# Nitrates Zero? Really?



## ReStart

I'm just fininishing my weekly wc's and testing. Now I keep good filters, do regular wc's, watch my 6 tanks carefully and all the usual stuff for someone who is serious about this hobby. 

Here is what puzzles me. I did my API Nitrate test on both my 55g Cichlid tank and my 60g Raninbow tank. Both are fairly well stocked. For the second week in a row, I am getting zero Nitrates. Well, good, I am thinking, but today I decided to test strip them also. Test strips are showing 40 ppm in one and 20 ppm in the other. Hmmm.

I know that the API is more accurate than than strips but zero Nitrates? In fully stocked, non-planted tanks? I ran the API tests again, same results. I just can't believe that there'd be NO nitrates in a fully stocked tank after a week. No filter that I know of, removes Nitrates, only wc's do that.

What's up do you think?


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## rtbob

Click the link in my sig. for a possible answer.


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## ReStart

Rt, thanks but the link seems dead on my PC. I did remember someting about some agents needing to be shaken for like three minutes so I did that and retested. Now I am showing about 20ppm Nitrate in the 60g after the 50% wc. It was showing 40ppm on the strip prior but zero on the API. So all of that makes sense. Geez, gotta shake the crap outta that stuff.


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## rtbob

Link Fixed. Bottle number two is the culprit as explained by an API representative in the link.


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## NeonShark666

Nitrates are never zero in an aquarium with fish or plants. If you are getting zero then there is something wrong with your test. The only aquatic environment where you would get true zero on a water test would be distilled water.


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## rtbob

I have actually heard of heavily planted tanks with nitrAtes at zero. If I'm not mistaken some people actually add nitrAtes to these planted tanks. If anyone needs water with nitrAte in it I'm selling it for $19.99 a gallon + shipping.


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## Rohkey

NeonShark666 said:


> Nitrates are never zero in an aquarium with fish or plants. If you are getting zero then there is something wrong with your test. The only aquatic environment where you would get true zero on a water test would be distilled water.


If someone used water with low nitrates for their tank and the plants consumed nitrates at the same rate or quicker than the bacteria turned nitrite into nitrate, it's feasible.


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## benitahigg

Geeze! This nitrates stuff is so confusing! I don't know what to believe. But, my test 0 Nitrates too. 60 gallon cycled tank , been set up for about 3 months , stocked with community fish and 3 plants!


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## jrman83

I understand Neon's point and I believe he is right for the most part. The only thing you know for sure is that your tank test for zero nitrates, given the testing materials you have. The API test is fairly accurate, but each test will read slight differences, from what I understand. There is a calibration process out there to help you determine how your testing liquids react. It's a little drawn out, but can be worth it to perform.


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## Rohkey

benitahigg said:


> Geeze! This nitrates stuff is so confusing! I don't know what to believe. But, my test 0 Nitrates too. 60 gallon cycled tank , been set up for about 3 months , stocked with community fish and 3 plants!



What are you confused about? I think it's basically like this...in an established aquarium ammonia is converted into nitrites by bacteria and then a different bacteria converts those into nitrates. Nitrates are also present in most tap water (from agriculture runoff I believe). These are really the only two ways nitrates get into the aquarium as far as I know. The ways to get rid of them are to do water changes (which brings the aquarium more in line of what the tap water's nitrate level is, which should be relatively low) or have plants. Plants consume both ammonia and nitrates for their source of nitrogen but from what I have read prefer ammonia, although they will consume both to my knowledge if they are both present (just not as much nitrates). A few plants don't really affect this too much but a heavily planted aquarium can rely on plants more so than bacteria for consumption of both ammonia and nitrate (hence in these aquariums there are less bacteria present in the filter media, on the gravel, etc).

The confusing part is why people with lightly planted aquariums are showing minimal or even no nitrates in their tests. The answer is the API Freshwater kit is one of the more popular and widely used methods of testing for nitrates and the #2 bottle of the API kit has a certain substance that solidifies quickly and hence the bottle has to be thoroughly and vigorously shaken to mix all of the bottle's components. If the bottle is not mixed properly a false-low reading will occur. The instructions in the kit suggest at least 30 seconds of vigorous shaking for bottle #2, but this is only sufficient if the bottle hasn't been sitting for more than a couple of days..and often 2-3 minutes is necessary along with a supplemental banging of the bottle against a hard surface to loosen the substance in question.

The other answer is that if the kit is more than a couple years old, it has expired and will no longer produce reliable and accurate results. The bottles have a number of some sort on them, and the last 4 digits represent the month and year of production. It isn't uncommon for a kit to be on a store's shelf for a year or two before being sold, so just because you recently bought it does not mean it isn't expired.


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## ReStart

There seems to be several threads on this same subject but since I am really hacked off, I am going to continue with the one I started.

This morning, after a 50% wc yesterday, on my 55g Cichlid tank, the API is reading 80 ppm Nitrate! The strip is showing about 10ppm. 

What the heck? I can only surmise that Nitrate bottle has expired (is the lot number year/month or month/year) my nitrate bottle #2 says, 0806 and my #1 bottle says 1008 or that because I was not shaking the #2 bottle long and hard enough, I used more of the liquid component as I tested weekly, then after shaking it hard yesterday, I now have more of the "solid" and now #2 is more concentrated than it should be.

Man, I am p#####. I am not super concerned that my tanks are saturated with nitrates because I do wc's but I do use that reading to get a general idea of dirtiyness" of my water and to determine bio-load status.

What really gets me is that this issue has not been widely published by API or Tropical Fish magazine. Also, that I bought this kit about 2 months ago and perhaps some of it is expired already. Cheats.

I accept the responsibility for the mistakes I've made in this hobby, and they've been many. Being mislead by what is supposed to be the gold standard of testing just infuriates me.

I am taking a sample of my 55 and my 60 to my best LFS and let Aimee test them for me. I just want to know. Right now I'm inclined to trust my strip more thanmy API. I have created a spreadsheet for my tank parms with a collum for API vs strip and we'll have empirical data soon.


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## ReStart

LFS confirms the API reading. Wow. There I was rolling along thinking I had zero or nearly zero Nitrates and all the while I had 80ppm in one tank and 60ppm in the other. I am going to do another 50% wc in both in just a bit and retest. I suspect I am overfeeding even though I call myself being careful. I'll cut way back for a few days and see what happens.

I guess to some degree, I owe API a bit of an apology, although I still have a point.


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## Rohkey

In fairness the instructions on the kit do say to shake for _at least_ 30 seconds and the store itself is more responsible for selling an expired product than a manufacturer who most likely promptly shipped the product out. I agree, though, there should be a bit more mentioned about this as I am sure too many people to count have lost fish based on faulty readings because of these little-known reasons. Maybe somewhere API does mention the expiring of the bottles? Not sure. (BTW pretty sure the format is month/year but don't know if it differs based on where they are being shipped to).

That being said, 60-80 ppm are elevated but not terrible. It takes nitrates about twice as high to start having a significant negative impact on fish and even then only after prolonged (2-3 weeks or so) exposure. I've heard of established tanks having 400-500 ppm without deaths, as the fish are able to slowly acclimate and be able to tolerate these poor conditions (a new fish brought in would be in serious trouble though).

EDIT: Found this...I've seen these exact words before posted on here somewhere I believe.

Important Information for API Freshwater Master Test Kit Users!

To summarize:
1) The last 4 digits are month/year
2) The nitrate test bottles expire after 3 years
3) 2-3 minutes of shaking are recommended if the nitrate test bottle #2 isn't being used weekly
4) The proper way to read the test results are to hold the tube up to and touching the card


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## jrman83

Sounds like you should be pissed you bought strips. Seems the result was way off by comparison.


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## ReStart

Yeah, actually someone gave them to me when they quit the hobby. I'm thinking there're about useless now. I got the gh/kh API bottles today as I have very soft water and have the 55g Cichlid tank.

I was too tired to do the wc today but tomorrow me and my buddy will do a bunch of fish stuff so I'll do it then.


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## jrman83

lol, wait until you see how w/c are with the 200g you want. Assuming you do 50% a week.


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