Newbie nitrite testing....

[SnazzyUrchin792]

1. API is known for false positives. Salifert is probably right. 2. As others have said, it doesn’t really matter anyway

 

[jdoguk]

hi, I’m very new to to the marine world.

I’m in the middle of a cycle and I just wanted to check if I’m going in the right direction.

Can someone rate my levels and let me know how long I should wait until I get my first fish.

 

[Cell]

hi, I’m very new to to the marine world.

I’m in the middle of a cycle and I just wanted to check if I’m going in the right direction.

Can someone rate my levels and let me know how long I should wait until I get my first fish.

I'd recommend starting a new thread for your question. It can get confusing about whose questions are being answered otherwise.

 

[SnazzyUrchin792]

hi, I’m very new to to the marine world.

I’m in the middle of a cycle and I just wanted to check if I’m going in the right direction.

Can someone rate my levels and let me know how long I should wait until I get my first fish.

I agree with Cell, but
- pH should be at least 8.1, yours appears to be around 7.8
- ammonia should be rock bottom. It appears to be around 1.5-2
- nitrite should also preferably be at zero, but it’s not the biggest deal if it exists.
You have nitrates, so it’s moving in the right
direction, but not quickly enough. You can add fish when:
- you pH goes up
- you have no ammonia whatsoever. It can’t even be at 0.01. It must be ZERO.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I agree with Cell, but
- pH should be at least 8.1, yours appears to be around 7.8
- ammonia should be rock bottom. It appears to be around 1.5-2
- nitrite should also preferably be at zero, but it’s not the biggest deal if it exists.
You have nitrates, so it’s moving in the right
direction, but not quickly enough. You can add fish when:
- you pH goes up
- you have no ammonia whatsoever. It can’t even be at 0.01. It must be ZERO.

I have to disagree. 0.01 ppm total ammonia is not detectable by most kits, but it’s fine if real.

Nitrite is not worth testing except to detect false nitrate test results, like here. The nitrate is likely much lower.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

hi, I’m very new to to the marine world.

I’m in the middle of a cycle and I just wanted to check if I’m going in the right direction.

Can someone rate my levels and let me know how long I should wait until I get my first fish.

You should wait until the ammonia drops significantly.