Good morning. Set up my tank 3 weeks ago using used aquarium gravel that had been stored for 20+ years. Everything else is new. Using under gravel filters as well as Whisper Power Filter hanging on back of tank. Have added Anubias Nana (5); Wisteria (2) and Dwarf Hairgrass. I have NOT added any fish yet. On 2/15 I tested for Nitrites with a very old test kit and got 0.1 ppm. On 2/19 I retested with a new API Master Kit and Nitites were 2.0 ppm, so I added 15ml of water conditioner (Imagitarium). I tested today, 2/22, and Nitrites were again 2.0 ppm and Nitrates 5.0 ppm. In all honesty the Nitite reading could also be 1.0 ppm or 5.0 ppm as the test kit color chart colors for 1.0; 2.0, and 5.0 are almost identical. I'm curious why the nitrites didnt drop after the addition of the water conditioner and considering there are plants and no fish. I'm considering buying some bacteria to add. Any suggestions?
