Salifert Nitrate test kit question

[vandit2kX]

Hi guys

I've been using API nitrate test kit for 3 years now probably and it gives me 0 most of the time. It had gave me the reading right above zero it was like orange and I think that was 5 ppm or something. At that point I was actually getting green algae growing in my tank.

Anyway so I switched recently to Salifert nitrate test kit and I keep getting 50 ppm. That's insane, however I am not really getting any green algae anymore I took care of that. So I test with API I get 0 I test with Salifert I get 50. Somebody's lying here dont you think?

Here's the question if I have 50 ppm of nitrate would I be getting green algae growing or is that not necessary? Also I have assumed I really have 50 ppm and I have started the absolute zero nitrate treatment and I've been doing that for a week or more and still its 50 ppm.

So is API's 0 really a 50 ppm since Salifert test kits are generally always more correct. I mean I did test new water with Salifert and it gives me 0 so this gives me an idea that Salifert kit is actually providing some good result. Or is Salifert giving me false positive?

Thanks guys just trying to solve this dilemma and not sure what to make of it. Any feedback will be as always greatly appreciated.

-p

 

[engineer goby]

Could just be a bad test kit

 

[DaveK]

Having tried the API test kit, when I couldn't get anything better, I had similar results. I would tend to believe the Sailfret test kit.

Algae grown depends on a lot of factors. Nitrates are a factor, but so are phosphates and the amount of light used and a bunch of others. Use the water tests as a guide and not as something you got to match exactly. In your case, since the tank is doing goo, don't mess with it too much.

 

[vandit2kX]

Well nitrate of 50 ppm is not good by no means and I need to lower that asap. However corals are doing fine fish are doing fine. I have had some losses but I am afraid that was my mistake. I do have a little bit or red slime and a little bit of bubble algae but not that much. Of course of course I want none of that. I actually have came down on phosphates considerably by using phosban its like 0.1 at this point. I also test phosphate with Salifert kit. How would corals react to 50 ppm of nitrate? Is absolute zero nitrate a best solution to bring my nitrates down? What other ones are there? I really don't over feed I don't think, the food is gone in less than a minute. I use 2 units of chemi pure elite in my rsm 250.

 

[DaveK]

Your reading of 50 ppm is higher than you'd want for a reef, but it's not terrible. Usually carefull feeding, and some good sized water changes will bring it down. Be sure to test your new water to make sure you don't have an issue there.

The key factor here is that your corals and fish are doing fine. Since that is the case, there is no need to make rapid changes.

 

[vandit2kX]

Dave thanks. Are there any other nitrate removing solutions that I'm missing? My corals some are growing crazy and some are growing really slowly. Like for example pom pom xenia and those mushroom are growing crazy. Toad looks good too. My dunkans almost died off but one head left. So that one is growing much slowly.