Where'd my Nitrates go?

[Prometheus]

ok...

I did a water change last weekend (25%) and my Nitrates were between 5ppm and 10ppm (before the water change)...

Today, I test my nitrates and they read 0ppm and between 0ppm and 5ppm (before the water change)...

Whats going on with my tank? I find this odd, I have no plants, just fish...

FWIW, I did a 20% water change anyway... no need to break the habit.

[Leopardess]

Well...good on keeping the w/c anyway - its not just the nitrates you want to get rid of anyway, but many biological wastes.


I would test it again a few times...perhaps you tested it wrong somehow? Obviously you know how to do it, but many times I haven't been paying full attention...and I test my pH and get something ridiculous like 4. Well...stupid me, maybe if i actually payed attention to how many drops went in lol.

Maybe you 've just been doing a really good cleaning job and its just registering up as undetectable on your kit (which are generally at least slightly inaccurate)

[JSchmidt]

Any other changes in water chemistry? pH drop? increase in ammonia?

More than likely, you're seeing some unreliability in your test kit.

It is odd, though.

Jim

[OrionGirl]

Agree that re-testing may provide the answer. Other things to consider--do you have a sand substrate?

[Prometheus]

Originally posted by OrionGirl
Agree that re-testing may provide the answer. Other things to consider--do you have a sand substrate?

No, gravel... I do a deep vacumming at every water change...

New test results, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and still the 0 to 5ppm of nitrates (in that 'grey' area not quite 0 not quite 5)...

No problems that I visibly tell, fish look great, full spread on fins, no labored breathing ect. ect....

Ah well, guess I shouldn't be complaining... but it just seems weird to me...

Could it be that since I've added my second penguin 330, somehow thats cut down on the nitrates? (I don't see how exactly it would be able too... but thats all I can think of thats changed in my tank over the past 5 weeks or so...) I consider my tank to be moderately stocked (once some of these guys grow some more it'll definately be heavily stocked, IMO anyway) so I KNOW that lots of waste is being produced, I feed twice a day so I really like to keep on top of my water tests.......

[roliva]

Just curious, how are your nitrate levels now?

[JSchmidt]

Lots of algae?

Outside of nitrate being taken up by plants (or algae), consumed by anaerobic bacteria or removed thru water changes, I don't know how it would decline in your tank.

There are nitrate-absorbing resins, but I'm presuming you're not using anything like that.

Puzzling.

Jim

[aquariumfishguy]

If you want to hear something really stupid, I had this one test kit for about 6 months...I used it, it always told me I had 8 ppm for nitrates. Well, ho-hum-tee-dum, I finally get suspicious that my nitrates are so low, in ALL my tank...so I went out, and bought TWO (2) test kits for nitrates. It turned out my true nitrates were 20-25 ppm.

So perhaps you should buy one or two different brands just to check. 0-5ppm is unheard of by most out there. ;)

[travelinman1969]

If it is as you say, ur livin right!! :D Maybe you could tell us your secret, or better yet, sell it, you'd make millions. :p