How is this possible?

[MichaelsLilGray]

I just checked my 29g for the first time in a month or so... parameters are as so...;
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 0

How is that possible? this tank has been up for about a year now.

 

[blt831]

Do you have live plants in the aquarium? My planted aquarium showed those results a few days after I added a bunch of plants to it.

If you don't have plants, maybe your test kit is old?

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

its a api master test kit.. only had it about 6-7 months now.

And no its all synthetic.

 

[Zagz]

Did you do a large water change or clean the filters recently? If not and no live plants I would recheck the nitrate test.

 

[bs6749]

Maybe you didn't let the nitrate test sit for 5 minutes or maybe you tested incorrectly. Those are the only things I can think of if you don't have live plants and haven't done a large PWC.

 

[jrp1588]

my AP master test kit is around the same age. For a while I was getting false 0ppm readings on my nitrate. Try shaking your nitrate bottles...like crazy. Really go medieval on them for a good minute or so. After I did this I got correct readings again.

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

well i tested my 55 gal with it right after.. showed i have 8ppm ammonia... so yeah i think my test kit is getting a little agey lol

 

[bs6749]

well i tested my 55 gal with it right after.. showed i have 8ppm ammonia... so yeah i think my test kit is getting a little agey lol

Right after what? Did you do a large water change and THEN test? If so, how long did you wait before testing after you added the water?

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

i havnt done a water change in either of these tanks in 2.. 3 weeks.. i tested to check the nitrates to see if i needed to do one now or if i could wait another week.

 

[bs6749]

How do you have 8ppm of ammonia?

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

i dont

 

[bs6749]

well i tested my 55 gal with it right after.. showed i have 8ppm ammonia... so yeah i think my test kit is getting a little agey lol

But you said you did. Maybe I misread or misunderstood you.

 

[gzeiger]

He was offering an additional indication to support the theory that the test kit is old and not reading correctly.

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

My tank is perfectly fine.. and completely cycled... the test kit showed 8ppm of ammonia though.. which i know it is not possible. So im just gunning with the idea the kit is bad.. already ordered another kit off ebay lol

And i tested the 55g after testing the 29g the 29g showed 0's all the way across the 55g showed 0's and ammonia was 8ppm... so im under the assumption that its just missreading.

 

[bs6749]

Actually, it's quite possible that you could have 8ppm of ammonia. If your tank is well established, which you said it is, then over time ammonium (unharmful to fish) could have built up if you have acidic water. Upon doing a large water change the ammonium can turn into the toxic ammonia if the water has an alkaline pH out of the tap. That's what I thought might have happened.