API Nitrate test kit.

[Cory Keeper]

If you get enough live plants, say good bye to nitrates, get too many and you will need to dose nitrates (like the situation I'm in)

 

[Mgamer20o0]

Nitrates and I have been enemies since I started this tank. Water out of my tap, according to my test, is 10ppm. So, when I do a water change I'm starting at 10. That doesn't give me much room for natural growth. I change 20 to 25 gallons per week. That sounds reasonable to me, what about you all? Obviously it doesn't really matter as there are nitrates in there and I have green algae growing.

I purchased that API Master Freshwater kit probably 3 years ago. The cards haven't been left out in the sun ever. They spend all their time in the box with the chemicals under the tank. I'm assuming that I just have a bad card. It sounds like you guys have cards with more color seperation than I have. I'll just pickup a new Nitrate test kit.

As for the FW vs. SW. test, what I have is a Freshwater Master Kit and a Saltwater Master Kit. I was wondering if I could use the Nitrate test from the Saltwater kit in my Freshwater tank. I wasn't going to use the chemicals from the freshwater and the card from the SW.

One last thing I can't understand... If I have nitrates this high then why do my java fern's look like crap? All brown with holes. There are a few new leaves but not much. If what I purchased was 100% great it's not maybe 60% great (hope that makes sense).

they nitrate bottle is the same for fw or sw.

there can be many reasons for your java fern not looking to good.

 

[ozgood]

I just checked the test kits. FW is March 2005 and SW is June 2005. So, I'm about up on the 3 year lifespan. I used the SW test a minute ago. Nitrates are between 10 and 20. I'll see about getting a new test kit.

 

[Mgamer20o0]

what kind of lights do you have? how long are they on? how many watts? i would think about added other fast growing low light plants to help deal with nitrates.

 

[Reddog80p]

Your freshwater NitrAte card is alot different looking than mine. My 10 ppm level is orange. 20 ppm is dark orange. 40 ppm is true red. 80 ppm goes to more of a pinker red. and 160 ppm looks almost bergundy. The 160 level looks alot darker than the picture shows the "freshwater nitrate headline at the top of the color card is in the same "bergundy" as the 160 ppm level. My lot numbers on my bottles all end in 0507.

 

[Coler]

^ that's what mine looks like....and the thumb too !!! its uncanny !!!!

I suspect the three year old test kit is close to the end of its useful life anyway.