Normal to have zero to very little detectable nitrates after a week?

[Rpc07]

I did my last water change last Friday and tests were showing 10ppm maybe slightly higher but not enough to call it 20ppm.

 

I'm about to do another water change tomorrow so I mixed my salt and tested my tank. Here are the results

 

Test results 1/21/16

Sg 1.025

Temp 79.5

Ph 8.2

Ammonia 0

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 0-5ppm

Phosphate .25

Kh 9

Calcium 360

[ReefSafeSolutions]

Was your live rock cured when you bought it?

 

I started my tank with cured rock and I didn't really even have a detectable cycle.

[Rpc07]

Was your live rock cured when you bought it?

 

I started my tank with cured rock and I didn't really even have a detectable cycle.

i meant it's been a week since my last water change.

 

But yes I went through the same scenario. I used all cured live rock and my tank went through a mini cycle. After a few days it was able to convert 4ppm ammonia to nitrates over night. The tank has been running about a month now.

[ReefSafeSolutions]

Ah, I thought you meant undetectable nitrates after a week of starting your tank, my mistake.

 

I don't think it's all that weird to not have any nitrates (or maybe 10ppm) since your last water change. I tend to overfeed my tank and while I don't test for nitrates regularly, when I do test, they're usually less than 10ppm. Whether or not that's normal, not sure. But since I see it happen on my tank, I tend to lean towards "normal."

 

I'd suspect if you were seeing big jumps in nitrates every week, you probably wouldn't have enough bio filtration to keep up with the tank.

[Rpc07]

Ah, I thought you meant undetectable nitrates after a week of starting your tank, my mistake.

 

I don't think it's all that weird to not have any nitrates (or maybe 10ppm) since your last water change. I tend to overfeed my tank and while I don't test for nitrates regularly, when I do test, they're usually less than 10ppm. Whether or not that's normal, not sure. But since I see it happen on my tank, I tend to lean towards "normal."

 

I'd suspect if you were seeing big jumps in nitrates every week, you probably wouldn't have enough bio filtration to keep up with the tank.

Gotcha. I over feed also thought I would see more nitrates after a week. But I'm happy they are low.