Skimmate Test

[harif87]

Hey guys

So earlier today i got a little curious to as how efficient my Aqua C Remora is at pulling out nitrates from my 55 that had at least 20ppm nitrate(could have been even higher but that was my last recorded value before the water change, which was in the beggining of the week)before a 30% water change. -I dont normally wait so long in between water changes and/or high nitrate readings...

Anyways, i tested my skimmate with an aquarium pharmiceuticals Nitrate test kit, the same i used to get the results of 20ppm on my tank water. Now this kit might not be so accurate (my lfs doesnt sell salifert kits..) but i think since the kit variable wasnt chanfed i dont think it changes anything...

So i tested 5 ml of skimmate, which is the correct volume needed according to the instructions of the kit and i was shocked when i got my results. I got a value of 0-5 ppm of nitrate in the skimmate.

Now i know that doesnt necessarily mean that there was 0 nitrates in the skimmate because:
A) Skimmate isnt transparent like water so color is not as easily determined
B) Certain things in the skimmate may react differently with the indicator chemicals the test uses.
C)When "shaking the tube vigorously" a good part of the tube was foamed up, which may affect results.

I wanted to post this to maybe get some help from members to determine whether my results can or cant be trusted to a certain factor. I would also like for anyone who has anything related to say to chime in here...


I hope my skimmer isnt good for nothing

[fishfingers]

Protein skimmers don't remove nitrates form the water. What the skimmer does is remove organics before they can break down into nitrates. That might be why your not getting a reading.

I would think that there would be to many different things in skimmate to produce a reliable test anyway.

[TheOldSalt]

Dana Riddle has been working on skimmate analysis for years, an while he can get good results, being the chemist he is, the last I checked he still hasn't come up with a good, practical method for use by ordinary hobbyists. Nonetheless, the answer is clear: skimming works absolute wonders. Fear not, harif; you are NOT wasting your time.