water tests

[lockert81]

Just done our weekly water test and the nitrate level is 0 should I be concerned? Amonia and nitrite levels are still good. This is the first change in water quality for 2 months.

 

[Coyne]

Seems unusual.
What was the reading last week?
Are there live plants in the tank?
Are you 100% sure you did the test correctly?

 

[lockert81]

Amonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 5. As sure as I can be that I done the test properly. Going to test again tonight to see if anything alse has changed. I have live plants but only a couple, did take some out yesterday and moved some gravel about but thats the only thing ive done different lately

 

[Fishfur]

How many fish in how big a tank ?.\ What is the usual nitrate reading you get ?

Not having nitrate is not a bad thing necessarily, but it might, possibly, mean you have a mini cycle on your hands.

Since you are not seeing nitrites but are seeing minimal nitrates, I don't think you have a mini cycle.

If you have only a few fish or quite a big tank, that might account for low nitrates. Plants also use them as food, so planted tanks tend to have lower nitrates, but just a couple of plants shouldn't use all that much.

 

[wildroseofky]

Glad someone asked this question. I have a heavily planted 10 gallon that will not show any nitrates. It has been set up for 6 months. It went from a nitrate reading of 20-40 to just barely showing any orange in the nitrate test. When this first happened I was afraid something had happened to the cycle. I added seeded material from my other tanks twice but the nitrate level will not rise. I am assuming it is all the plants. I have 12 different plant species in this tank. Hope someone with plants can chime in.

 

[lockert81]

Nitrate reading has been at 5 for 2 months now. I have quite alot of fish a mixture of guppies, neon tetras, mollies, platys, cherry barbs. Not sure of numbers off top of my head but in total about 35 in a 26gallon (uk)