Need a second pair of eyes.

[tmscott89]

Just looking to see what someone else thinks my nitrate levels look like. And also, anyone who uses a reef master test kit, do you base the level on the fact that you can’t see the color on the picture through the tube as shown? Or just which color looks closest?

 

[LaraLouM]

looks to me to be in between the 10 and 20 color.

 

[tmscott89]

I was thinking the same. It’s been this way for about 4-5 days now. How much should I be concerned with my inverts? No corals in the tank just fish, live rock, and clean up crew.

 

[Jay Z]

looks like it’s between 10 and 20 leaning closer to the 20 side.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I agree.

Evening

Probably around 15. I will mention once you start keeping coral you may want to get salifert. Their test kits are a bit more accurate. No need to worry about nitrate affecting the inverts or fish. Nitrate doesn’t get toxic to fish until over like 400 ppm I think. Most just worry about high nitrates affect the coral.

 

[tmscott89]

Ok, I first tested it because I had three dead hermits in my tank close to a week ago. Could have just been a freak thing, my nitrates are usually just next to zero so I wanted to be sure

 

[LaraLouM]

I was thinking the same. It’s been this way for about 4-5 days now. How much should I be concerned with my inverts? No corals in the tank just fish, live rock, and clean up crew.

A 20ish% water change should help it jump down some. I guess it depends on which inverts you have as to how sensitive they are. We have a pistol shrimp that will live through anything, but have trouble with emerald crabs.

 

[tmscott89]

No shrimp, no emeralds, diffeeent species of hermits and snails. And yeah I’ve already done a water change. Didn’t seem to help too much but I think it was only around 20 before so not gonna lower it too much

 

[adrianr514]

Hermits tend to die when they can't find a bigger shell to migrate to. How much nitrate is safe is subjective. Rule of thumb is lower is better but lots of people have success numbers as high as 50ppm. To get the best color representation you need to hold it up against a white surface and compare the color you see to the chart. Doing it as you have in the first picture gives a false reading and you're affecting light transition by putting it in front of a color giving you a false higher reading. I second that you get the Salifert Test. Way more accurate and easier to read.

 

[GThompson]

The second picture is the proper way to read the color chart. But after trying a Salifert kit I see why everyone likes them. The color change was really definite on my magnesium kit I still use my API kit to help confirm my Idip kit

 

[OutsideBrian]

Ok, I first tested it because I had three dead hermits in my tank close to a week ago. Could have just been a freak thing, my nitrates are usually just next to zero so I wanted to be sure

Are you sure it wasn’t a molt that you saw?

 

[johnalicia]

10ppm