Does Nitrate Drop At End Of Cycle?

[BlueBlenny]

I think I'm just about done cycling my 20G--the ammonia and nitrite levels have been zero for a few days, after being elevated for the last few weeks. The only strange thing is that the NITRATE, which has been 5ppm this whole time, is suddenly about half that. I didn't know nitrates dropped too--do they?

 

[drobbyb]

Do you have live plants? Plants will soak up nitrates. Did you do a waterchange? If your tap water has low nitrates in it a water change will cut your nitrate level.

 

[rdd1952]

The only way to remove nitrate is via water changes. Even with a heavily planted tank the plants aren't likely to use a lot of nitrate. They are more likely to use the ammonia before it is processed resultiing in little nitrate in the end.

What type filter media are you using? Some filters come with nitrate sponges that remove nitrate mechanically. The problem is that they quickly become saturated and have to be changed or recharged. It's simpler to just do water changes which are really needed anyway to help keep other impurities from building up.

 

[BlueBlenny]

Do you have live plants? Plants will soak up nitrates. Did you do a waterchange? If your tap water has low nitrates in it a water change will cut your nitrate level.

Hmmm, no I don't have live plants. I guess it must have been the recent water change. And I just added some Fluval prefilter media to my hang-on basket two nights ago. Don't know why that would affect it, but possibly?

I'll just leave the tank alone for a few days and see if the levels go up. I hope I really AM cycled!

Thanks, Drobbyb.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

remember nitrate test kits are notoriously unreliable, if you get a reading that's not what you expect always do another one and see if that comes out the same. most of the time it's just a duff reading not anything untoward.