Brute gray trash can leaching nitrate into RODI water

[Gravity]

I would question the accuracy of using a marine test kit on freshwater. Even if the testing method is the same as a freshwater kit. I’m certain the color chart is adjusted for interferences present in saltwater.

Also it seems this is both a RODI storage and salt mixing bin. Unless you are cleaning the bin between each batch and bleaching it to oxidize any residual there is likely some contamination. However, this degree of cleaning would be an unnecessary step.

Regardless, if it is leaching nitrate it doesn’t appear to be impacting the tank that has zero nitrate. And the brown growth in the tank is likely dinoflagellates caused from the zero nitrate. This could be confirmed under a microscope.

 

[KaneMN]

I would question the accuracy of using a marine test kit on freshwater. Even if the testing method is the same as a freshwater kit. I’m certain the color chart is adjusted for interferences present in saltwater.

Also it seems this is both a RODI storage and salt mixing bin. Unless you are cleaning the bin between each batch and bleaching it to oxidize any residual there is likely some contamination. However, this degree of cleaning would be an unnecessary step.

Regardless, if it is leaching nitrate it doesn’t appear to be impacting the tank that has zero nitrate. And the brown growth in the tank is likely dinoflagellates caused from the zero nitrate. This could be confirmed under a microscope.

I’m working as a scientist, I will scrape some samples and look under microscope! Thanks for the advice! Just to be clear, it’s a brown dust that’s on the tank walls. I thought Dino will look different?

 

[thedon986]

Yeah with low nutrients in the tank I would suspect dinos. I am dosing silica in big doses to fight dinos and get no diatom bloom in an established tank.

 

[Cory]

A few ideas

-leaching something from the brute but unlikely but worth investigating.

-saltwater contains traces of ammonia from magnesium chloride usually which converts to nitrate by bacteria (they grow in anything)

-a small trace of nitrite (no2) will show up as a lot of nitrate (no3) on a test kit.

- your ro water is letting ammonia through and bacteria are converting it to nitrate.

Id check all these things and report back.

 

[92Miata]

Not sure which Red Sea kit(s) exist for Nitrate but a quick google showed one of their NO3 kits is accurate within 2ppm, which is obviously possible for your situation. I too have been using brutes for close to ten years and have never had an issue. It seems quite likely this is a margin of error issue and not leeching.

A lot of Red Sea's accuracy numbers require you to dose out reagents in amounts that aren't possible given the equipment in the kit. For instance, the Magnesium kit says its accurate to 20 ppm, but a single drop from the syringe given is more than 40 ppm.

Don't worry about 2ppm nitrate in your RODI bins. Seriously - take a gallon of water - put a cube of food in it - wait 4 hours - then test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. You'll very quickly realize how meaningless 2ppm in your topoff is.

 

[Gravity]

I’m working as a scientist, I will scrape some samples and look under microscope! Thanks for the advice! Just to be clear, it’s a brown dust that’s on the tank walls. I thought Dino will look different?

It can be difficult to tell. In my experience, there are typically visible strands across the sand, like a web.

 

[Tamberav]

Looks like your tank could use Nitrate anyways by that 0 test.

 

[Tastee]

This is the Red Sea kit I’ve been using. Thanks for the reco. I will look into it.

That kit is the basic Red Sea one so the margin of error will be higher. I use their Pro range which is both more accurate and precise. Still has a margin of error and can be faulty however - the first Phosphate Pro kit I got told me everything I tested was 0.25 when in reality they were 0.00.

 

[attiland]

I’ve tried so hard to bring nitrate up in my tank but it always stay at 0 ppm.

Maybe you don’t have diatoms but dinos. Dinos have the tendency of suck nitrates so quickly even if you dose and than few hours later you have nothing. Have you got a microscope? Confirm what you have and you should consider dosing.

 

[Hot2na]

I'd probably wash out the Brute in question really good with bleach, give it a thorough rinse, let it fully dry then do another test.

Peroxide would be better ..bleach leaves trace stuff behind...fwiw

 

[Cell]

Peroxide would be better ..bleach leaves trace stuff behind...fwiw

Not true. Non-scented, plain bleach is perfectly safe to use as long as it is allowed to fully dry. It is commonly used in reefing to reset rocks and decon tanks and storage containers etc...

 

[KaneMN]

Maybe you don’t have diatoms but dinos. Dinos have the tendency of suck nitrates so quickly even if you dose and than few hours later you have nothing. Have you got a microscope? Confirm what you have and you should consider dosing.

That makes sense, yes there are dinos in my tank for sure! I will start dosing nitrate to see how quickly it consumes nitrate.

 

[KaneMN]

That kit is the basic Red Sea one so the margin of error will be higher. I use their Pro range which is both more accurate and precise. Still has a margin of error and can be faulty however - the first Phosphate Pro kit I got told me everything I tested was 0.25 when in reality they were 0.00.

Yeah, I will buy a pro test kit from now on. Thanks a lot for suggestion!

 

[Hot2na]

Not true. Non-scented, plain bleach is perfectly safe to use as long as it is allowed to fully dry. It is commonly used in reefing to reset rocks and decon tanks and storage containers etc...

Ok, so i guess the chemical engineer with a degree in marine biology ,who invented an aquarium product that most of us on here have used ..was wrong when he told me that.

 

[Jeffcb]

I don't and would not store water in my Brute but I use 2 for water changes, maybe 12 hrs. BTW Lowes had 44 gal gray ones on clearance yesterday for 25.99 The wheels cost more than that bought I got another yesterday!