I have an API Freshwater Master Test Kit, which I've become very familiar with due to frequent use. My tank is a 29g (20l footprint), which I chose for a taller water column because it was intended for a school of gambusia. Tank was set up in mid October, so I'm positive it's cycled at this point. I also observe it daily, feed my fish twice a day, and maintain it fairly regularly. (I work as a "sales associate", so my schedule is highly erratic, and the GM is very reliable about waiting until the last second to post the new schedule. This makes it extremely difficult to plan anything in advance, or even follow a set routine.)
As stated, the tank was intended for my school of gambusia, so they were added when I set the tank up. Also in the tank are a pair of BNs (definitely a male and female), a bunch of ghost shrimp, and 3 electric blue rams. (And snails - ramshorn and pond snails.) I decorated the tank with 3 "medium" pieces of mopani (soaked for over a year), some small lava rocks, live plants, and a resin/plastic skull decoration from Petco. The plants are wisteria, Christmas moss - 1 floating ball and 2 that I've dismantled and attached to the mopani and a rock, 5 small marimo moss balls and 1 huge marimo "rock", anubias (attached to the mopani), 1 small java fern, 1 small El Niño fern, and 5 plants that I can't remember if they are ozolets or crypts. The plants are all doing very well, and have really grown. I've had to thin out the wisteria a few times. The fish are also doing very well, are very active, and eat readily.
Lighting is the fluorescent tube that came in the included hood, which is an Aquaeon Deluxe. The filter is a Whisper 40i - placed in the middle of the tank on the back pannel (the whole ensamble was a kit), which I've been using because I've been able to completely cover the tank with the hood. (I did buy a Fluval AC 30, a glass top, and a full spectrum LED for the tank.)
I test my water regularly. Ammonia and nitrite are negligible if present at all, the pH of the tank holds around 6.6 (it goes up after a WC), but I get consistently high nitrate readings - 40+, no mater how much water I change out. For me, water changes include a serious gravel vacuuming, and with black sand it's easy to see the debris! The water I take out is from vacuuming the substrate, and I use a dedicated 5g bucket as my dump bucket, so I know I change out more than 25% of the water. However, the nitrate readings never seem to change. I change my filter media regularly too, and add Tetra SafeStart Plus directly to the filter when I change the media. My water conditioner is Prime.
Here's what is really bugging me - I just did a 50% water change, rearranged the tank, changed the filter media, refilled the tank, and then vacuumed out another 6+ gallons. I waited 24 hours before testing, so everything would settle down. I expected a slight ammonia increase, and it read right around .25, zero nitrite, pH had gone up to around 7.6 (possibly higher because my tap water is around 8), but the nitrate reading was exactly the same as it was immediately before working on the tank. (The water was crystal clear, and the fish showed absolutely no signs of distress. They actually seem more lively and active, and their hearty appetites haven't been affected.)
I did not test GH or KH, because I haven't found a kit yet. After discussing my tank issues with a couple others, I bought some Tetra "6 in one" test strips to hopefully get a ballpark estimate of GH/KH. According to the strips, the GH is 300 (or higher, as the pad is a little more orange than the chart swatch), the KH is between 40 and 80, the pH is around 8.4, and the nitrate is between 20 and 40. According to the liquid test, ammonia and nitrite are zero, pH is around 7, and nitrate is reading a very bright candy apple red that indicates 40 and above. (I fed the fish about an hour ago, but my usual test routine is at night before the evening feeding.) And I have cut back on feeding.
Does anyone have any idea what's going on with my tank? Someone told me that my nitrate is so high because I have live plants, but research has told me that plants should lower nitrate. Could my test kit reagents be bad? I've shaken the crud out of the bottles, so I don't think they could be settled. I follow the test directions - shake bottle 2 for 30 seconds, then shake the tube for a full minute. I even tested my tap water, and it reads zero for nitrate.
Anyway, input is greatly appreciated.
As stated, the tank was intended for my school of gambusia, so they were added when I set the tank up. Also in the tank are a pair of BNs (definitely a male and female), a bunch of ghost shrimp, and 3 electric blue rams. (And snails - ramshorn and pond snails.) I decorated the tank with 3 "medium" pieces of mopani (soaked for over a year), some small lava rocks, live plants, and a resin/plastic skull decoration from Petco. The plants are wisteria, Christmas moss - 1 floating ball and 2 that I've dismantled and attached to the mopani and a rock, 5 small marimo moss balls and 1 huge marimo "rock", anubias (attached to the mopani), 1 small java fern, 1 small El Niño fern, and 5 plants that I can't remember if they are ozolets or crypts. The plants are all doing very well, and have really grown. I've had to thin out the wisteria a few times. The fish are also doing very well, are very active, and eat readily.
Lighting is the fluorescent tube that came in the included hood, which is an Aquaeon Deluxe. The filter is a Whisper 40i - placed in the middle of the tank on the back pannel (the whole ensamble was a kit), which I've been using because I've been able to completely cover the tank with the hood. (I did buy a Fluval AC 30, a glass top, and a full spectrum LED for the tank.)
I test my water regularly. Ammonia and nitrite are negligible if present at all, the pH of the tank holds around 6.6 (it goes up after a WC), but I get consistently high nitrate readings - 40+, no mater how much water I change out. For me, water changes include a serious gravel vacuuming, and with black sand it's easy to see the debris! The water I take out is from vacuuming the substrate, and I use a dedicated 5g bucket as my dump bucket, so I know I change out more than 25% of the water. However, the nitrate readings never seem to change. I change my filter media regularly too, and add Tetra SafeStart Plus directly to the filter when I change the media. My water conditioner is Prime.
Here's what is really bugging me - I just did a 50% water change, rearranged the tank, changed the filter media, refilled the tank, and then vacuumed out another 6+ gallons. I waited 24 hours before testing, so everything would settle down. I expected a slight ammonia increase, and it read right around .25, zero nitrite, pH had gone up to around 7.6 (possibly higher because my tap water is around 8), but the nitrate reading was exactly the same as it was immediately before working on the tank. (The water was crystal clear, and the fish showed absolutely no signs of distress. They actually seem more lively and active, and their hearty appetites haven't been affected.)
I did not test GH or KH, because I haven't found a kit yet. After discussing my tank issues with a couple others, I bought some Tetra "6 in one" test strips to hopefully get a ballpark estimate of GH/KH. According to the strips, the GH is 300 (or higher, as the pad is a little more orange than the chart swatch), the KH is between 40 and 80, the pH is around 8.4, and the nitrate is between 20 and 40. According to the liquid test, ammonia and nitrite are zero, pH is around 7, and nitrate is reading a very bright candy apple red that indicates 40 and above. (I fed the fish about an hour ago, but my usual test routine is at night before the evening feeding.) And I have cut back on feeding.
Does anyone have any idea what's going on with my tank? Someone told me that my nitrate is so high because I have live plants, but research has told me that plants should lower nitrate. Could my test kit reagents be bad? I've shaken the crud out of the bottles, so I don't think they could be settled. I follow the test directions - shake bottle 2 for 30 seconds, then shake the tube for a full minute. I even tested my tap water, and it reads zero for nitrate.
Anyway, input is greatly appreciated.
