High Nitrate Prevention

[PaulEbs]

I bought one of those nutrafin master test kits today, [the first time I've checked stats in my tanks for years ] Although never had any major problems.

anyway... my 40 gallon community tank shows really high nitrates, around the 30/40 mark.

Can I use plants to depleat the amounts of nitrate?

Whats the best method for bringing the nitrate down? [I do weekly gravel vacs, and water changes - plus it's not overstocked]

Thanks.

 

[andywg]

30 to 40 is not that high. My tap water seems to be about this. Anything below 100 should be fine.

Ways to stop high nitrates involve:

Using chemical absorbing media
Planting live plants
Creating anoxic zones for nitrifying bacteria to colonise
regular water changes with a lower nitrate water (including RO if necessary)
Ensuring no food is rotting in the tank
Feeding less
Stocking less heavily

 

[CFC]

London tapwater typically has a nitrate content of between 20 and 40ppm and depending on the time of year and demand has been known to rise as high as 70ppm (in the sumer we drink more and so it gets "recycled" quicker) and i have been using this for my fish for years, even with fairly sensative species. A reading of 30/40ppm is nothing much to worry about unless you are bringing in sensative wild caught fish or breeding things like tetras, appistogramma or discus.

 

[PaulEbs]

cheers for the replies

There good these little test kits aren't they!?

 

[steelhealr]

Agree with all the above. My 46G runs heavily stocked and nitrates hit 80ppm sometimes. I do an extra water change from time to time to drop it back down and my fish are all doing well. SH

 

[andywg]

I don't rate the nitrate test kits, they have a short shelf life and I have grave concerns over their accuracy. I had a brand new one register over 100ppm on fresh RO water.