Nitrates?

[ernie9624]

I started testing my water and my nitrates are high. I changed 25% of the water and it is still high. I'm new to the water testing. I checked my tap water and it read around 10 ppm. Does that sound right?

 

[synodontisjack]

Tap water contains some nitrates and 10ppm is fine anyway it wont do your fish any harm.

 

[ANIMALHOUSE]

your tap water NITRATES are 10PPM?

Alot of People even my self sometimes get confused. NITRITES with NITRATES

Your supposed to keep your NITRATES BELOW 20PPM if i'm not mistaken.

50PPM MAX.

Any body confirm that?

 

[ernie9624]

I'm trying to keep them below 20 but if I'm starting with 10ppm it seems like i'll have to do a lot of water changes

 

[ANIMALHOUSE]

if you keep a routine in your tank with the w/c it should be fine.

what's your tank size, stock and w/c schedule

 

[ernie9624]

75 gallon
1 oscar med
1 large frontosa 1 small
1 pleco
1 leperinus large
I was changing water once a week but currently every other day until I get things right

 

[synodontisjack]

Nitrites are the more dangerous of nitrates and nitrites as it is only the second stage of the nitrogen cycle before it is turned into nitrates below 50ppm for nitrates id fine.

 

[ernie9624]

where should nitrites be

 

[synodontisjack]

nitrites should be as low as possible, prefferably they should be at zero and 1ppm is lethal to more sensitive fish they can go for short stints with nitrite present but they will start to die off after 5 days or so.

 

[ernie9624]

mine tested 0 but i wasn't sure that was possible