite and nitrate. No worries though, low levels of nitrite aren’t necessarily bad, they just mess with the nitrate test result.

 

[Hannahmunt]

Yeah, there’s usually an interference between nitrite and nitrate. No worries though, low levels of nitrite aren’t necessarily bad, they just mess with the nitrate test result.

Hmm very strange. I will re test in a few days maybe and see. I added some soft corals today so don’t want them to be affected by the high nitrates. I know nitrate is the last part of the cycle so could it possibly be that?

 

[Garf]

Hmm very strange. I will re test in a few days maybe and see. I added some soft corals today so don’t want them to be affected by the high nitrates. I know nitrate is the last part of the cycle so could it possibly be that?

The only time your nitrate test will be relatively accurate is when the nitrite drops to zero. In effect, your nitrate could actually be really low already.

 

[Hannahmunt]

The only time your nitrate test will be relatively accurate is when the nitrite drops to zero. In effect, your nitrate could actually be really low already.

I have a friend who has the hanna tests. I will get him to test the nitrate and nitrites to compare against mine. My nitrate shoes as 0.25 tonight

 

[Garf]

I have a friend who has the hanna tests. I will get him to test the nitrate and nitrites to compare against mine. My nitrate shoes as 0.25 tonight

Nitrite interference using Hanna High Range Nitrate checker HI-782

Does anyone know how nitrite levels affect this checker?

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Hannahmunt]

Nitrite interference using Hanna High Range Nitrate checker HI-782

Does anyone know how nitrite levels affect this checker?

www.reef2reef.com

I’ve just re done both nitrate and nitrites:

 

[Garf]

I’ve just re done both nitrate and nitrites:

Not sure on the nitrite test, I ain’t got one but for the nitrate your supposed to look down from the top, not the side. Looks to be 10x lower than you thought.

 

[Hannahmunt]

Not sure on the nitrite test, I ain’t got one but for the nitrate your supposed to look down from the top, not the side. Looks to be 10x lower than you thought.

Oh the packaging says to look from the side. Maybe it’s going down, I did a water change around 5 hours ago

 

[Garf]

Oh the packaging says to look from the side. Maybe it’s going down, I did a water change around 5 hours ago

If you read it from the side, you divide the result by ten, at least on my kit.

 

[Hannahmunt]

If you read it from the side, you divide the result by ten, at least on my kit.

Have re done it haha

 

[dvgyfresh]

Any presence of nitrite will skew nitrate test very high , I’d bet yr nitrate is closer to 10

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m currently going through the ugly stage and today added a few snails and hermit crabs. As well as a pair of clowns.

i currently now have 3 chromis and two clowns.

I tested my water and shop said it was fine…but to me the nitrates look to high, I’ve done a 20% water change and will test again tomorrow.

tank is a month old, with live rock, and a few soft corals.

paramaters:

Nitrite: 0.25
Nitrate: 50
Phosphate: 0.1
Alkaline: 8.5
Ammonia: 0
Ph: 8.15
Salinity: 1025

Are all your test kits Red Sea?
For a new tank, some of the zeros, while not impossible unusual.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Thank you. So the fish and corals will be ok?

Yes, the levels are fine for fish.

Ignore Nitrite as it is not toxic to marine animals at any level you will see cycling a tank.

 

[Hannahmunt]

Are all your test kits Red Sea?
For a new tank, some of the zeros, while not impossible unusual.

I use salifert. My water is straight from the sea so not premixed.