Mystery Nitrogen

[anthias]

today I did a no3 no2 test for my QT aquariums (I have 5 QTs) one of these tanks is under melafix treatment,there are 6 tomato clown fish in it ,all my QTs showed a high NO3 NO2 but in the QT that under treatmen it showed 0NO3 0NO2 ,I m feeding all the QTs the same food the same qauntities, so does that means that melafix reduces the NO3,NO2???

[leebca]

No. That is not the property of this material. However, as I mentioned in the first post, these natural chemicals do feed bacteria. It may just be feeding the bacteria and encouraging their proliferation during the starting phase of the QT. That is, in this QT there are more bacteria and they are active either by chance or by being fed the Melafix.

[anthias]

No. That is not the property of this material. However, as I mentioned in the first post, these natural chemicals do feed bacteria. It may just be feeding the bacteria and encouraging their proliferation during the starting phase of the QT. That is, in this QT there are more bacteria and they are active either by chance or by being fed the Melafix.

realy it is very strange today I did atest it is the same 0 NO2 0NO3, it is now 12 days with every day feeding ,the other tanks still shows NO2 NO3 even I did water change,the filter is simple corner filter with cotton and the water I used was only one week old when i but the fishes so i think there wasnt time for the bacteria to complete the cycle, I but some melafix for another tank but it has no effect on the NO3, the point is what is the secret in that tank there is a 6 tomato clown fishes and one bicolor barottefish(female).
lee I have QT same size with only one fish (black tang)and I used 1/4 the amount of food but the NO3 increased in two dayes.

[leebca]

0 nitrate (NO3) doesn't make sense unless somewhere there is some denitrification going on. Most the bacteria that denitrify need an place where there is little or deficient oxygen. Are you sure:
1. You are performing the test properly?
2. The test kit is current and not expired?
3. There is no place in that tank or system where there is a shortage of oxygen?

[greenbean36191]

It could also be an issue of the melafix messing up the test results.

[leebca]

Good point. Hadn't thought of that one. That should be straightforward to show, unless it's a lengthy chemical reaction.

anthias,

Put some Melafix in a sample (at the concentration you're using it in the QT) that hadn't contained any Melafix, yet showed nitrates, to see if the test result varies.

[anthias]

Good point. Hadn't thought of that one. That should be straightforward to show, unless it's a lengthy chemical reaction.

anthias,

Put some Melafix in a sample (at the concentration you're using it in the QT) that hadn't contained any Melafix, yet showed nitrates, to see if the test result varies.

ok I ll do it.