Phantom Nitrate

[Joe Carioti]

Hey guys, in attempts to keep this short, I'll get right to it:

If I mix 0 TDS RO/DI water with Instant Ocean salt in a Brute trash can, it will read 0ppm NO3 shortly after mixing.

If I leave this water mixing in my house for about 5-7 days (no lid), it will accumulate* ~50ppm NO3.

* I say accumulate because I have no idea where it could be coming from. I've dealt with this issue for the 3 years I've lived at this house and I still have no idea why it's happening. All of the tanks in my house level out at around 50ppm NO3 no matter what. The more I open the windows, the slower it accumulates.

I have a 100g system, 55lb of live pukani rock (cycled, cured) that has a bio load of 25 assorted snails with NO3 of 50ppm. This tank also has been running bio pellets for 2 months. It makes no sense.

I have no clue what could be happening here, but it sure seems like there's something in the air of my house that's collecting in my water. I always get a thick bacterial film on the surface of stagnant water (I'm not sure if this is related). Any ideas at all?

 

[NaH20nerd]

Hey guys, in attempts to keep this short, I'll get right to it:

If I mix 0 TDS RO/DI water with Instant Ocean salt in a Brute trash can, it will read 0ppm NO3 shortly after mixing.

If I leave this water mixing in my house for about 5-7 days (no lid), it will accumulate* ~50ppm NO3.

* I say accumulate because I have no idea where it could be coming from. I've dealt with this issue for the 3 years I've lived at this house and I still have no idea why it's happening. All of the tanks in my house level out at around 50ppm NO3 no matter what. The more I open the windows, the slower it accumulates.

I have a 100g system, 55lb of live pukani rock (cycled, cured) that has a bio load of 25 assorted snails with NO3 of 50ppm. This tank also has been running bio pellets for 2 months. It makes no sense.

I have no clue what could be happening here, but it sure seems like there's something in the air of my house that's collecting in my water. I always get a thick bacterial film on the surface of stagnant water (I'm not sure if this is related). Any ideas at all?

Dust and particulates in the air will most likely be your issue. Using a lid should reduce the contamination significantly but may not be 100% effective. Is your brute in a high traffic area?! My suggestion would be to mix your water 24-48hrs prior to use and keep a tight lid over it while mixing and when not in use. Rinse it out every so often as well.

 

[Joe Carioti]

Dust and particulates in the air will most likely be your issue. Using a lid should reduce the contamination significantly but may not be 100% effective. Is your brute in a high traffic area?! My suggestion would be to mix your water 24-48hrs prior to use and keep a tight lid over it while mixing and when not in use. Rinse it out every so often as well.

Ew, gross. Haha.

The entire house is a high traffic area. I have 3 other roommates, two cats, and a large dog.

I do notice my ceiling fans get dusty extremely quickly. I’m having my A/C serviced today, so I’ll ask about the dust and see if they have any input. I already use more aggressive filters on the air registers for this exact reason.

 

[Zack K]

Ew, gross. Haha.

The entire house is a high traffic area. I have 3 other roommates, two cats, and a large dog.

I do notice my ceiling fans get dusty extremely quickly. I’m having my A/C serviced today, so I’ll ask about the dust and see if they have any input. I already use more aggressive filters on the air registers for this exact reason.

Any chance those 3 roommates are guys? [emoji6] The dog doesn’t help matters when it come to particulates either. I have 2 of them. Their is always stuff in the air.

 

[Joe Carioti]

Any chance those 3 roommates are guys? [emoji6] The dog doesn’t help matters when it come to particulates either. I have 2 of them. Their is always stuff in the air.

2 guys, 2 girls. Are airborne particulates a common problem among reefers? I’ve never heard of this until now. Especially if it can get bad enough to raise nitrates that high.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, even less than 1 ppm nitrite might read as that much nitrate, but it is not normal to see any in new salt water.

What kit are you using?

 

[Joe Carioti]

FWIW, even less than 1 ppm nitrite might read as that much nitrate, but it is not normal to see any in new salt water.

What kit are you using?

I can test my mixed water for nitrite. I have an API test for that.

I use Salifert kits for nitrate and I have two different kits reading the same results.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I can test my mixed water for nitrite. I have an API test for that.

I use Salifert kits for nitrate and I have two different kits reading the same results.

The Salifert will read false high nitrate in the presence of nitrite. I'm not sure of the exact ratio for Salifert, but other brands can be 100:1 (1 nitrite reads as 100 nitrate).

 

[Lasse]

If you living in a high air polluted area and many cars using diesel as fuel - you will have plenty of NOx gases in the air. (nitrous gases) if they will convert to NO3 in the water or if the test wrongly report them as NO3 I do not know. @Randy Holmes-Farley - do you know?

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

NO2 in exhaust will give nitrate and nitrate

2 NO2 (N2O4) + H2O → HNO2 + HNO3 ---> 2H+ + NO2- + NO3-

 

[Joe Carioti]

The Salifert will read false high nitrate in the presence of nitrite. I'm not sure of the exact ratio for Salifert, but other brands can be 100:1 (1 nitrite reads as 100 nitrate).

Yep, this is it right here. I just got a reading of 1-2ppm nitrite from my mixing bucket.

If you living in a high air polluted area and many cars using diesel as fuel - you will have plenty of NOx gases in the air. (nitrous gases) if they will convert to NO3 in the water or if the test wrongly report them as NO3 I do not know. @Randy Holmes-Farley - do you know?

Sincerely Lasse

NO2 in exhaust will give nitrate and nitrate

2 NO2 (N2O4) + H2O → HNO2 + HNO3 ---> 2H+ + NO2- + NO3-

I live in a residential area that butts up against a military base and shipping port. If this nitrite/nitrate is coming from exhaust fumes, would it be testable if I left some saltwater outside? Or would the wind be too strong for anything to settle? Are there any other sources of airborne nitrite that are common?

 

[Lasse]

Shipping port - a lot of very dirty diesel. I think You could test it the way you suggest. Make a new batch in a big bucket (with a wide surface) put it outside - it does not matter if there is blowing a lot- on the contrary, it is better - its not particles - its a gas and you will have an equilibrium taking place between the content in the air and in the water. Take another bucket (similar) but with a lid. Wait for 4-5 days and measure again - and please come back with the results

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

If the cats is responsible - it should be NH4/NH3 instead but a cat litter can release a lot of NH3 when it is used

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Joe Carioti]

Shipping port - a lot of very dirty diesel. I think You could test it the way you suggest. Make a new batch in a big bucket (with a wide surface) put it outside - it does not matter if there is blowing a lot- on the contrary, it is better - its not particles - its a gas and you will have an equilibrium taking place between the content in the air and in the water. Take another bucket (similar) but with a lid. Wait for 4-5 days and measure again - and please come back with the results

Sincerely Lasse

Okay, I'll get that set up and see what happens. It shouldn't matter if it's mixed saltwater or RO/DI, right? I'd assume RO/DI would absorb more.

If the cats is responsible - it should be NH4/NH3 instead but a cat litter can release a lot of NH3 when it is used

Sincerely Lasse

I will check for ammonia, but the litter boxes are in a completely different area of the house and it doesn't smell like urine or anything in our house.

 

[Lasse]

Just to be sure that your test works good - use saltwater not RO/DI

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yep, this is it right here. I just got a reading of 1-2ppm nitrite from my mixing bucket.





I live in a residential area that butts up against a military base and shipping port. If this nitrite/nitrate is coming from exhaust fumes, would it be testable if I left some saltwater outside? Or would the wind be too strong for anything to settle? Are there any other sources of airborne nitrite that are common?

It's not a settling issue. It's like aerating for O2. The more mixing, the more goes in.

That said, I'm not sure this is a likely explanation for such levels since the level in the air is likely quite low..