Water quality testing

[neuroslicer]

First off, does anyone use a spectrophotometer for water quality measuring? I have easy access to one and would like to know if others use one, and if so where you get your chemicals, what wavelengths you use to measure various chemical concentrations, what calibration equations you use to convert absorbance to concentration, etc. I'd hate to reinvent the wheel if some of you are already driving!

Next, I've been using a Hagen nitrate test kit for a couple years, always getting less than 5 PPM of nitrate. My tank doesn't suffer from any algal blooms that might be fueled by high nitrate. I purchased a Salifert NO3 test kit and tried it out the other day. I got a reading of over 25 ppm NO3! Now I read that some test kits (but not the Salifert) underestimate NO3 due to "amine interference".

Just in case my Hagen chemicals are expired, and that's why I'm reading low with the Hagen kit, I've ordered another Hagen kit. Either way it looks like I've got to do some major water changes over the next couple weeks, add even more live rock, and cut down on the amount of food I give the fish.
Neuroslicer
(Jay)

[just dave]

Do those kits read nitrate-nitrogen or the nitrate ion?
If the 25ppm reading you are getting is the nitrate ion you would have a reading of just over 6 ppm nitrate-nitrogen. While many sources point to a reading of 1 ppm or less nitrate-nitrogen as being ideal much of what we believe about excess nitrate in the hobby ,and problems associated with it, are anecdotal. If things were doing well I'd hold off from making any large changes and make sure that your alkalinity and calcium levels were in order. Higher nitrate levels can accelerate coral growth and cause the depletion of calcium and alkalinity due to the formation of nitric acid and the accelerated uptake from your corals. So elevated nitrate levels are not necessarily a sign of impending doom and can provide an increase in growth as long as one monitors calcium and alkalinity and keep them at appropriate levels.

[bshumake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7439581#post7439581 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by just dave
Do those kits read nitrate-nitrogen or the nitrate ion?
If the 25ppm reading you are getting is the nitrate ion you would have a reading of just over 6 ppm nitrate-nitrogen. While many sources point to a reading of 1 ppm or less nitrate-nitrogen as being ideal much of what we believe about excess nitrate in the hobby ,and problems associated with it, are anecdotal. If things were doing well I'd hold off from making any large changes and make sure that your alkalinity and calcium levels were in order. Higher nitrate levels can accelerate coral growth and cause the depletion of calcium and alkalinity due to the formation of nitric acid and the accelerated uptake from your corals. So elevated nitrate levels are not necessarily a sign of impending doom and can provide an increase in growth as long as one monitors calcium and alkalinity and keep them at appropriate levels.
There an explanation in there somewhere...

[just dave]

Do those kits read nitrate-nitrogen or the nitrate ion?
If the 25ppm reading you are getting is the nitrate ion you would have a reading of just over 6 ppm nitrate-nitrogen. While many sources point to a reading of 1 ppm or less nitrate-nitrogen as being ideal much of what we believe about excess nitrate in the hobby ,and problems associated with it, are anecdotal. If things were doing well I'd hold off from making any large changes and make sure that your alkalinity and calcium levels were in order. Higher nitrate levels can accelerate coral growth and cause the depletion of calcium and alkalinity due to the formation of nitric acid and the accelerated uptake from your corals. So elevated nitrate levels are not necessarily a sign of impending doom and can provide an increase in growth as long as one monitors calcium and alkalinity and keep them at appropriate levels.


That better for y o u ? :p

[neuroslicer]

Both kits measure NO3 and not NO3-N, which is why I'm surprised at the descrepancy. Ca and ALK are fine, and my new SPS frags are doing nicely. Still I thinking backing off on the frozen brine shrimp will do nothing if not help the situation, that coupled with an increase in water changes over the next month. Thanks.

[bshumake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7439880#post7439880 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by just dave
That better for y o u ? :p
Yes, i'm not that bright, but my grammar is better. It should be "an" not "a.":rolleyes:

[bshumake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7440092#post7440092 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by neuroslicer
Both kits measure NO3 and not NO3-N, which is why I'm surprised at the descrepancy. Ca and ALK are fine, and my new SPS frags are doing nicely. Still I thinking backing off on the frozen brine shrimp will do nothing if not help the situation, that coupled with an increase in water changes over the next month. Thanks.
Theres a lot to be said on the water changes. I run carbon every couple months just to give the water a quick pick-me-up. And I have noticed that feeding every other day has helped with quality. But I do changes every 2-3 months (40G at a time) and have healthy corals as you saw. Something that I'm singing the praises of now is Ozone. I got Richard's old unit and in a couple days I noticed a drastic change in water quality. Some nuisance algae I had is all but dissapeared, light penetration is vastly improved, and overall color is crystal clear. What hazyness is there is because I need to clean the glass, otherwise you have to go on light shimmer and the occasional bubble to see that I have water in my tank. I used to get the same effect with carbon and a micron filter.

[just dave]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7440429#post7440429 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bshumake
Yes, i'm not that bright, but my grammar is better. It should be "an" not "a.":rolleyes:


Your feet stink.

[redhawk44cb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7440429#post7440429 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bshumake
Yes, i'm not that bright, but my grammar is better. It should be "an" not "a.":rolleyes: Nice one.

[Rendos]

Nice.

[milkshake]

I wonder if I hooked up "a" ionizer
in this truck if it would rid of the
stinch "an(d)" green cloud that my co-driver insist's on making.
I guess I need to keep Lysol hooked to a doser.

[bshumake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7442553#post7442553 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by milkshake
I wonder if I hooked up "a" ionizer
in this truck if it would rid of the
stinch "an(d)" green cloud that my co-driver insist's on making.
I guess I need to keep Lysol hooked to a doser.
Its "an" ionizer, and all that would do is get your sexuality questioned by your slack-jawed brethren. Be a man...light a match. And BTW stench has a "e" in it.
Barrett "And yes, I do have a Thesaurus by my computer." Shumaker

[milkshake]

Now that was low B.S. a.k.a. Barrett Schumaker

[bshumake]

Yeah, I take 'em out at the knees. Oh, if anyone has any remarks for Jay he's here today for a luncheon. I'm gonna tour the tanks and my lab.

[redhawk44cb]

While we're at it, "insist's"... really?

[joeycadre]

huh?

[redhawk44cb]

Since we have once again hijacked a legitimate thread, this time for the important purpose of criticizing grammar and spelling, I thought I would contribute by pointing out the phantom apostrophe.

[bshumake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7445961#post7445961 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redhawk44cb
Since we have once again hijacked a legitimate thread, this time for the important purpose of criticizing grammar and spelling, I thought I would contribute by pointing out the phantom apostrophe.
ROTFLMFAO!

[neuroslicer]

Barrett, you remember when I said I was going to join the club? Well, uh, uhhh........ after reading this thread.........uh, uhhhhhhhhhhh..................uh no.


NGFGDNFNMDABBBTTX

[neuroslicer]

and I do silly walks too.

Can we lock this thread? After all, it was about waste. Good nitrite all! Sleep titrate.

:.)

[crpeck]

Don't let the bed bugs bitrate

[redhawk44cb]

Awesome. Good-bytrite. See 'ya latrate.