What should I do to keep my Nitrates at zero or low enough thats safe for my fish? My tap water is testing 40ppm. Has anybody ever experienced this?
Tap water is testing Nitrate at 40ppm
- Thread starter Silencio
- Start date
That's borderline legal as per EPA.
Why are you concerned, are your fish showing problems? Most species can tolerate it. It'd be a good opportunity to start a planted tank. Plants will suck it up.
HarleyK
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Why are you concerned, are your fish showing problems? Most species can tolerate it. It'd be a good opportunity to start a planted tank. Plants will suck it up.
HarleyK
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No signs of problems with my fish. I do have about 15 plants in my 150 gallon already. I recently bought the API master test kit and I've been testing the water before I do water changes and its always at 40 ppm. I've been changing 25 gallons about every 3 days. I test the water and if it reads 40 ppm I do a water change. Well I just changed 25 gallons on Sunday and I tested the water to see if it needed to be changed and it read 40 ppm. So I tested the tap water and it reads 40 ppm. Just wondering if thats normal and if thats ok for my fish.
The EU's legal level is 40. In the US, it's 10. That's a violation and almost certainly is due to errors in the test kit. I'd contact the water company and see if they agree.
I just planted 3 bushes of pothos at the bottom of my tank on Sunday. Going to see what happens whether there going to die. I might just get a basket and hook them to the top some how.
Pothos are terrestrial plants. There's no if about dieing, only when. The roots need to be in water and the leaves need to be in air.
+1 also is your tank a newly cycled tank? Plants may be able to suck up the remaining nitrates as well..
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Yeah it might be a newly cycled tank because Its only been running since July. Yeah there is 12 aquarium plants and 5 pothos fully submerged right now.