High Nitrates

[thenightgoddess]

Im not sure what else to do and im not new at aquariums ive had one for about a year now but it wouldnt let me post in the other forum. I have two tanks a 10 gallon and a 15 gallon and I have been having problems with high nitrates in both even after doing a water change. I just did a water change on both a 50% on the 15 and a 25% on the 10 and tested both and they both still have about 80 in the nitrate and I know it shouldnt be above 40. I try to do weekly water changes on both this one was more like a week and a half because it was the first time I could do it. I have been having trouble with high nitrates in the 15 for a while now. Im not willing to do plants ive tried and they ended up dying and I dont want to do more than one water change a week. Is there anything else I can do to bring down my nitrates? Everything else in both tested fine. Ive also tested my tap water before and dont remember there being a problem with it.

 

[techen]

How many fish do you have for each tank. It does sound like your water may have an issue but it depends

 

[the_lock_man]

80ppm for nitrate isn't a huge problem - it may well be you have a relatively high nitrate level in your tap water (I have about 30ppm in mine), and if you have a relatively high stocking in the tank also, then you're going to get relatively high nitrate levels.

As I say, 80 isn't all that bad, but you do need to be quite scrupulous about your water changes, because the nitrates don't want to go too much higher than that.

 

[ColR1948]

Just out of interest what is the danger level of Nitrates, as Veni mentioned above don't go much higher than 80ppm so is that the limit?

 

[the_lock_man]

It depends on the fish, but you can get away with nitrates around the 150 mark. If you give yourself a target of 80, knowing that your only method of control is water changes, then you have a margin for error - with ammonia and nitrite, you have some little friends helping you control the levels, so you don't need that margin for error. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Essjay]

it wouldnt let me post in the other forum.

As a side issue, I see you are still 'validating'. You should have had an email from the forum. It might be in your spam filter. Once you've responded to the email, you'll be validated and will be able to post anywhere.

 

[thenightgoddess]

How many fish do you have for each tank. It does sound like your water may have an issue but it depends

My 10 is fine ive gone on aq advisor and it says its fine for stocking. My 15 is overstocked because I have a bristlenosed pleco. Im not willing to get rid of him and he is already full grown and doing fine. My 10 has three male guppies, a male betta, two julii cories(i think there actually false juliis) im going to be getting one more this week I had an albino cory with them but he passed, two mystery snails, and an african dwarf frog. I also have 5 molly/platy babies in a breeder net that I saved from my work im not planning on keeping them once they get bigger. I know your all going to say you shouldnt keep bettas with guppies but they have been together for at least half a year and are still fine the betta ignores them. My 15 has two female guppies one full grown one still small that ive had since she was a baby, a panda molly, three albino corys, and a bristlenosed pleco. Im going to be getting a new snail for it this week i was having problems with low ph that I fixed but it killed the snail I had.

it wouldnt let me post in the other forum.

As a side issue, I see you are still 'validating'. You should have had an email from the forum. It might be in your spam filter. Once you've responded to the email, you'll be validated and will be able to post anywhere.

I thought I had but i clicked the wrong link on the email

80ppm for nitrate isn't a huge problem - it may well be you have a relatively high nitrate level in your tap water (I have about 30ppm in mine), and if you have a relatively high stocking in the tank also, then you're going to get relatively high nitrate levels.

As I say, 80 isn't all that bad, but you do need to be quite scrupulous about your water changes, because the nitrates don't want to go too much higher than that.

I dont know how high it is before I do a water change though the 80 is testing after I did it. I have been told by other aquarium people to test after the water change.