Nitrates In Tank, Tap Water And Api Test Kit

[Kirsty5]

I have zero ammonia and nitrites in my tank, yet nitrates constantly read between 40 to 80 on my API tes kit, (am following instructions thoroughly), so, tonight, I tested my tap water, and it reads exactly the same.

Can anyone advise further as I don't want my nitrates this high!

Many thanks

 

[Katty]

My nitrate test kit is zonkers and comes up with 0 when there are definitly nitrates present. Apparently they just don't work very well.

 

[Kirsty5]

My nitrate test kit is zonkers and comes up with 0 when there are definitly nitrates present. Apparently they just don't work very well.

LMAO!

Which test kit do you use?

I couldn't work out why mine were so constant at this reading, so thought I'd check the tap water direct......
Is my test kit faulty?

Can anyone recommend a good test kit?

Should I start using RO water?

 

[Mikaila31]

Nitrate test kits are pretty inaccurate. You can't have above 44 out of tap, unless you are using a well and have never done a proper drinking water test. 44ppm nitrate as API measures or 10ppm of Nitrogen-nitrate as most labs measure is the cut off for safe drinking water. If you have a public water source it can't be above these numbers or they would inform you. That is IF you are in the US..... If you are you can also call your water utility and ask for a water report.

 

[Kirsty5]

Nitrate test kits are pretty inaccurate. You can't have above 44 out of tap, unless you are using a well and have never done a proper drinking water test. 44ppm nitrate as API measures or 10ppm of Nitrogen-nitrate as most labs measure is the cut off for safe drinking water. If you have a public water source it can't be above these numbers or they would inform you. That is IF you are in the US..... If you are you can also call your water utility and ask for a water report.

I'm in the South East of the UK...... Thats interesting to read about the levels.....

Southern Water state the following:

Nitrite / Nitrate

Both these substances are found in water running over and through agricultural land. Concentrations in the raw water above the amount allowed are reduced by treatment or blending.

Ammount allowed:
0.1 Mg/l at treatment works
0.5 mg/l at customers’ taps

50 mg/l

Found at http/www.southernwater.co.uk/homeAndLeisure/drinkingWater/drinkingWaterStandards.asp

What do I do now for the sake of my tank and occupants?

(Just sent an email to Southern Water requesting their comments).

 

[Kirsty5]

Is this any good?

http/www.swallowaquatics.co.uk/detail.aspx?id=176&utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=PriceComp&utm_term=Froogle&utm_content=None&utm_campaign=PriceComp1

 

[Mikaila31]

Nitrate test kits are pretty inaccurate. You can't have above 44 out of tap, unless you are using a well and have never done a proper drinking water test. 44ppm nitrate as API measures or 10ppm of Nitrogen-nitrate as most labs measure is the cut off for safe drinking water. If you have a public water source it can't be above these numbers or they would inform you. That is IF you are in the US..... If you are you can also call your water utility and ask for a water report.

I'm in the South East of the UK...... Thats interesting to read about the levels.....

Southern Water state the following:

Nitrite / Nitrate

Both these substances are found in water running over and through agricultural land. Concentrations in the raw water above the amount allowed are reduced by treatment or blending.

Ammount allowed:
0.1 Mg/l at treatment works
0.5 mg/l at customers’ taps

50 mg/l

Found at http/www.southernwater.co.uk/homeAndLeisure/drinkingWater/drinkingWaterStandards.asp

What do I do now?

You miss read it. NitrAte is the 50 mg/L or 50ppm. Now the main question is what nitrate are they measuring. The API test kit booklet very briefly touches on this topic in the nitrate section. Not all kits test the same. API does total nitrate (NO3-) some tests like our well water lab tests report in nitrate-nitrogen. The first type of test will give you a number that is 4.4 times higher then the latter test. Knowing this and knowing the US standards I would say that number is 50ppm of total nitrate (NO3-) or the same as an API kit would measure. If your on a public/residential water supply then IMO just call the water utility. They do water tests its required, they will have numbers for nitrate in the water they use to supply houses with. The lab test for drinking water are much more accurate and expensive then your API test kit. If your house has a well then you should be doing yearly drinking water tests if you intend to drink the tap water. We run a licensed daycare, so its actually required by law for us to test our well water. You get this little box with a jar and paper in it. You fill out what you want tested, it tells you the price for each test. You fill the jar up and put the form and a check in the box then mail it to a laboratory. Its got to get their in within 24 hours or they send you a new jar to try again. Any longer screws up the bacterial tests. My well has 5.2 mg/L or PPM of Nitrate-N or as API would "try to" say 23ppm. Though if you can read the API color card that accurately you deserve a medal of some kind .

 

[Kirsty5]

Thats pretty amazing stuff, thanks for sharing. Very different here in the UK!

And I totally agree with reading the API test card - Jeez, I thought it was just me!!! However, my readings are much more "red" than the oranges ranging up to the 20 mark on the card!

I am looking into removing these amounts though, in an inexpensive way if I can. I may try the product I posted earlier as long as I can find an adaptor to fit the hose to the tap: this may be the most awkward part!

 

[Mikaila31]

Also BTW knowing your tap water nitrate levels can increase the accuracy of your API test kit. Your nitrate testing is not really important, but if you want to be most accurate.... First find the levels of nitrate in your tap, Lab test numbers are ideal here. Run the API test on your tap and figure its pretty close to what the lab reported, if your on a water system there could be some error. Anyway compare the tank tests to the tap test, color wise. Then kinda factor the color chart in there to figure out the amount of change over the color difference.

And, probably first thing to do is make sure your nitrate test is working. Test some RO water and see if you read zero to really low as it should.

 

[Mikaila31]

I would look at RO systems, it doesn't have to be fancy. That nitrate filter may be cheaper in the beginning, but if you do have high levels on nitrate you will be recharging it alot. A small RO system would probably be better deal in the long run. Also remember don't use pure RO on a fish tank, you will need to mix a little tap in.

 

[doresy]

I am in South Hampshire and have been living with 40ppm Nitrates right from the tap with no problems at all.

Fish are pretty tolerant of nitrate which should be kept to a minimum with water changes but unless you have delicate specimens up to 100ppm (although not recommended) are tolerated

 

[Kirsty5]

Thanks so much, everyone! this is much more interesting than I originally thought - its got my mind working (This doesn't always happen BTW!).

I used to have an RO unit years back, sad I got rid in a way, but, I no longer have it leaking all over the place I suppose, and it is mighty expensive to repurchase considering I only have a small tank.......

I'm happy to pay £14.99 plus postage for something that will not last forever and need replacing from time to time, and am quite intrigued to see if it works? Just need to find something that will attach it to the hose, to the tap!

As for the fish coping with the levels of nitrate, I think I am going to get another test kit to check the levels as I really find it hard to check the precise levels on the API colour card, I definitely cannot get an exact reading The colours are so close when you're taking a reading, or depending how you look at it, there are not enough colours to determine!

 

[Mikaila31]

I am in South Hampshire and have been living with 40ppm Nitrates right from the tap with no problems at all.

Fish are pretty tolerant of nitrate which should be kept to a minimum with water changes but unless you have delicate specimens up to 100ppm (although not recommended) are tolerated

Right, one of my tanks is stocked heavily enough to run close to 40ppm and I spawn angelfish, boesemani rainbows, emperor tetras, and once GBR in there. Fish are very tolerance of nitrate. I test maybe once a year for it.

 

[Katty]

I used an API test just out of curiosity, and my community tank came up with 0 and I went through a big thing on this forum about why it was 0 with science flying everywhere and going in circles and back and forth and eventually I was just like Ok, Ok, I get it, these tests are just junk... Back in the closet went the test kit.

Just a thought, could you test a bottle of distilled water (or make your own distilled water...) and see if it still reads 40-80? To see if it's really your tap water or just the test being silly.

 

[Mikaila31]

Test RO water it should read really close to zero. It late here, I'm not quite sure if there would be nitrate in distilled or not. =S