API says my nitrates are insane

[MantisShrimpMan]

My API nitrate tests have consistently produced a red color meaning my nitrates are in the 80-160PPM range according to their color card.

I’ve been trying a ton of stuff to cut down my nutrients in my tank. I just started dosing microbacter7 two days ago, I began carbon dosing with vodka at the beginning of this week, two weeks ago I added a full bag of Seachem matrix and a protein skimmer, and I also just switched out my media bag of activated carbon as well as just began running another media bag with GFO since I’d assume if my nitrates are skyhigh so are my phosphates (although I don’t yet own a test kit for them)

I tested my nitrates for the first time since implementing all these changes yesterday and at first it seemed really promising. The color stayed more of a yellowish orange meaning my nitrates reduced to 40ppm from their initial skyhigh state. But over then next 20 minutes my test tube turned a strong red just like the alarming nitrate tests from last week. Heck, I haven’t even noticed a difference in color when doing a nitrate test right before vs right after a 25% water change.

this has me beginning to wonder if maybe my api nitrate test is just being really wonky. My fish and inverts are seemingly super healthy even though my nitrate levels are in the quantities that should begin to cause massive issues. I’d like to begin adding corals so I’m looking at picking up Hanna kits for alk, calcium, and phosphate, and im now thinking it might be worth adding a Hanna nitrate checker to that list since my API checker seems to be reading oddly high.

aside from this issue maybe tracing back to the testing itself; is there anything else I can do to begin cutting down my nitrates?

 

[ptrick21186]

Try a different test kit

 

[Garf]

My API nitrate tests have consistently produced a red color meaning my nitrates are in the 80-160PPM range according to their color card.

I’ve been trying a ton of stuff to cut down my nutrients in my tank. I just started dosing microbacter7 two days ago, I began carbon dosing with vodka at the beginning of this week, two weeks ago I added a full bag of Seachem matrix and a protein skimmer, and I also just switched out my media bag of activated carbon as well as just began running another media bag with GFO since I’d assume if my nitrates are skyhigh so are my phosphates (although I don’t yet own a test kit for them)

I tested my nitrates for the first time since implementing all these changes yesterday and at first it seemed really promising. The color stayed more of a yellowish orange meaning my nitrates reduced to 40ppm from their initial skyhigh state. But over then next 20 minutes my test tube turned a strong red just like the alarming nitrate tests from last week. Heck, I haven’t even noticed a difference in color when doing a nitrate test right before vs right after a 25% water change.

this has me beginning to wonder if maybe my api nitrate test is just being really wonky. My fish and inverts are seemingly super healthy even though my nitrate levels are in the quantities that should begin to cause massive issues. I’d like to begin adding corals so I’m looking at picking up Hanna kits for alk, calcium, and phosphate, and im now thinking it might be worth adding a Hanna nitrate checker to that list since my API checker seems to be reading oddly high.

aside from this issue maybe tracing back to the testing itself; is there anything else I can do to begin cutting down my nitrates?

Leaving the kit to stew for 20 minutes is not in the instructions.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Use a different brand test kit.

 

[brandon429]

post a tank pic

if the tank looks great, do nothing

if it doesnt look great, nitrate will be the last thing we tune

it's not required to test for nitrate in successful reefing. I know this because I've never owned the kit but have been pumping out corals since 01

I will never need to know my nitrate levels to continue pumping out corals

I will never ask for anyone's nitrate levels on any cycling job I do ( a lot) or any tank we fix of invasion in work threads ( a whole lot)

its a fad to concern over it. api is the absolute last place kit I would accept as true, due to API vs _____________name brand nitrate test kit threads, where results range 100 ppm on the same sample. we don't even know which non digital kit is right.

 

[Lavey29]

Water changes and less feeding reduce nitrates not some of the things you have tried. Skimmer can help though. Running GFO without knowing your number is a recipe for big problems. Get avsecond opinion on your current nitrates level.

 

[jabberwock]

Use your current test kit properly. Get a second set of eyes on the results for color interpretation concurrence. Are you shaking the second bottle of reagent for 30 seconds before adding 10 drops? Are you shaking the tube for 1 minute after both reagents are added? Then letting it sit for 5 minutes before reading. Time it, don't count or guess.

 

[taricha]

Check the NO2 nitrite. API nitrate test has high sensitivity to NO2.

I tested my nitrates for the first time since implementing all these changes yesterday and at first it seemed really promising. The color stayed more of a yellowish orange meaning my nitrates reduced to 40ppm from their initial skyhigh state.

Congrats! This means you probably have made progress and the carbon dosing is lowering NO3 as hoped/expected.

just to reiterate what others have said and random comments on color change tests.
if a test kit says shake 1 minute and check at 5 minutes, then shake vigorously for 60 seconds, and compare color at 5:00 minutes later.
Not following the details doesn't reveal more info, it just confuses or makes interpretation harder.
Consistency in method makes comparison so much easier.
photograph (at 5:00min) the reacted product next to a color card, makes day-to-day comparisons much easier than remembering what eyeballs said a few days ago.

Again, I think it's going the direction you want, keep it up.