Help! High Nitrates in my tap water...

[Cermet]

First off, good you don't drink that toxic sluge - do send a sample to a company (google it) and they will confirm or prove it is false.

Until then, an algae scrubber is 100% the absoult best way to go - utterly cheap, easy to maintain and so simple it is a crime. Unlike R/O which requires constatnt replacement of expensive 'filters' the algae grows and consumes the nitrates (and other organics.) You clean out once a week and that is it.

There are special biological filters that consume nitrates but these are not cheap and can have issues. I have one and it killed all my discus - enough said.

The algae filter I have has done wonders and works; I bought mine fully ready/assembled for $60 and it handles my 75 gal tank and (at the time) my tap had 10 ppm nitrates (low compared to you but did make me very ill.) Kits are lower in cost and you can build one even cheaper.

I simply do not believe you'll ever have enough plants to consume even close to that much nitrate; however, plants and an algae filter might be the best way to go. But no plants will ever consume that much nitrate unless you add high lighting, CO2 and any missing trace nutrients ... so, moderate plants and an algae filter is your best solution.

[Cermet]

Just google water test companies and you will get hits that include companies that will ship yo ua container and you send it in their shipping package; home depot, I think, sells such a kit.

[ConnieW]

If you know the contact information for your water distribution company, just give them a call/e-mail and tell them you're concerned with the water supply. I did this, when I noticed Ammonia of .5ppm in my tap. They actually came out to my house to test, then went to two other locations to test and followed up with results. Of course, they weren't the results I was expecting (they found no "free ammonia" (NH3) and I don't believe they tested for "total ammonia," which includes ionized (NH4+) ammonia), and I still get a result of .5ppm in my own tests. Of course, the API test, tests for "total" ammonia, not just free ammonia, and free ammonia is the toxic ammonia. I figure this is something people should be aware of with these tests, and it's something I didn't know about before.

That being said, it doesn't answer your question about Nitrates. But, if you contact your distribution company, they should look into it free of cost, and you may learn something new about your water.

Thanks, but I did talk to our city water inspector and all she did was order a test at the local water treatment plant that services our area. I asked if she would come out to do a test on our tap water and she said they don't do that. She did call me back with the results of the test they ran...it was 5.3 ppm Nitrates. But I suspect they are only testing for Nitrates as Nitrogen and not total Nitrates as the API test kits do.

I also called API and talked to one of their technicians. He told me the importance of shaking bottle #2 well before every test or the test kit is ruined. I have been doing that as I know the importance of shaking that bottle. He said if I was sure I shake the bottle properly every time I test then the test is accurate. But he also said something that was troubling. He said the Nitrate levels in tank water at 40 to 60 is not dangerous for the fish. That is doesn't get dangerous for fish until it reaches the 100 ppm mark. I don't know if I believe that.

My LFS uses test strips to test their tank water....I don't think that is as accurate as the API test kits. I did see some home test kits on Amazon for around $20. I may try that first.

Have any of you tried Amquel Plus for reducing Nitrates? I do plan on adding more plants to my tank but the live plant selection here is not very good. All I have are Petco and Petsmart in my area. I can take a long trip to the Ocean Floor in downtown Phoenix one day I suppose. http://oceanfloorstore.com

Thanks for all the replies to my Nitrate problem!
Connie

[ConnieW]

Just google water test companies and you will get hits that include companies that will ship yo ua container and you send it in their shipping package; home depot, I think, sells such a kit.

OK, I did this and contacted this company: Nations Testing Labs
http://www.ntllabs.com/

I talked to a person there and they said they test the same way the city tests for Nitrates. In other words for the same type Nitrates the city tests for which is Nitrate as Nitrogen. I am not at all following this chemical difference here. But I guess total Nitrates as tested with the API test kit is different than the tests done for tap water from homes. So I don't know where to go to get another
test done that is tested like the API test kits do for total Nitrates.

My LFS uses the test strips and I have those same strips here that I have left over when I switched to testing with API test kits.

So, I just got back from The Ocean Floor....a large fish store about 20 miles from me. I took them a water sample and they tested it for me. They use the Hagen water test kits there. They say they are much more accurate than the API test kits. My Nitrates tested at around 5 ppm from tap, tank and the prefiltered tub of water. I know someone said that you can't filter Nitrates out of water and they much have been right it the Hagen tests are accurate.

Do any of you use the Hagen test kits? What do you think of them?
Thanks,
Connie

[Cliff]

Do any of you use the Hagen test kits? What do you think of them?
Thanks,
Connie

I used them a lot in the past as it has only been the pst 5 or 6 years that we have been able to buy the API test kits in stores were I live. I have found the Hagen test kits just as accurate as API.

[ConnieW]

I used them a lot in the past as it has only been the pst 5 or 6 years that we have been able to buy the API test kits in stores were I live. I have found the Hagen test kits just as accurate as API.

I was wondering if both the Hagen and API are both the same as far as accuracy goes ....why do I get such a drastic difference in the Nitrate test?
I just tested this afternoon....
API tests my tank at between 40 and 60.
Hagen texts my tank at 5.
That is one huge difference! So now I don't know which test to believe!

My city water inspector says the source water for my house tests at 5.3 Nitrates.
Hagen tests my tap water at around 5.

API also tests my tap water higher at between 30 and 40. Again a huge difference.
I just don't know what to think. I do weekly water changes of 8 gallons for this 29 gallon tank.
I am at a loss.....which test do I believe?

I also get a pretty big difference in the PH test. The API test says my tank is at 8.2 PH and the Hagen test reads at about 7.8 PH.
The Ammonia and Nitrites read the same on both tests...ZERO.
Connie

[Cliff]

From what I have read, you can sometimes have a certain chemical or element in the water that the chemicals in a test kit can react to and give you a false reading. As the API and Hagen test kits have different chemical compasitions, I would guess this is what is happening to you. This is why I had orginally suggested to have your test results confirmed first

I would be guess your real nitrate is between 5 and 10ppm.

[ConnieW]

From what I have read, you can sometimes have a certain chemical or element in the water that the chemicals in a test kit can react to and give you a false reading. As the API and Hagen test kits have different chemical compasitions, I would guess this is what is happening to you. This is why I had orginally suggested to have your test results confirmed first

I would be guess your real nitrate is between 5 and 10ppm.

Thanks so much, I called the National testing lab about testing the tap water and they explained that they run the same tests as do the water treatment plants. So I suppose my confirmation of what the Nitrates are in my tap water is the test my city water inspector ran a couple days ago that was 5.3 ppm.

I did read in the Hagen booklet that if you have high Nitrites in the water it would interfere with the Nitrate reading.

I am relieved that the Nitrates are likely not as high as I first thought.
Thanks for the reply!

[Cermet]

Nitrates of 5 ppm are fine for fish; as for ok up to 100 ppm for fish, that does not agree with any source I have read - 40 ppm is the upper limit for tough fish and 20 for not so tough; neons/cardinals/discus and other sensitive fish, under 5 ppm and as close to zero as possible.

Plants will help with nitrates of 5.3 ppm. The pH (note now this is capitalized) is high but some types of fish like that and most tank breed can handle it.

I use Seachem and it includes a standard solution so one can determine if it is the test or the tank water that is causing issues.

Glad your tap water isn't 40+ ppm nitrates! Guess API kits have bad issues.

If you are not sure, just send it out to a company that does this type of testing (for homeowners) as a routine business.

[ConnieW]

Nitrates of 5 ppm are fine for fish; as for ok up to 100 ppm for fish, that does not agree with any source I have read - 40 ppm is the upper limit for tough fish and 20 for not so tough; neons/cardinals/discus and other sensitive fish, under 5 ppm and as close to zero as possible.

Plants will help with nitrates of 5.3 ppm. The pH (note now this is capitalized) is high but some types of fish like that and most tank breed can handle it.

I use Seachem and it includes a standard solution so one can determine if it is the test or the tank water that is causing issues.

Glad your tap water isn't 40+ ppm nitrates! Guess API kits have bad issues.

If you are not sure, just send it out to a company that does this type of testing (for homeowners) as a routine business.

I have had Neon tetras in this tank since the first week back in August 2012. The only thing that one died of was NTD and so for the others are healthy.
So I am beginning to think either the API test kits are not compatible with something in our tap water, or I just got a bad batch.

Thanks so much for all the great info here.
I am off to look for info about starting to get some live plants in this tank now.