Nitrates not showing up

[bcutajar]

So i have 20 cardinal tetras and 6 Corydora sterbai, i feed them 2/3 times a day which everything is consumed without over feeding. My problem is that i am getting an ammonia reading of 0-0.25ppm nitrite of 0-0.25ppm(closer to 0) and no nitrate. It has been 10 days since my last water change, and my tank is 130Litres

My ideas for this happening is:
1. I have the API test kit which nitrates have to reach 5.0ppm to show up, and its no where near that yet.
2. The fish i have aren't produced that much waste.
3. My test kits not good, i have been shaking the bottles vigorously so thats not the problem.

Also i have no plants to use up the nitrate

Thankyou

 

[Andy Sager]

So i have 20 cardinal tetras and 6 Corydora sterbai, i feed them 2/3 times a day which everything is consumed without over feeding. My problem is that i am getting an ammonia reading of 0-0.25ppm nitrite of 0-0.25ppm(closer to 0) and no nitrate. It has been 10 days since my last water change, and my tank is 130Litres

My ideas for this happening is:
1. I have the API test kit which nitrates have to reach 5.0ppm to show up, and its no where near that yet.
2. The fish i have aren't produced that much waste.
3. My test kits not good, i have been shaking the bottles vigorously so thats not the problem.

Also i have no plants to use up the nitrate


Thankyou

The natural by product of your BB is nitrates so if you have a cycled aquarium, you have nitrates. I'd take a sample of your tank water to your LFS and have them check it for nitrates to confirm your test reagents are still good. They used to be the first ones in a test kit to go bad (back in the day )

Hope this helps

 

[bcutajar]

I just finished a fishless cycle 10 days ago with nitrates through the roof, so im not sure thanks for the imput

 

[Andy Sager]

I just finished a fishless cycle 10 days ago with nitrates through the roof, so im not sure thanks for the imput

Just to confirm, in your fishless cycle, your nitrATES went through the roof or your nitrITES went through the roof? ( The latter is more common as nitrates are the final by product of the bacterial cycle. )

 

[bcutajar]

Nitrites then nitrates then nitrItes to 0

 

[Andy Sager]

Nitrites then nitrates then nitrItes to 0

Ok, I'm getting a clearer picture So you finished your cycle, the nitrites went up then down. At that point, the nitRATE level should have been higher than nitrITE level but not really of a concernable amount. So you did a water change and to date, the nitrate level has not reappeared on your test kit. Did you check the nitrATE level before you did the water change?

 

[bcutajar]

Before i did a 90% water change

Amm = 0
NitrIte = 0
Nitrate = 40ppm
After water change all were 0

 

[Andy Sager]

Before i did a 90% water change

Amm = 0
NitrIte = 0
Nitrate = 40ppm
After water change all were 0

Ok Got it. Forget about checking the reagents as you got a reading that wasn't out of the ordinary.
Sounds like then, that your fish/ bioload just aren't producing enough ammonia yet to have an appreciable nitrate reading. That's a good thing Just keep your eyes on the levels until the tank gets a bit more evolved. Nitrates accumulate more over time (post cycling) so routine testing is a good thing. As "gunk" (a.k.a. detritus, excess uneaten food, decaying matter, etc.) builds up at the bottom of the tank in the gravel, you will see higher nitrate levels more frequently between water changes. Your job is to do the water changes before those levels become dangerous to the fish.

Keep in mind that the beneficial bacteria bed is an ever evolving and growing concern. It enlarges and shrinks based on the bioload. As you add fish in the future, if you add too many at one time, your ammonia level should start to rise until the BB bed enlarges to counter it. This is why it's always better to add a few fish at a time opposed to completely stocking at one time. You also ALWAYS want to check all your levels just prior to your trip to the LFS to buy more fish

Hope this helps