N03

[dawie22]

Right here gose:

5 Tests,
3 diffrent people
and 5 difrent test kits,

my girlfriend was going to the fish shop on friday so i asked her if she would take some water for me to get tested (as i like a second opinion every month or so to compare with mine), she fones me at work (something she not realy dose) and said "youhave a slight problem", so i say "whats that my dear", your test show your N03 is through the roof at 100+ppm", "hmm i say thats strange as the test i done yesterday (thurs) showed it at >5".

so now, after having the fish shop (my prefered shop by far in my area) run a second test from the manager (the second person) on a new kit and again there is the result of 100+ppm, so i doddle home, test my water (exactly as the had in the shop) again on my kit, and get >5ppm, think " test all that could be a posable contaminant" and all is clear, use my girl friends test kit and again i get >5ppm, used one of thoughs strips and about the same 10-15ppm.

so that makes 5 diffrent kits (4 the same make and one of the strips)
3 people (me, the shopasistant and there manager)
and 5 diffrent tests (2 say 100ppm and 3 say 5-10ppm)

i knew my N03 was a little high but who do i belive, me or the shop,

they have sayed for me to bring in my kit (im gessing that that makes two nw as used my girlfriends as well with the same result) and that we will run through the test together with me and the manager doing it at the same time and compare what we do and results. but in the mean time im still in a pickle..

any advice would be greatly recived and thank you in advance.

darv

 

[WILDER]

Them test strips are not accurate and they are not worth the money, liquid test kits are the best.
What your tap nitrate reading.
How many gallons is the tank, and how many fish and which type.

 

[dawie22]

tap nitrate is 10ppm (but i do water changes with RO water [i think it is]), 25 gallon tank, with 4 angles, 1 butterfly, 1 black ghost knife (young), 1 sucking loach and 2 plec's, the tank is fairly mature and i have not had any problems like this before. i have always trusted my test kit (nutrafin liquid test kit, not the mini one)

hmmmmm

darv

edit: forgot the molly

 

[WILDER]

The black ghost knife need a very large tank, plus plecs are big waste producers, i would do a gravel vac don't fetch nitrates down to fast don't want to shock the fish, sounds like you are not doing enough maintance on your tank.
I would rehome the black ghost knife fish as the tank is way to small for him.

 

[dawie22]

aye im in the proces of finding a new home for the knife, the under lyining problem is still there, who's test do i trust, the ones i have done or the fish shop, i have managed to replicate my results over at least 5 times and with diffrent kits and so have the shop.........

 

[WILDER]

Plec make a lot of mess in the gravel, check your filter to see if it's really gunked up with mess, if so take one sponge and slightly rinse in old tank water, only the one sponge don't go mad as don't want to go into a mini cycle.
I would trust the lfs test kit.

Get the liquid test kit out again and this time leave it half an hour then look at the chart.

Did you have ammonia or nitrite reading as when you do have high nitrates it can alter them.