Nitrate Test results driving me nuts
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Scooterman
Active Member
LOL he made a Point!
Craig Manoukian
Well-Known Member
Originally posted by Cougra
LOL Craig, between the two of us we'll eventually get the point acrossThanks.
I'm not real sharp in the AM! Well, we'll just leave it at that!
:smirk:
Boomer
Reef Sanctuary's Mr. Wizard
Newsalt
Using the Mardel strips, the reading is clearly 35-40ppm (closer to 40ppm). Using the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals kit, I get 15ppm, 20ppm at the most.
Why such varying results? I even had my wife look at the results and she agreed with what I mentioned above.
These test kits are driving me nuts. They're so inconsistent. Even with the Ammonia kit. Using Mardel, it is clearly 0ppm. With the AP kit it's closer to .01 or 0.2 ppm.
I didn't go look up your test kits but this is often a problem that many forget and I see it here again maybe. First, does it say that both kits can be used in seawater Check your kits for the below units of measurements.
There are 2 different units for measuring Nitrate, Nitrite and Ammonia in seawater and freshwater
NO3-N & NO3 = Nitrate
NO2-N & NO2 = Nitrite
NH3-N & NH3 = Ammonia
Lets start with the first one. NO3-N = **Nitrate Nitrogen and the second NO3 = **Nitrate.
In the NO3-N the value given is for the amount of N or Nitrogen in the test. The O3 has been dropped. In the second it is for NO3, keeping the O3 for the value in the test. The values are the same/say, it is like 25 C vs. 77 F, so you need a conversion number.
10 ppm N-NO3 = 10 x 4.4 (conv. #) = 44 ppm NO3
Lets assume your reading of 15 ppm or is more like 10 and your other reading of 35-40, lets assume 40
15 x 4.4 = 66 ppm
10 x 4.4 =44 ppm
No we have
66 vs 40 and 44 vs 40 (these two almost the same)
The conversion #'s are;
1 ppm NO3-N = 4.4 ppm NO3
1 ppm NO2-N = 2.2ppm NO2
1 ppm NH3-N = 1.1 ppm NH3
Michelle
nitrite poisoning
This is a myth, that nitrite is toxic in seawater. It is quite toxic in FW, although you are often told it is much more toxic in SW. The NO2 ion has to compete in SW with the Chloride ion, Cl-, which will always win. Nitrite is much more toxic in FW and is the reason behind FW systems to add some table salt to reduce Nitrite toxicity.
Using the Mardel strips, the reading is clearly 35-40ppm (closer to 40ppm). Using the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals kit, I get 15ppm, 20ppm at the most.
Why such varying results? I even had my wife look at the results and she agreed with what I mentioned above.
These test kits are driving me nuts. They're so inconsistent. Even with the Ammonia kit. Using Mardel, it is clearly 0ppm. With the AP kit it's closer to .01 or 0.2 ppm.
I didn't go look up your test kits but this is often a problem that many forget and I see it here again maybe. First, does it say that both kits can be used in seawater Check your kits for the below units of measurements.
There are 2 different units for measuring Nitrate, Nitrite and Ammonia in seawater and freshwater
NO3-N & NO3 = Nitrate
NO2-N & NO2 = Nitrite
NH3-N & NH3 = Ammonia
Lets start with the first one. NO3-N = **Nitrate Nitrogen and the second NO3 = **Nitrate.
In the NO3-N the value given is for the amount of N or Nitrogen in the test. The O3 has been dropped. In the second it is for NO3, keeping the O3 for the value in the test. The values are the same/say, it is like 25 C vs. 77 F, so you need a conversion number.
10 ppm N-NO3 = 10 x 4.4 (conv. #) = 44 ppm NO3
Lets assume your reading of 15 ppm or is more like 10 and your other reading of 35-40, lets assume 40
15 x 4.4 = 66 ppm
10 x 4.4 =44 ppm
No we have
66 vs 40 and 44 vs 40 (these two almost the same)
The conversion #'s are;
1 ppm NO3-N = 4.4 ppm NO3
1 ppm NO2-N = 2.2ppm NO2
1 ppm NH3-N = 1.1 ppm NH3
Michelle
nitrite poisoning
This is a myth, that nitrite is toxic in seawater. It is quite toxic in FW, although you are often told it is much more toxic in SW. The NO2 ion has to compete in SW with the Chloride ion, Cl-, which will always win. Nitrite is much more toxic in FW and is the reason behind FW systems to add some table salt to reduce Nitrite toxicity.
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Scooterman
Active Member
nitrite poisoning myth is good to know, thanks Boomer.
Craig Manoukian
Well-Known Member
This is from my good friend and chemist and amplifies the good information boomer posted on Nitrites:
With respect to Nitrite toxicity in salt versus fresh water, honestly in most well established aquariums the point is mute because you typically have the same concentration of ammonia consuming bacteria as nitrite consuming bacteria. Nature abhors a vacuum as a long as there is a nutrient, there is a bug to consume it. That being said there have been significant studies showing decrease methohemoglobin production in fish in fresh water containing small amounts of chlorides. Methohemoglobin is produced in the bloodstream when nitrites are absorbed through fish gills. The nitrite ions reduce the iron from a +3 state (ferric) to a +2 state (ferrous) making the molecule as a whole incapable of oxygen transport. The fish suffocates on a cellular level.
In salt water systems the chloride are very much present and the toxicity of nitrite is much reduced...to a point. When the nitrites get high enough, death is imminent. Fresh water fish don't have the chloride ions and therefore are more susceptible.
E
HTH :smirk:
With respect to Nitrite toxicity in salt versus fresh water, honestly in most well established aquariums the point is mute because you typically have the same concentration of ammonia consuming bacteria as nitrite consuming bacteria. Nature abhors a vacuum as a long as there is a nutrient, there is a bug to consume it. That being said there have been significant studies showing decrease methohemoglobin production in fish in fresh water containing small amounts of chlorides. Methohemoglobin is produced in the bloodstream when nitrites are absorbed through fish gills. The nitrite ions reduce the iron from a +3 state (ferric) to a +2 state (ferrous) making the molecule as a whole incapable of oxygen transport. The fish suffocates on a cellular level.
In salt water systems the chloride are very much present and the toxicity of nitrite is much reduced...to a point. When the nitrites get high enough, death is imminent. Fresh water fish don't have the chloride ions and therefore are more susceptible.
E
HTH
:smirk:
Boomer
Reef Sanctuary's Mr. Wizard
Craig 
methohemoglobin Spelled wrong
I was going to get into that but decided to leave it out.So to add a tad more. A cure and / or preventative aid, against Methaemoglobin, during high NO2, besides Cl- , is Methylene Blue. However, one needs to be very, very careful with it, as it is also a Nitrification inhibitor, which could cause ammonia to rise. This light molecular weight organic/inorganic dye aids in the transport of oxygen and converts abnormal Methaemoglobin, brown blood, back to its normal oxygen carrying component, hemoglobin
methohemoglobin Spelled wrong
I was going to get into that but decided to leave it out
.So to add a tad more. A cure and / or preventative aid, against Methaemoglobin, during high NO2, besides Cl- , is Methylene Blue. However, one needs to be very, very careful with it, as it is also a Nitrification inhibitor, which could cause ammonia to rise. This light molecular weight organic/inorganic dye aids in the transport of oxygen and converts abnormal Methaemoglobin, brown blood, back to its normal oxygen carrying component, hemoglobin
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