0 Nitrates?

[cichlidcichlid]

Thanks for the good information. By the way what do you mean by DSB, for some reason I can't seem to figure out what it stands for.

 

[AfroCichlid]

Deep Sand Bed

 

[cichlidcichlid]

Razzo what substrate did you use in your 265 gallon cichlid tank?

 

[67chevelle]

Did you ever get a test kit?
Even with all the speculation and theories,I'm inclined to believe bad tests are the answer.

 

[jpappy789]

Although nitrates are used by plants as a source of nutrients, they require only about 1-2 mg/l in nature; high levels ( above 3mg/l ) can be damaging to some plants. Fish can normally tolerate much higher levels of nitrates, so anaerobic filtration has minimal benefits to fish but can be an important method of nitrate removal in planted aquariums.

I find this hard to believe...especially since the EI method suggests a target NO3 range of 5-30 ppm. Maybe for some terrestrial plants but I'm skeptical that any physical damage occurs to aquatic plants when nitrate is above 3 ppm.

 

[AfroCichlid]

My apologies... should read " above 30mg/l ".

 

[cichlidcichlid]

How does 30 mg/l translate into ppm?

 

[jpappy789]

Ah, that makes more sense.

mg/l = ppm for all practical purposes.

 

[ChrisK]

I run deep sand/gravel beds on all of my tanks, and my nitrate levels stay barely readable.

 

[AfroCichlid]

Ah, that makes more sense.

mg/l = ppm for all practical purposes.

Thanks for catching that Jpap... would've scared the crap out of some people I'm sure.