Bad Nitrate Test Result

[Patrice]

i add 3 to 8 gram of potassium nitrate in my 30 g aquarium and my result are always the same. 5 ppm. I dont get it? i try 2 nutrafin test kit. I also have green dust algea that indicate i have low nitrate.

When i test my potassium nitrate in RO water my test kit give me the right result.

i conclude, that my test kit is ok and my potassium nitrate is ok
Something is interfering in my result? i dont get it at all.

 

[flitabout]

How long after you add it are you testing?

 

[Patrice]

1 hour, or the next day

 

[flitabout]

It might be that your plants are using in the 24hour test and it might not have dissolved completely in the 1 hour test. Honestly I am just throwing that out there.

 

[Patrice]

Thats likely not possible, test result where taken different time, many time during the month. but i do like your optimism to find out the problem.

 

[flitabout]

I don't dose nitrates so I'm not sure. I had to really fight to get the balance between my plants and my nitrates and keep them around 5-10. Do you just dose them dry or do you mix with RO or DI water?

 

[Patrice]

I don't dose nitrates so I'm not sure. I had to really fight to get the balance between my plants and my nitrates and keep them around 5-10. Do you just dose them dry or do you mix with RO or DI water?

What i do, is premix my dry fert in a small bottle of RO or DI(i have access to boat). I used to used water from the city, but its full of copper.

 

[mrvincent]

A very very popular problem with nitrates tests, is because people don't shake enough bottle #2. If you have a 3 bottle test, then that's bottle #3 you need to shake.

You need to shake it LIKE HELL, as if your life depends of it. Smash it on a table, throw it, shake it, resmash it, shake it, there's a product that glue on the bottom of the bottle. That's the main thing that react with the product in bottle #1, so SHAKE IT MORE.

If you don't exactly know what you're doing, don't dose NO3 under high light, as it can result unexpected algae outbreak.

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