Nitrates Issue at the end of a cycle

[Tyguy35]

Hey, so I am closing In on the End of my cycle.

ammonia 0
Nitrites was 0 and went to 0.25 today
Nitrate is over 100 on API and 50 on salifert

I have done 2 25 percent water changes and today and 50 percent water change
testing the nitrate a few hours after each.
After testing both test kits read the same as they did before. The nitrate didn’t budge. Should I just leave it?

 

[Cell]

If I diluted a sample in half and got the same result at 50% that I did at 100% I'm second guessing my testing results.

 

[Tyguy35]

If I diluted a sample in half and got the same result at 50% that I did at 100% I'm second guessing my testing results.

On two different tests though?

 

[JamesRPaquette]

How big is the tank what did you use to cycle it?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

With many nitrate kits, that 0.25 ppm nitrite may read as 25 ppm nitrate.

I would not be sure you have nitrate anywhere close to 100+ ppm.

 

[Tyguy35]

How big is the tank what did you use to cycle it?

20g and I used fritz 9

 

[Tyguy35]

With many nitrate kits, that 0.25 ppm nitrite may read as 25 ppm nitrate.

I would not be sure you have nitrate anywhere close to 100+ ppm.

Wouldn’t the colour show closer to 0. On two kits it reads at a darker colour.

 

[Garf]

Test your newly made saltwater for comparison.

 

[JamesRPaquette]

20g and I used fritz 9

What kind of water are you using?

Do you have another water sample to test?

I agree with Farley 100 is high.

 

[blasterman]

I've found Salifert kits not very good at high nitrate values. Anything over a reading of 10 and they go off the scale. Good at reading values less than that, but hopeless for higher values.

You could stick your finger in the tank and lick it and do a better guess job than API.

 

[Tyguy35]

What kind of water are you using?

Do you have another water sample to test?

I agree with Farley 100 is high.

RODI

 

[Tyguy35]

Test your newly made saltwater for comparison.

I had some water left over from the change. Tested it and I’m getting 0 on the API and between 0 and 2 on the salifert

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Wouldn’t the colour show closer to 0. On two kits it reads at a darker colour.

Just saying that there's a good chance that you do not have 100+ ppm nitrate. Never assume kits work right. lol

how would it even get that high?

 

[SurgeonFish]

How much rock/sand and how big of a system? Was it new dry/old/or cured rock?

could be just a huge die off from something but 100 ppm seems crazy. Do you have any other nutrient exports?
If water change isn’t helping there’s something likely decaying that’s continually increasing the nitrates.

a skimmer or refugium so soak them up might help short and long term.

 

[Tyguy35]

How much rock/sand and how big of a system? Was it new dry/old/or cured rock?

could be just a huge die off from something but 100 ppm seems crazy. Do you have any other nutrient exports?
If water change isn’t helping there’s something likely decaying that’s continually increasing the nitrates.

a skimmer or refugium so soak them up might help short and long term.

20g. Old dry rock I used a year ago. I turned the skimmer on a few days ago. I guess I’ll just wait and see.

 

[Tyguy35]

Just saying that there's a good chance that you do not have 100+ ppm nitrate. Never assume kits work right. lol

how would it even get that high?

I also don’t want to assume it is wrong either just in case. Both kits read low or 0 on the fresh saltwater I had mixed.

 

[Garf]

20g. Old dry rock I used a year ago. I turned the skimmer on a few days ago. I guess I’ll just wait and see.

So, your actually “curing” it now then?

 

[SurgeonFish]

20g. Old dry rock I used a year ago. I turned the skimmer on a few days ago. I guess I’ll just wait and see.

Depending on how long you used that rock it could have a large bio load build up in it that you’ll have to let die off and remove. That’s why a lot of people bleach used rock to break down the organics.

with that being said I would just let your bacteria and skimmer do their thing and keep up the water changes until nitrates get manageable.

 

[Tyguy35]

Depending on how long you used that rock it could have a large bio load build up in it that you’ll have to let die off and remove. That’s why a lot of people bleach used rock to break down the organics.

with that being said I would just let your bacteria and skimmer do their thing and keep up the water changes until nitrates get manageable.

It was only used 3-4 months. And then dried for a year. I had asked in another thread if instead of curing I could use it to cycle the tank.

 

[Garf]

It certainly

It was only used 3-4 months. And then dried for a year. I had asked in another thread if instead of curing I could use it to cycle the tank.

you got a link to that thread?