HELP.. I just dosed nitrates from 0 to 40 ppm

[Lionfish hunter]

NYOS test kit apparently completely not working. I was dosing nitrates and thought it was not working. Just tested with api and showing 40 ppm. It was 1 yesterday. Do I need to do anemergency water change? Very expensive fish, crabs, shrimp, snails.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

250 gallons of water so it will be tap water and a big ordeal.

 

[Duffer]

I would take the nyros test kit over api any time of the day…just my 2 cents

 

[Lionfish hunter]

I would take the nyros test kit over api any time of the day…just my 2 cents

Thatis what I thought, but I actually dosed 40 ppm nitrates today and the nyos shows 1 ppm. My api shows 0 in my other tank.

 

[takitaj]

I don't think you have an issue. 40 isn't that high if you have fish only. Maybe a water change when you can get proper water. I really wouldn't stress too much over it.

If test kit is faulty then how are you measuring 40ppm?
*Edit: disregard question, just re-read your OP.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

I don't think you have an issue. 40 isn't that high if you have fish only. Maybe a water change when you can get proper water. I really wouldn't stress too much over it.

If test kit is faulty then how are you measuring 40ppm?
*Edit: disregard question, just re-read your OP.

Yes I have run ultra high nitrates before, but these fish and inverts have lived their entire lives in 0 nitrates until today. I just did another test and counted how much nitrate I have put in. The api looks like it is slightly over 40. I have put in about 55 ppm in 4 days. Most of that today.

 

[oceanleaf]

I agree with other comments that 40ppm is not that high.
If you put in 55ppm over 4 days, then the swing is only about 14ppm/day, so I would not worry to much.
There is no need for an emergency action.
I would recommend a bit more frequent water change in the next few weeks if you get a chance.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

I agree with other comments that 40ppm is not that high.
If you put in 55ppm over 4 days, then the swing is only about 14ppm/day, so I would not worry to much.
There is no need for an emergency action.
I would recommend a bit more frequent water change in the next few weeks if you get a chance.

Thanks for the replys. I dosed 15 ppm the last 3 days, but 40 today. I am going to do a 20 percent water change with tap water and hope it is all good.

 

[takitaj]

Noooo don't do it!. Doing a water change with tap water can be far worse that some elevated nitrates. If you have dinos (saw your other thread) they will suck it up pretty quick anyways, maybe even shock 'em into leaving. lol Wait until you can get clean water.

 

[Just John]

Agreed. Do not do a tap water change!! It may be fine or it may cause a serious problem depending on where you are and the water quality there. For example, my water is very hard and the pH goes so high that my two different pH test kits can't even measure it.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

I really hope this does those dynos in. Too late on the water change lol.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

I would take the nyros test kit over api any time of the day…just my 2 cents

Interesting turn of events, you appear to be right. I actually have 2 different api nitrate test kits. Testing the exact same water, 1 shows 40 and the other 0. So I have an api showing 0, another api showing 40, and nyos showing 1 to 2. I have dosed 55 ppm and am not 100 percent which to believe.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

1

 

[Lavey29]

Never want to use tap water and 40ppm is nothing for elevated nitrates.

 

[ZoWhat]

I've done emergency waterchanges with tap + Prime (I'm a Reefer since 2007)

Not a perfect world sometimes so you gotta do what you gotta do.

Are your corals looking bad?

If no corals, why are you dosing no3?

 

[Tamberav]

250 gallons of water so it will be tap water and a big ordeal.

I would take 40ppm nitrates over tap water.

I also wouldn't trust the test kit... your tank is big and I would think the amount to go to 0-40 would be... a lot.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

I am not afraid of tap water, done it plenty of times. I have corals in qt to go in and I have a million dinos. So need nitrates up a lite.

 

[madlos123]

You can do a test kit "test" to know which test kit is correct and wrong.
Since you got a bottle of liquid nitrate.

Get 1 gallon of ro/di
Add 40 ppm worth of liquid nitrate per 1 gallon ro/di
Then perform test for each test kit
Which ever matches or close to 40 ppm is the correct one.

40 ppm of nitrates are not too bad.
I had 60 - 80 ppm of nitrates before. I just cant add new invertebrates at that level (60+) before lowering it down.

 

[G Santana]

My tank is currently running 40 and I am dosing Vodka to bring it down slowly over many weeks. Corals are fine.

 

[Tamberav]

I am not afraid of tap water, done it plenty of times. I have corals in qt to go in and I have a million dinos. So need nitrates up a lite.

If your tap is fine then no worries about about 40ppm of nitrate This is even less of a concern then some peoples tap.