If your tank is cycled you should be showing Nitrate. If you are not seeing any Nitrate your filter is not cycled or you are not shaking your test solution up enough before testing your water.
Is my water test normal ?
- Thread starter Matt S
- Start date
Make sure you're shaking bottle two for 30 seconds before you add the drops and then shake the tube for a full minute, without doing both of those things the color won't change. Not saying you're not doing it right but I read the directions as I did mine for the first time today!
Like said above my tank and filter have both been running for 6 to 7 years so they are clearly cycled and even when multiple pet stores test my water they come up with the same thing i do so it can't be me not just shaking the test bottle enough lol
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Yup I always read the directions to insure that I test correctly but pet store get the same readings I do so I don't think I've done it wrong with multiple test kits and then multiple pet stores do it wrong to and all the readings come up the same it doesn't make sense to me but since it won't hurt my fish I'm not going to worry about it I guess
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Lol, I almost tested without reading the directions, saw all the bottles and said well let's just check these out. It's weird that none are showing up but if the tank's still running well and the fish are thriving just enjoy it
.I don't get a zero for Nitrates, but it's certainly not a 5.0 colour either; it doesn't make a bit of a difference in the colour whether I stand on my head & do the hokey pokey shaking bottles and tubes until it starts to feel inappropriate, the colour is the same with my established tank 
Actually it can be that. If I was to guess I would say around 50% of people using master kits do not shake their nitrate bottles enough. I can pretty much guarantee that if you were to test again right now, and shake it like you would Kim kardashian you will get different results. Also the main issue here is if you have been using the kit for awhile and haven't been shaking it properly then no matter how much you shake it the results will never be correct. This is because it was not properly mixed when dispensing the drops so the mixture is thrown off permanently.
Step 1
Shake both test bottles 40 seconds then add 10 drops of bottle # 1 put lid on and shake it up for 30 seconds
Step 2
Take lid off 10 drops bottle # 2 put lid on and shake for 60 seconds
Step 3
Post results you will have nitrates!
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Shake both test bottles 40 seconds then add 10 drops of bottle # 1 put lid on and shake it up for 30 seconds
Step 2
Take lid off 10 drops bottle # 2 put lid on and shake for 60 seconds
Step 3
Post results you will have nitrates!
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
