High nitrate dissipating to quickly.

[Patrice]

i have a low to moderate planted aquarium of 30g and i add every day 2grams of potassium nitrate. Thats suppose to give me 22 ppm. By they end of the day i am lacking nitrate because it go to zero.

The question is... can something be neutralizing my nitrate.

don't tell me to add more, its a shock to fish and invertebrate to do this right!

 

[Scottyhorse]

What kind of plants? They are probably eating them.

 

[absolutangel04]

Moved to planted tanks section.

 

[aqua_chem]

*26 ppm, less if you consider that much of the tank area is occupied by substrate. Probably close to 30 ppm. No way your tank is eating four times the EI recommended dosage and consuming it all. Are you measuring your water after adding the nitrate?

 

[Patrice]

*26 ppm, less if you consider that much of the tank area is occupied by substrate. Probably close to 30 ppm. No way your tank is eating four times the EI recommended dosage and consuming it all. Are you measuring your water after adding the nitrate?

i have calculated and mesured and tested 1g = 11 ppm in my tank.

 

[Patrice]

What kind of plants? They are probably eating them.

nothing special, one big java fern (Microsorum pteropus), 4 rotala macrandra http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/ludwigia-glandulosa-plant-problem-246075.html and micro swords grass (very light carpet)

 

[boadams87]

The plants are using them!

 

[aqua_chem]

Not 20+ ppm in one day.

 

[Patrice]

Your right aqua_chem or science guy lol. Someting is neutralizing my nitrate fast. Real fast.

 

[aqua_chem]

Two possibilities really. A) Something is chemically active in your tank that somehow absorbing lots of nitrates, which I find difficult but not impossible to believe, or B) your test kit is messing with your head.

Two things you should do to address B: Calibrate your test kit. There are resources online describing this, or if you haven't found anything by tonight I'll find it for you (on mobile ATM). Second, after a water change, measure your nitrates, then dose the tank and again measure your nitrates, and then measure your nitrates periodically throughout the day (hourly or every other hour if you can measure it). I assume you have a liquid test kit?

 

[Patrice]

I have tested it with two different test kit. Nothing. Going tomorrow to test it at a shop.

 

[Patrice]

Well here a update
I have tested the water in the morning after adding 2.2 gram and i got all most zero. Now i suppose to have at least 10 ppm, i suspected 22 ppm.

Now, i have tested a 10 L with nothing in it but tap water, did the same test adding 0.4gram should have 25ppm and still the same result of all most zero. Its telling me that my fertilizer is bad (got it from aquariumfertilizer.com) sooo its good or something in my water is neutralizing my nitrate. Gonna get a other nitrate test kit tomorrow for more test.

 

[aqua_chem]

Are you shaking your nitrate test bottles really, really well?

 

[GNarnian]

Are you shaking your nitrate test bottles really, really well?

More like "are you beating the crap out of your #2 Bottle?"

 

[Patrice]

update
Alright, i have tested in a new nutrafin test kit and i always get 5ppm in it.
The result are in what ever dosing of potassium nitrate, tap and distillate water.

yes its mix well. Really well.
One more thing. In one of my test, i added a lot of potassium nitrate and the result came below 2ppm.

test
1L distillate water in .1g over 30ppm got 5ppm
1L distillate water in .3g over 100ppm got 2ppm
10L .tap water in 4g around 25ppm got 5ppm
125L aquarium 2.2g around 22ppm got 5pp

 

[Patrice]

I have send email 03/10 to nutrafin so that i can have a explication. Nothing yet, i will keep you all posted

 

[Patrice]

hi
so i got a reply. nothing important to say. Nothing new or any solvable problem.

its bin 6 weeks that i did not add any fertilizer. Only 2 pills for the substrate, But there always 7 ppm of nitrate, even when water change.
Maybe something in the water reacting with the nitrate solution?