all levels at zero...?

[Andrewz00]

is that possible? to have ammo, nitrate and nitrite all at zero ppm??

its a 90 gal tank....established for aprox 2 months... it was an upgrade from a 45 gal all the decor, gravel, dw moved over... had filter cartridges from old HOB in the tank for about 3-4 weeks...there are about 35 barbs, dianos, corys in it.... i have 4 large octopus plants, 4 fairly large crypt wendii and 2 other plants i cant remember their name....

now i know plants can aid to the breakdown of ammo etc.. but could i really by at ZERO all around?

 

[ChileRelleno]

What type of test kit are you using?
Strips are notoriously inaccurate and API's NO3 test needs to be done meticulously according to instructions.

You should be showing NO3 in a cycled system.

Did you observe it go through a cycle via testing NH3, NO2 & NO3?

Yes, a well balanced planted tank, with a small bio-load can show NH3-0, NO2-0 & NO3-0, but we're talking heavily planted and VERY lightly stocked.

 

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

if you have lots of algea that will eat the nitrate up

 

[logansmomma1228]

I always thought you would still show some levels of Nitrates but I guess they can be zero. Good job!

 

[Andrewz00]

What type of test kit are you using?
Strips are notoriously inaccurate and API's NO3 test needs to be done meticulously according to instructions.

You should be showing NO3 in a cycled system.

Did you observe it go through a cycle via testing NH3, NO2 & NO3?

Yes, a well balanced planted tank, with a small bio-load can show NH3-0, NO2-0 & NO3-0, but we're talking heavily planted and VERY lightly stocked.

its a liquid master test kit....

it absolutely cycled... well mini-cycle... due to the fact that this was an upgrade from a 45 to a 90 gal... all gravel, DW, decor moved over including the filter cartridges.... clearly saw the presence of NO3 for 3 or so weeks following the move....

according to the my profile on AqAdvisor - 90 Gal i am currently stocked at 62% and my filtration is 228%....

so it IS possible to show all zeros?

 

[Crepe]

Yes it's possible. I've forgotten to fertilize my planted tank for about 2 days and all my numbers crashed to 0. I have a very light bioload of 5 otocinclus to tidy up as I let my plants grow in. I'm normally operating at about 15-20ppm of nitrates. I've never seen any ammonia or nitrites in my tank since the cycle though.

 

[BigJim]

I'll also agree that it's possible to have zeros across the board. Lots of plants can suck up the nitrates faster than the fish can make them.