Nitrates = 0

[ColR1948]

While testing my water with liquid test kit my Nitrates were 0 (zero), I thought this a bit strange so googled it.
I found a few articles and one was a guy on another forum who had the same water parameters as myself.
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite= 0
Nitrate = 0

The answers this guy got was pleasing to him and myself because the people on the forum said to get the water like that he must have an exceptionally clean tank.
So course when I saw that I was pleased as well, but there was the odd person who said he should have a higher Nitrate reading than zero but the majority thought it was good.

So I wondered what your thoughts are?

Edited to add, The guy and myself both have fully matured tanks by the way, his longer than mine.

 

[techen]

The only readings you get like that is when your tank is uncycled, Did you do a large water change before taking the test?

 

[ColR1948]

No I didn't do a wc, and like I said the tank has been running for months and is fully matured.
This is why I posted because on that other forum people on there who were/are experts said the tank was exceptionally clean and one said to get the water like that is very good on an established tank.

 

[techen]

I guess but that must be a insanely clean tank to get something like that infact I've never heard of anyone ever that's had stats like that on a mature tank so contzs? XD

 

[Zikofski]

this is very interesting, maybe the nitrate test kit has expired or is not working fully? is first thing that i see, even with a fully established tank even with plants the break down of ammonia into nitrite and then nitrite into nitrate should be higher than the plants scooping up the nitrate, unless you have a hugely dense tank, only way i could see this being posible is it you have no plants and you clean up every ounce of poo as and when you see it,

if it is not your test kit at fault then congrats becasue yes 0 nitrate is kinda a dream i guess but i would say impossible but non the less congrats

 

[ColR1948]

Ha Ha, again I used 2 test kits, API and Nutrafin liquid. Plus on that other forum someone suggested to the guy his test kit might be faulty and asked if he was doing it right, well he was an experienced keeper and he took the water to the LFS and they too confirmed the result.

Some of the experienced keepers also said it wasn't unheard of for these results and congratulated the guy, oh and by the way the guy wasn't me in case you are wondering, I just found it through searching because mine were the same.

 

[star4]

If you live in an area where your tap water is 0 nitrates them maintaning a tank with 0 nitrates is possible,, all my 16 tanks have 0 0 0 and I keep large cichlids. Keeping a strict shedule of maintanace makes this possible, my tanks are cleaned out on the same day every week (not all of them on the same day I do wc 6 days a week). Some tanks require a larger wc than others to maintain these water states and all my tanks are mature and my test kits are correct. It can be done.

 

[DreamertK]

I've never had NO3 show up as a solid 20ppm in my tank, probably because it's so densely populated with fast growing plants. Once the test was just sooo close to the 20 but just a bit off/less. I should probably give the plants more Nitrogen ferts. I also do the 20% changes once a week to remove *other* things from the water, but my tap tests 0 for NO3.

 

[zain611]

Do you have a heavy populated planted aquarium?