Catalina Natural Salt Water tested positive for 10ppm Nitrate / Maze brain issue ?

[Mike01z]

I just did a water change yesterday and I have been using the Catalina water from Petco mainly cause its easier than mixing my own salt, Everything had been pretty good but on my maze brain I noticed a little spot that was bleached, It might have been there since I got it but I had not noticed it before and I haven't seen its tenticles come out in days although it does puff up at night,, don't know whats up with that but I'm thinking with all this stuff combined it aint good for the brain.


This got me to testing my water which tested positive at 20 ppm Nitrate,

I tested it a little over a month ago and had 0 Nitrate with the same bioload minus 1 live rock.

Just for the heck of it I then tested the Catalina Natural Salt water and it tested positive for 10ppm of Nitrate right out of the box!! This stuff is advertized as 0 Nitrate so I was kinda peeved at this.

For the heck of it I then mixed 10 gallons worth of saltwater with the Instant Ocean Salt and RO/DI water just to make sure it wasn't the test kit or something, Sure enough the RO/DI mixture registered 0 Nitrate so I did a 10 gal change with this water as well.

Question is whats up with the Catalina Water and is my brain ok? Are they this sensitive to Nitrate? I have some shrooms, frogspawn, and a xenia that appear to be doing good. The brain was also in a relativaly high flow area so I moved him to a more moderate one directly on the sand bed.

Anyone with this type of brain wanna comment on what type of flow/lighting this guy likes?


My lighting is 4 x 65 watt Power Compact 2 actnics/2 reg (10k/6.7k for the regs) and tank is a 60 gal same size as standard 55 gallon but a few inches taller.


I did recently add a couple power heads and have them aimed in such a way to keep detritus off the sand bed as much as possible without blowing the sand around too much and I am also about halfway done with removing bioballs, Hopefully the nitrate issue will be cured by using my own mixed saltwater and getting rid of all the bioballs but this nitrate lvl does not seem high enough to create coral issues as severe as death does it? I guess I don't think that the brain should have been suffering like it was just due to the Nitrate. What do you guys think?

[Fly Guy]

IMO a nitrate level of 20 shouldnt have that negative of an effect on a maze. What are your phosphate levels??? IF you had high phosphate levels that would affect it more, but the frogspawn would be affected first in my experience.

What are all of your water parameters??

Ive got my maze on the sand in medium/high flow and i dont feed him anything but hes under 3 250's.

[Loverotties]

What test kit are you using and or they dated?I tested my Catalina with salifert and got 0.They just redid the lables on the box(new look)and that also has a use by date.Check it out.

[Mike01z]

I need to test for phosphates, the kits I am using are the Master Kits but I think that they are accurate cause the mix I made myself registered as nitrate free,


here are my other parameters
Amonia == 0
Nitrite == 0
Nitrate == 20ppm
PH between 7.8 and 8.0

I need to go buy a phosphate kit and test for that still.

[Geoff]

while are you at it test for Ca and alk.

G~

[Mike01z]

Originally Posted by Geoff

while are you at it test for Ca and alk.

G~

yep will do.