alienara2 Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 So I've got my planted tank running for about a month now, have some guppies in there swimming around happily, especially when I overfeed them sometimes...Haven't done a water test in a while but last I checked I had high nitrite and nitrate. Today, when I did my water test, I had no ammonia, no nitrite and no nitrate... like it was at the lowest end of the scale. Is this even possible? Should I be worried? LolThanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 It is only possible to have next to 0 nitrate in a cycled tank if a massive water change has been done, or the plants in your tank are so heavily planted they are sucking up the nutrients. So it is not impossible that you have next to 0 but it is unlikely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shilo Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 Also check the expiry dates on the bottles, they will decrease in accuracy the further past the expiry date they are. Then do another test but make sure the test tube used is rinsed out quite a few times before testing. Don't know if it effects the Nitrate test but I've given myself a few scares checking PH using a tube that I hadn't rinsed properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienara2 Posted December 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 yeah my water test kit is brand new, always rinse out the test tubes after each test. I'm thinking Adrienne probably has the right idea. I know guppies have a small bioload and considering its a heavily planted 200L with about 20 guppies, majority are still babies, I'm assuming this must be it. Thanks team.Also I haven't done a massive water change, most is 20% and that was done last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 Obviously superior plants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienara2 Posted December 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Coming from Caryl's aquarium, must be Only issue is I bought a bunch of other plants and ended up with ramshorns in my tank now haha... makes it look a little more natural I guess. Also my tank seems to have a greenish hue to it. Don't know if it's algae or just due to the plants. I'm gonna say it's the plants coz it's so awesome and superior huh Caryl? =p Caryl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderPig Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 I'd try the nitrate test again. Make sure you shake bottle 2 really well before adding the drops to the tube. I like to tap bottle 2 on a hard surface a few times before shaking it too. I believe there are crystals in that bottle that need broken up..(assuming API brand test) If your water looks green you could siphon some into a clear jug or bottle to double check, hold it against a white piece of paper or similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexyay Posted December 24, 2015 Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 It's really common for people to perform the Nitrate test wrong - as mentioned above, bottle #2 and the test tube need shaking for the recommended period of time - If your arms don't feel like they're about to fall off, you're likely doing it wrong API unfortunately can be known for producing dud kits, also, so it's often worth calibrating it with a DIY calibration solution, or using a second/third kit. I personally switched to Seachem as my kit was actually testing as double the actual Nitrate rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienara2 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Ok will try it again. Thanks guys.Alex, what's a DIY calibration solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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