Tap water is testing Nitrate at 40ppm

[wrslrcichlid]

If you want to lower your nitrates, and doing water changes isn't getting you there since your tap water has them (definitely check into why it is over 10ppm), there are a few ways to do this. The easiest and cheapest route you have already started trying: plants in the tank. Personally I have found that pothos work extremely well, but they CANNOT be submerged - only the roots can be in the water. If submerged, pothos will begin to die which will cause nitrates to be released - the opposite of what you want. Also, it may take a month or two for you to notice a measurable difference after adding the pothos, as it can take some time for the plant to get accustomed to its new environment.

I will refer you to two other threads about using plants to aid in filtration - they both focus on pothos for the most part.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...ly-filtration-(why-not-popular-in-the-hobby-)

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?504763-Cheap-plants-less-nitrate!-POTHOS

 

[Oscar Mike]

My point exactly
If the op or even his LFS tests his municipal "tap" water, and the result is over 10ppm nitrate, his test is wrong, or the testing glassware is contaminated, or the method is sloppy.
No municipal water system in the US would send out water over the EPA regulated MCL, the fines and liability would put them in deep sh/t.

Nitrate values are commonly reported as either nitrate (NO3) or as nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N). The MCL in drinking water for nitrate (as NO3) is 45ppm, which is equivalent to 10ppm as NO3-N.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/00517.html

I'm not sure why the EPA uses the second method, but local water quality reports and liquid test kits typically measure nitrates as NO3. So like Harley said, the OP's tap doesn't exceed the MCL but it's pretty close and not very healthy (for fish or people). If petsmart tested the tap sample at 15ppm then that's normal for most of southern and central California (mine is 14.95), but besides plants there's not much else you can do to get them lower than that. A drip system might help keep your nitrates more stable though

 

[Silencio]

Thanks everybody for your help! The API master test kit is definitely wrong because the tap water is testing at 40ppm. When using the API 5 in 1 test strips and PetSmart test the water is testing at 10ppm or slightly above but not quite at 15ppm. I kinda freaked out because the master test kit kept testing the water at 40ppm even though I was doing water changes every other day. I have 6 discus and 3 veil tail angelfish 1 dwarf blue gourami 1 gold ram and 4 albino pleco the kind that only grow 6 inches max and don't latch to my discus. I have 17 plants in the tank right now but i'm going to add some potho to the top also. 150 gallons tank and changing 25 gallons every 3 days with the vacuum gravel. I keep the water temp at 85 and the fish are doing good. I feed them brine shrimp blood worms and flakes and pellets 2 to 3 times a day. Going to try some krill? I tried the beef heart but they don't seem to like it. Especially my 1 baby discus won't touch it.