Soooo, I have 3 tanks, a 2.5 hex with a CT betta and ramshorns, a 10 with guppies, a DP an otto and MTS, and a 55 with 4 hatchets, 10 cardinals, 10 serpaes, 6 golden 4line cats, 2 rams and a pair of cacatoos. All these tanks seem pretty well stocked to me.
My nitrates are suspiciously low. Usually, at weekly changes, they are at 10-20. I use a liquid test kit, but have been compairing it to a strip kit for a few months.(In a past thread, I posted the observation that the strips usually read higher than the liquids, causing the thought that I would rather get a high reading, than one that was too low.)
The 10 gallon used to get to about 30-40 ppm at the old place, then got lower and lower in the new house(this tank was also planted after I moved here, so not much supprise there) The 55 was set up at the new house, and slowly stocked to its current level, as was the 2.5
. Due to recent work issues, I was unable to be home to do water changes a few weekend(not in a row). Even after 2 weeks of no water changes, liquid kits had tested lowwer than 20ppm and strips approxamatly 30ppm(between the 20 and 40 colors). After 3 of these situations(2 weeks without WCs over a 3 month period), a trip to the LFS confirmed a nitrate level of 20-30 ppm by thier tests. What are some of the other members stocking levels and nitrate levels after a week? Id like to know why they seem to be so low after so long without Wcs.
My nitrates are suspiciously low. Usually, at weekly changes, they are at 10-20. I use a liquid test kit, but have been compairing it to a strip kit for a few months.(In a past thread, I posted the observation that the strips usually read higher than the liquids, causing the thought that I would rather get a high reading, than one that was too low.)
The 10 gallon used to get to about 30-40 ppm at the old place, then got lower and lower in the new house(this tank was also planted after I moved here, so not much supprise there) The 55 was set up at the new house, and slowly stocked to its current level, as was the 2.5
. Due to recent work issues, I was unable to be home to do water changes a few weekend(not in a row). Even after 2 weeks of no water changes, liquid kits had tested lowwer than 20ppm and strips approxamatly 30ppm(between the 20 and 40 colors). After 3 of these situations(2 weeks without WCs over a 3 month period), a trip to the LFS confirmed a nitrate level of 20-30 ppm by thier tests. What are some of the other members stocking levels and nitrate levels after a week? Id like to know why they seem to be so low after so long without Wcs.
