Need a Better Test Kit

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Can you just plant the crud out of it? I don't think it would take much to have plants use more nitrates than your betta could ever produce. Pothos roots are poisonous to cats, otherwise I would suggest that. Many plants that can grow out of the water could probably suit your purpose, I just don't know what they are. Nitrates are not very toxic however, and I don't personally associate anything under 20 as particularly harmful.
 
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I had a similar problem, as I need to know if nitrates are going up, or down. About 20ppm is very close too 40ppm on a api color chart.

I hold the vial up to my full back lite smart phone. Holding 2.5 ppm vial in the white between yellow and orange. The difference is easy to spot.

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rule of thumb for me me with the nitrate test, any hint of red, water change, at 20ppm. it hints at red , can be seen, at 40ppm, its red, no mistake.
 
THQ said:
Can u not run the hose through a window instead?
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The only windows near the hose tap are windows leading to "cat free zones", two spare rooms I have that I keep stuff that A. Will hurt my cats if they get it, or B. That I don't want broken/ruined by my cats. If I run the hose through a window, that means opening the door to the "cat free zones" and leaving it open, so the cats would have to go away anyways so they didn't get into the spare room/s. :)


Woefulrelic said:
Can you just plant the crud out of it? I don't think it would take much to have plants use more nitrates than your betta could ever produce. Pothos roots are poisonous to cats, otherwise I would suggest that. Many plants that can grow out of the water could probably suit your purpose, I just don't know what they are. Nitrates are not very toxic however, and I don't personally associate anything under 20 as particularly harmful.
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Aquarium plants don't seem to like me.. I can't grow anything except anubias and java fern/moss :D

I've been trying to find a list of plants that will grow with their roots in the water, so I can find out if there are any that won't hurt my cats, but I'm either looking in all the wrong places or one doesn't exist... :(

I try not to let the nitrates get to 20ppm in my tanks.. Reason being that I collected a sample from the river across the road, (which is considered so disgusting by locals that no one even swims in it) and for the fun of it, tested it with my API kit and got no readings for anything (a tiny hint of orange in the nitrate tube).. Now, while I realise that there are toxins in that river that I can't test for, everything I could test for came back at 0ish (according to API) and it got me thinking, if that river is filthy and yet everything we (as aquarists) test for is perfect.. Maybe I should step up my game in my tanks if the dirty river is giving me lower readings than my tank. Since then I've tried keeping nitrates as low as I can, and panic if I see red in that tube. :)
I know its probably silly, but that's me. :D

Thanks everyone for your replies.
 
I'm not sure either. Unfortunately my plant knowledge begins and ends at pothos because it has become a standard on my systems. Floating plants might be the way to go, dwarf water lettuce or the like.
 
Woefulrelic said:
I'm not sure either. Unfortunately my plant knowledge begins and ends at pothos because it has become a standard on my systems. Floating plants might be the way to go, dwarf water lettuce or the like.
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That's an idea.. I did have some azolla floating on two of my tanks, but the goldfish devoured the stuff in theirs and then when I moved one into the betas tank (betta was in a breeding net for a few hours) for snail removal, it turned out to be an azolla removal as well :D I've never seen water lettuce where I am, and all other floating plants I've tried get eaten.. :) I'm currently waiting for a call from a lfs about raiding their random tank of plant pieces to see if anything in there would be edible for my goldfish (they give away shredded/melting plants or sell them really cheap) I might see if they can order some dwarf water lettuce with their next shipment. Thanks heaps. :)
 
mrrobxc mrrobxc uses dwarf water lettuce and I think it looks awesome. His plant eaters allow it, but goldfish sure can chow plants. I'd avoid duckweed, I found it hard to get rid of. Pond places will usually have all kinds of floaters come spring.
 
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