Nitrate testing. Please help!!

allboutthe305 · Oct 19, 2015

So I've been using API test for nitrate for a year now and it's been on zero. I decided to get a Salifert Nitrate test kit to start double checking every once in a while. And now it's reading 100ppm on nitrate.

Which one to believe?

What do I do?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 19, 2015

Can you describe the tank? Might it still be cycling?

Lenny_S · Oct 19, 2015

Your tank is a year old (or more)? I couldn't tell you which one was right, but I would suggest you retest with both and see if they both have the same reading again. And if the Salifert test is new for you, double check the instructions

AdamNC · Oct 19, 2015

Couldn't tell you which one is right but I had my API kit telling me I had 0ppm one day, 60ppm the next week and then 40ppm the following day. Just picked up a Red Sea Pro Nitrate kit and it read 14ppm the day after and then yesterday 10ppm. I double checked the with a second test on the new kit and it was consistent. If your API kit is about a year old I'd replace it as mine was about a year and a half old.

allboutthe305 · Oct 19, 2015

It's been successful for over a year. So cycling was long time ago so that's been done. I retested multiple times and same thing over and over. Yeah my API is about a year and half since I started the tank. Everything else still seems accurate compared to other tests. I went ahead and changed 15 gallons and added a nitrate remover so hopefully it lowers quickly before I lose anything.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 20, 2015

Try the Salifert kit on some new salt water to make sure it will read close to 0 ppm as you are using it.

allboutthe305 · Oct 20, 2015

Didn't read this till now sorry.

I will tomorrow when I do another change. I tested again today after the 15g water change and it went down quite a bit so hopefully with these water changes I can get it to drop.