I’ve had my betta in my cycled tank for 11 days now. Is it normal to have zero nitrates?
https://i.redd.it/ov64h66as81g1.jpeg
Posted by meganlizzie
I’ve had my betta in my cycled tank for 11 days now. Is it normal to have zero nitrates?
https://i.redd.it/ov64h66as81g1.jpeg
Posted by meganlizzie
3 Comments
Is your tank heavily planted?
Yes, it can be normal to have 0 nitrates. The test is finicky and prone to giving false negatives, but even so, a true 0 is not particularly uncommon when you have a low bioload and plants or algae. As long as ammonia and nitrite remain at 0 in a stocked tank then it’s cycled, regardless of the nitrate levels.
If you only have the betta, it could be that the bioload is so low that the plants are taking care of any nitrates before they build up, my tank does the same, been cycled for a year and barely ever have visible nitrates