Ideas on getting nitrates up

[Myka]

Originally Posted by warriorcookie

And the water is cloudy! So, as soon as the bacteria had enough NO3 they went crazy.

Originally Posted by warriorcookie

I don't know about anybody else, but I can't get a very good read on the Salifert test without sunlight at my back. Artificial light just doesn't do it for me.

Try using a cool white fluorescent tube for checking. Warm colored bulbs make the NO3 kit impossible to read, but yeah sunlight is easiest. When the Salifert kit is used up, try the Red Sea Pro nitrate kit - it has a second vial that you match the colors to each other. I find it easier to read than Salifert when NO3 is less than 10 ppm.