Ok i am tring to figure something out. I have two 55 gallons tanks.
Both have consistantly 0 amonia, 7 ph, 0 nitrites. I also have recently switch to Prime for my water conditioner.

Two weeks ago i got a test kit for Nitrates and they both were very hi and looks like 160, i did a water change in one, a week later still at 160, did a water change on both tanks, another week later (this last weekend) I tested the tanks and everything was fine again except the Nitrates at 160.

Each time i did a 1/3rd water change. This time I tested the water 1 hour after the water change again. And the Nitrates still at 160. I am also tested my tap water for Nitrates and is VERY low almost 0. So this is not making any since to me I would think that with a 1/3rd water change with water that is O nitrates the nitrates would go down by 1/3rd?

Any Ideas?


Bill

Some questions, Bill.

Are these tanks planted? If so, how many plants and what types?

How often did you change your change your water before? How much did you change at a time?

Is 160 the top of the scale on your nitrate test?


Each time you do a water change the percentage of nitrate drop will be consistent with the percentage of water changed if your replacement water has 0 nitrates. So, if your reading was 160 and your did a 50% water change you should have a nitrate reading of 80.

Many things could be affecting your reading. For instance, if 160 is the top of the scale on your test the reading could actually have been 600. Another thing to watch for is the test kit itself. If the test kit is old or if it had been sitting on the shelf collecting dust for a while before you purchased it, the readings could be way off.

Also, most nitrate test kits make you shake the living he11 out of the bottle(s) before you test and the shaking is extremely important to the accuracy of the reading.

Andrew

Andrew,

No live plants

Water changes were not done as they should, maybe once in a couple of months. Now i have the python and will do them religously

The top of my test kit is 160 so i am thinking that you maybe right with that answer that before the water changes it could have been 600. That makes sence to me.

The Nitrate test kit i just bought a few weeks ago. How long it had been on the shelf at the LPS i have no idea.

I will contiure 1/3 water changes each week and see what happens.

I also read some where that Prime can give you false readings with some Ammonia tests. Is it possible that is true with Nitrates?


Thanks for you help

Bill

I went looking to see if there was an impact on your test kit from using PRIME. I couldn't find any but here's something interesting I did find on SeaChem's website.

"Q: How does Prime make a difference in reducing Nitrates?
A: The detoxification of nitrite and nitrate by Prime (when used at elevated levels) is not well understood from a mechanistic standpoint. The most likely explanation is that the nitrite and nitrate is removed in a manner similar to the way ammonia is removed; i.e. it is bound and held in a inert state until such time that bacteria in the biological filter are able to take a hold of it, break it apart and use it. Two other possible scenarios are reduction to nitrogen (N2) gas or conversion into a benign organic nitrogen compound.
I wish we had some more "concrete" explanation, but the end result is the same, it does actually detoxify nitrite and nitrate. This was unexpected chemically and thus initially we were not even aware of this, however we received numerous reports from customers stating that when they overdosed with Prime they were able to reduce or eliminate the high death rates they experienced when their nitrite and nitrate levels were high. We have received enough reports to date to ensure that this is no fluke and is in fact a verifiable function of the product. "

PRIME does have an impact on Ammonia test kits but nowhere did I see a deleterious effect on Nitrate tests.

My planted tanks typically have higher Nitrate readings than my unplanted tanks.
regards
mike

I just did a google search and found this statement from a spokesman from seachem that makes prime.

"Just to elaborate a little on Prime....in this situation it is better considered a "24 - 48 hour band-aid". Prime will convert the mentioned nitrogenous pollutants to non toxic state for a matter of 1 - 2 days. Hopefully this 24 - 48 hour window is enough time for appropriate measures to be taken (partial water exchanges, using biological additives, both, etc.). Even though these nitrogenous pollutants are bound, they are still available to be consumed by your biological filter so you will not hinder it's development. You are simply making things easier on your fish in the meantime. Unfortunately, the reagents used in conventional test kits tend to interfere with Prime so you will get a false positive result for ammonia, nitrite & nitrate in the sample being tested. Keep in mind that your fish will let you know if they are unhappy."
_________________
So what good are test kits if the last statement is true?

Bill

I use Prime and I really don't think it is your culprit. I have dosed Prime and checked Nitrate levels, then added KNO3 to the tank, and checked Nitrate levels an hour or two after and it has always given me an accurate reading.

I'm guessing bad test kit.

Also if you are getting close to 0 on your tap water, then try mixing 1 part tap, 1 part tank water, and see what kind of readings you are getting, maybe 2 parts tap/1 tank if it still appears too high.

Are you shaking the crap out of the 2nd bottle? I get wierd readings if I don't shake it for at least 10 seconds, found that out the hard way.

That is a great suggestion. Will try that at home tonight.

I also emailed seachem about the issue on the API nitrate test being accurate with the use of Prime.

And yes I am shaking the heck out of the bottle etc per insturctions


BIll

You have to follow the API instructions EXACTLY. 10 drops of nitrate solution #1. Put the cap on the vial and shake to ensure the solution is mixed. DO NOT USE YOUR FINGER TO COVER THE VIAL. This will give a false reading. Shake the solution #2 bottle for 30 seconds. Add 10 drops to the vial. Shake for 1 minute. Let it sit for another 5 minutes without touching it.

Look on the solution bottles. The date of manufacture is printed on it somewhere.

The biggest thing I would recommend to you is to do 2 50% water changes a week until the nitrates are at a safe level. I say this because of your statement about going months without a water change. I do 30% - 50% (depending on the stock level of that tank) a week on my tanks.

I find my planted tanks have very little to no nitrates. Just the opposite of what was said.

Plants consume nitrates. You have none.

Regular water changes were not being kept up.

Max of test kit reading is 160.

I guarantee that your nitrates were just very, very high.

I agree that you should either do 2 50% water changes each week or you could do about 80-85% right away and another 1/3 later this week. I have done that plenty of times in tank that had infection issues with no adverse effects.

Good news is...you know what caused it and it won't happen again.

Hope we helped ya.

Andrew