Quarantine Tank and High Nitrate Levels

[Califish]

Hello,

I have an empty 10 gallon quarantine tank set up for about 15 days now. There is nothing in this! I poured in a small bottle of Instant Ocean Bio-Spira 15 days ago. I have a Aqueon 10 filter with carbon pad and ammonia reducer installed. I have a small power head for flow. Temperature is around 80 degrees F. I use AquaticLife RODI mini system for my water out of my sink. Last week when I tested everything using my API test kit everything was good, except for the Nitrates. It read in the 40-50 range. I thought that was impossible and tossed it out and bought the Red Sea Marine kit. I just tested the water and (see attached) the Nitrates are high on the Red Sea kit. How is this possible with nothing in the tank??? I am dumbfounded on this. Any help is appreciated.

 

[WWC Verified Sponsor]

Hello!

Have you tested your ammonia?

 

[bruno3047]

Test the water out of your sink and out of your RO filter.

 

[Spare time]

Test the water out of your sink and out of your RO filter.

I don't think that would be legal to have that much in the tap lol

 

[piranhaman00]

Nitrites reading false positive, cycle is still going

 

[mtraylor]

Just a quick question. Do you have an established salt water aquarium? If so. I would use the water from your established aquarium to fill the QT tank.

What are you setting up the QT tank for? Is this a temp setup?

 

[Spare time]

Nitrites reading false positive, cycle is still going

I don't think they did anything to cycle it other than add bacteria

 

[Califish]

I just tested the RODI water I have in a bucket from yesterday with no salt added. It is reading about 2 on the Red Sea chart. I am still baffled how the empty quarantine tank is reading so high. Yes, I do have a 40 gallon established tank that I have not tested, which in my view is beside the point.

***edit*** the ammonia and nitrites tested at 0

 

[mtraylor]

Ok

 

[Califish]

One other detail I forgot to include is the salt. I use Instant Ocean Reef Salt and the salinity is at 1.026 as tested with Milwaukee instruments

 

[bruno3047]

One other detail I forgot to include is the salt. I use Instant Ocean Reef Salt and the salinity is at 1.026 as tested with Milwaukee instruments

Obviously, if you’re going to follow a process of elimination, the next thing to do would be to take that water that tested at 2 ppm and make some salt water out of it and then see if it’s your salt. Stranger things have happened with salt.

 

[Califish]

Just to follow you all up. This morning I tested the 4 gallon bucket of the RODI water (tested earlier this week by itself at 2ppm) with salt that tested at 1.026 salinity and the nitrates were the same as before salt. It tested at 2ppm. So, it is not the salt. Nitrates are present out of this 100 year old building.

I tested the tank again this morning and still no change. High nitrates in the 40-50 range. I just did a 40% water change and waited about an hour and the quarantine tank is now at 5ppm.

If I did another 40% water change late this week to get the nitrates even lower would that kill off the bacteria that is already established? Or do you think that 5ppm is acceptable for quarantine tank?

I know I am totally new to this, a little over 2 years now, but I found this baffling from the start.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Most fish can handle high nitrates with no problem. I would only worry if you have delicate livestock or invertebrates. And in that case if you do a partial water change every several days it should be ok.