Is it normal to have a 0 nitrate level? I test weekly and ammonia went up to .25 came down to 0 then nitrite went up to .25 and came down to 0, nitrate was up to 10 and now is reading 0. I was told by garden store it could be from the plants. My ph is 7.5 and kh is 89.5.
Nitrate level
- Thread starter marsha
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sissy
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depends on when you are testing you should try to test at the same time each day .I know when i test first thing in the morning I never get a good test
It's perfectly normal.
Ok, I just wondered because I always see people post on nitrate level and it seems like there should be at least some type of reading besides 0. I just want to make sure. Thanks for answering!
It would be pretty normal for ammonia and nitrite to reduce to zero once the "cycle" establishes but I am less familiar with nitrates disappearing. Obviously some say plants can make it happen but hopefully someone will provide more details.
Some of my ponds read zero nitrates, and all but one read less than 5 ppm nitrate. I have plants, but algae are quite adequate to clean up the nitrate. The one pond that is in deep shade has aquarium levels of nitrate presumably because the plants, and even the algae, don't grow very well.
Wow. my head is spinning trying to figure that chart out,LOL. When I tested last week the nitrate was 10ppm.Today it was 0. I did it twice just to make sure but the plants are really taking off and off course the liner is lightly covered with algae. Just glad to here it is ok.Some of my ponds read zero nitrates, and all but one read less than 5 ppm nitrate. I have plants, but algae are quite adequate to clean up the nitrate. The one pond that is in deep shade has aquarium levels of nitrate presumably because the plants, and even the algae, don't grow very well.
I know it was challenging to read, but I looked through pages of diagrams of the aquatic nitrogen cycle and this was the only one that was accurate.
Well I appreciate the replies. It's my second year with my pond and am still learning. I found a lot on ammonia and nitrite but not so much on nitrates. This happened last year also. Nitrates shot up as nitrites went to 0 then then it went to 0 and never had a reading after that. How about the kh, should I be concerned that it is at the lower end at 89.5? I have something called Crystal Clear SapHGuard - pH Buffer but I don't know if I should use it since its still in range and the ph is ok (7.5)
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
I have to say that diagram is the most accurate and thorough diagram describing the pond cycling process that I have seen.
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
Yep, a zero nitrate reading is entirely normal. However, keep in mind that these test kits are only testing excessive residual rather than the production of nitrate, which is quite fine.
Also, the most basic and cheapest nitrate test kits have terrible accuracy whenever the PPM reading is below 10~15. This is due to a variant of the cadmium reduction method used in the nitrate titration test kit. The more accurate nitrate test kits, that accurately test below 10~15ppm nitrate, use zinc or some other proprietary compound rather than cadmium, and the more accurate test kits are often made HACH or LaMotte.
Fish and plants can experience an extraordinary high level of nitrates, that is all the way to 100~200 ppm and sometimes higher depending on the species; however, hobbyists will often recite a much lower maximum tolerance to nitrate, at around 50ppm, out of paranoia that is spawned from "better safe than sorry" or ignorance due to simply not knowing their fish/plant species. If wanting to do some research, then query "nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) toxicity versus nitrate anion (NO3-) toxicity" for your specific plant/fish species.
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
1) How about the kh, should I be concerned that it is at the lower end at 89.5?
All that matters is your pH is stable and constant from dawn till dusk. KH is what helps it to stay stable.
Personally, I would be concern if the KH is only 89.5 ppm; so, read the other threads in this sub-forum to understand why.
2) I have something called Crystal Clear SapHGuard - pH Buffer but I don't know if I should use it since its still in range and the ph is ok (7.5)[/QUOTE]
The Crystal Clear SapHGuard product is actually just very expensive grocery store baking soda, which is sodium bicarbonate, that is shown to be the only active ingredient in the MSDS sheet for Crystal Clear SapHGaurd. Here is the MSDS sheet for a good grade grocery store baking soda, which is also 100% sodium bicarbonate.
What's the difference between Crystal Clear SapHGaurd and grocery store baking soda? Approximatelly $6.00 (USD) per 1 lb. for the SapHGuard and approximately $1.30 (USD) per 1 lb. for the grocery store food grade baking soda.
Most pond products are like this, that is repackage ingredients sold at an incredibly high price.
Honestly, the only pond products that I use are montmorillonite clay, koizyme, zeolite, an ammonia binder product (whatever my pond store has stocked), and that is just about it. I use underground well water so no reason for a dechlorinator; however, if I did have to use dechlorinator, then I would get an in-line chlorine/chloramine filter or use sodium thiosulfate (which is an extremely cheap dechlorinator, except it does not have an ammonia binder in it).
Charles you throw a goldfish into 200 ppm nitrate and that sucker will suffer damage.
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
I have read of the typical lake goldfish species surviving nitrates, without significant damage, of levels up to 500 ppm nitrate while the fancy goldfish species only able to survive around 40ppm. So, I think the species of goldfish needs to be addressed when talking about such things, which was the point I was trying to make.