200 nitrates?

[Armoredspider]

Recently got a test strip kit and after my water change and it registered above 200 nitrates! Is this even possible without dead fish?

 

[skywhitney]

Test strips are wildly inaccurate. I would invest in an API freswater master test kits and retest.

 

[Armoredspider]

Test strips are wildly inaccurate. I would invest in an API freswater master test kits and retest.

I knew they were inaccurate but I thought they were something in the range of the right parameters.

 

[bud29]

While strips are not very accurate, if they read 200 nitrates IMO it would be safe to assume they are higher than the should be.

 

[Armoredspider]

While strips are not very accurate, if they read 200 nitrates IMO it would be safe to assume they are higher than the should be.

I had just done a 50 percent water change...

 

[Wroberson]

The air we breathe is 72% N. Some fish may be harshly effected ny high NO3. In nature many fish live at that level. 600-800ppm can cause problems. If we were talking nitrite, then yes. The fish will be at risk for urinary tract infections.

 

[Cynic]

I had just done a 50 percent water change...

I'd do two 80% changes two days in a row.