High Nitrates - Ro Water The Solution?

[Fwapp]

My tap water is 50ppm Nitrates from the tap, and even though I water change 3 times a week, the tank stays around 100ppm. The tank is planted, by the way. I recently started feeding the fish every other day, as well, to try and get the Nitrate level down.

I spoke to my lfs this morning, and initially they suggested Tetra Nitrsafe, but did say they felt RO was the better solution long term. I'm happy with this, as the way I see it, I could water change one week using tap, the other RO, doing one change a week. However I have a few questions I did not think of when I was at the shop. Can you keep RO for several weeks, without it going 'off'? Also, can you do the alternate ro/tap water change, to keep the cost down.

The lfs sells RO for £8.99 for the first container (25l), remineralised/altered to your fishes requirements, and £3.50 per 25l there-after. Is this a good deal?

Tanks stats - 100l tank,planted.
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
pH - 7.5
GH - >16x10d
KH - 3 to 6x10d

I'd appreciate any comments, or alternatives.

 

[jayjay]

Nitrate kits often don't work very well from what i hear and they often give poor readings.

The amount your paying is more than my some of the places I would use around me (10p a litre).

Also if your nitrates are that high something may have died in your tank or you have something rotting in the tank or filter etc.

Yes you can store RO water and i'd think it would be fine doing the alternating weeks.

 

[Fwapp]

Nitrate kits often don't work very well from what i hear and they often give poor readings.

The amount your paying is more than my some of the places I would use around me (10p a litre).

Also if your nitrates are that high something may have died in your tank or you have something rotting in the tank or filter etc.

Yes you can store RO water and i'd think it would be fine doing the alternating weeks.

Thanks for the advice.

I've never 'lost' a fish, and all the plants are doing fine, so I dont think anything is rotting. Every month I desludge my internal filter, so I may change to every two weeks, and see what happens. I did do this months desludge today, coincidentally, and there was nothing unusal in it.

Thanks again.

 

[Ingwe]

I have seen specialized filters that use colonies of anaerobic bacteria to lower nitrate. I don't know much about them at all so you'd have to ask in the saltwater equipment section. Another way to get nitrate down is to grow fast-growing plants, which will constantly consume nitrate as a nitrogen source, nitrogen being one of the nutrients they need for growth (although it isn't used in photosynthesis).

But the nitrate level in your tap water is a problem, and I don't know any way to lower it other than RO. If it's practical you could get a 55g plastic barrel for a holding tank and fill it with tap water, then let an established nitrate filter run in it for 24 hours or so before using the water for a water change. In that time, the nitrate would probably be close to zero and you could add the nitrate-free water to your tank.

 

[lucky_dresden]

http/www.aquariumworld.co.uk/equipment/i...arget=d151.html

I use this stuff. Has dropped my nitrates below my tap water reading. Tap reading of approx. 30, tank reading of approx. 10.

Bought it to bring my phosphates down, which are still hanging in there, but then even the much vaunted Rowaphos did bog all.

Regards

Pat.