New 125 Gallong Set-up

[F1 VET]

I don't have any testing kits yet, so I took a sample of my water to a local fish store and they tested it for me. They just used test strips, could it possibly be that there was a small nitrate reading and they just didn't compare the strips to the color charts good enough? I'm going to get some test strips and test the water myself.

Don't bother with strips... Inaccurate and expensive! Try this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000255NCI/ref=mp_s_a_1?pi=SL75&qid=1349812858&sr=8-1-spell

_________________________________________________________________________http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?504763-Cheap-plants-less-nitrate!-POTHOS

*Go S. Vettel #1 rb8--5 MORE RACES LEFT! LET'S MAKE IT 3 BACK TO BACK WINS/WDC!* :beer:

 

[tehmole]

try going to another fish store to get it tested. do buy a liquid water test ~ like everyone agrees that the strip is cr_p

 

[Ajohnson2882]

I will look into that kit! I wanted that kit from the get go, but didn't feel like spending 35$ at local petstores/fish stores to get one. 20$ is a very reasonable price for that kit. When I got my water tested I was also dumbfounded about the results coming up all zero. I even told them that must be a mistake.. I was expecting to have a nitrite reading or a nitrate reading. Really puzzled me to say the least.

 

[Ajohnson2882]

Not to bring this late thread back up, but I have since gotten a Freshwater API master kit since my last post. I am testing 0 for ammonia and nitirite, but have a good reading for nitrate. It's actually on the higher side (above 40ppm) but I'm skeptical to do a water change as I've always been told not to do water changes while it's cycling.

However, I'm not quite sure if my aquarium has possibly already cycled or not. As of two days ago a real fine brown algae has started to grow in several spot on the side of my tank. Now I know with higher nitrates it's going to cause more algae growth, however I also read about a brown algae that grew during a cycle that would dissapear on it's own when the cycle was over. Any truth to this?

I think I'm going to do a 25% water change just to start bringing down my nitrates to normal levels, but if my take still indeed is cycling which I assume it is I don't want to mess it up by doing a water change.