0 nitrates

Nitrates are unlinkly to be zero in a tank that is not planted and is completely cycled. Is your test kit old?

Also - the statement that anything under 10PPM nitrates is not good is wrong - you want your nitrates to be as low as possible especially in an unplanted tank.

i have trouble keeping mine under 20 even with weekly water changes.
 
My last water change was on the 15th and no the test kit isnt old. I know its working because i did have nitrates just yesterday. but now that i think of it..... When i installed the xp2 i did have to add some water to compensate for the canister. maybe this did it! It does hold a decent amount of water. Maybe 2 gallons? Is that enough to make a change in nitrates?

Edit: water that was added was treated with prime
 
a two gallon water change is not going to have an affect -
if you had a level of 20PPM and you did a 50% water change - the level would then be 10PPM.
 
i got the BN 3 days ago, hes been cleaning up the brown algae i have in the tank so i havent given him any food yet. But i did buy him some Wardley algae discs
 
donfenk said:
a two gallon water change is not going to have an affect -
if you had a level of 20PPM and you did a 50% water change - the level would then be 10PPM.
Click to expand...

well i only had 5ppm, would 2 gallons be enough to make it not show orange on the test? Could adding the bigger filter have changed my readings?
 
You're not using test strips are you?

Nitrates don't just disappear, something has to absorb and use them.

The disappearance of nitrates has nothing to do with your bacterial colony.
Nitrates are the waste from your bacteria when they "eat" your nitrites. Nitrates are always present in the tank unless you take them out (water changes) or something utilizes them (plants or algae).

0 nitrates is not a bad thing, in fact it is healthier for your fish.
 
no test strips, im using the aquarium pharmaceuticals master test kit. I tested 3 times today with the same results, but for the last 3 days i had nitrates. I just dont understand it, my ammonia and nitrites are still both at zero so i probably shouldnt worry about it and just keep testing to be sure.
 
I would suspect a problem with the test. As stated before, Nitrates don't just disappear. Ditch the test strips and use the liquid-type tests. Follow the directions carefully. Make sure you shake the test tube after adding the first regent and shake the second regent well before using.

Another possibility is that your new filter has both carbon and zeolite media. The carbon will take up some nitrates, but usually not a lot. Zeolite will remove a significant amount of amonia and starve your bacteria. This will be a problem once the zeolite has reached its' capacity and suddenly your tank starts cycling again.

Reading between 0 and 30 are fine for your fish. But if you don't have anything soaking up the Nitrates, you should always get readings. While your fish are not in any immediate danger, this is definitely not an issue I would ignore.
 
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