Nitrate Levels

[NightStalker]

They are higher then i want them to be.

55 Gallon.

Temp 80 ferenheit.

3x Bala
7x Tiger Barb
7x Ghost Shrimp
1x Snail
3x Clams
5x Guppies
6x Cory's
1x Yellow barb?
1x Tiger Plec
1x Rubbernose Plec
2x Mollie

All the fish are about 1 month old tops, so the balas are still young, and small, aswell as the pleco's so size of the tank doesnt concern me.

I used to have 2 ammonia packs but removed them because i ran out and havent gone to the store yet, though im not sure how much of an effect this has on water chemistry, normally the filter does not come with these.

I do weekly water changes, monthly gravel vac, and roughly monthly changes on the filter media depends i do it earlier some times depending on how water flow is going.

Nitrate levels right now seem to be around 80, but ill be honest the scale is abit difficult to read so it could be 40-160, my best guess and best assumption is 80. All other water readings are perfect.

All in all its to high for my liking, any advice?

My tap water readings for nitrates is 0.5 for those who wish to ask.

 

[kribensis12]

The nirates are way too high. You should have no nitrites. Do gravel vacums every day until you can read the nitrite and your nitrate is under 50. How much do you feed them.

 

[FishRfine]

80!!!?!80!!!!!!!!! This is for your fish! Id give like a 6000% water change (LOL I KNOW NOT POSSIBLE) but seriously dude, 100% change, FAST.

 

[andywg]

80!!!?!80!!!!!!!!! This is for your fish! Id give like a 6000% water change (LOL I KNOW NOT POSSIBLE) but seriously dude, 100% change, FAST.

Or you could read up on nitrates and learn that scientific experiments have shown that any nitrate levels below 100ppm show no long term detriment to fish.

I wouldn't worry overly about nitrates. Just get in the habit of doing 10-20% water changes per week and they should stay down fine for now. Possibly keep an eye on how much you feed. It's not like you are keeping a Blue Spot Stingray in there.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

test your nitrates from your tap, if your tap water is high in nitrates then 80ppm isnt that surprising and isn't a massive concern. however i'd step up the gravel vaccing to weekly or at least every other week, and don't replace your filter media so often, sponges only need replacing with they're literally falling apart.

 

[noodles]

test your nitrates from your tap, if your tap water is high in nitrates then 80ppm isnt that surprising and isn't a massive concern. however i'd step up the gravel vaccing to weekly or at least every other week, and don't replace your filter media so often, sponges only need replacing with they're literally falling apart.

My tap water shows nitrates of about 80 ppm.

 

[Fwapp]

I had bad nitrate problems, with tap water coming in at 30ppm to start with, and the tank around the same level as yours. I resorted to buying a RO unit from Osmotics. I now have Nitrate levels below 5ppm at the end of the week. This means I have to add Nitrates for my plants! The fish certaintly look better for it.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

exactly, it's not that uncommon for tap water to be very high in nitrate and if it is you'll never get it lower in your tank, however you should be careful with maintenance as you don't have as much margin for error as those with lower nitrates in they're tap water

 

[noodles]

exactly, it's not that uncommon for tap water to be very high in nitrate and if it is you'll never get it lower in your tank, however you should be careful with maintenance as you don't have as much margin for error as those with lower nitrates in they're tap water

Exactly again! I really struggle to get my tank down to anything lower than 110ppm even with regular water changes and lots of plants, its a pain!

 

[NightStalker]

Said my nitrates in tap water were 0.5, but the thing is i did another test and it stays around 40 for most of the week, but near the end it jumps higher to like 50, i think i misread the 80 reading.

In the end still high for me but i guess i might be abit over-reacting to it.

I do as i said 25% water changes and i do think i may feed them a tad bit to much, thanks for the advice.