are my nitrates too high for my fish

Lund

Lund

AC Members
Jan 6, 2006
67
0
0
Michigan
My nitrate levels range from 20-40ppm. My tap water has nitrates around 30ppm. I put a couple of live plants (hornwart) in my tank to help remove some of the nitrates. I do water changes about twice a week, depending on how soon my nitrates get noticably above 20ppm.

I have a 30 gallon tank with a 10" pleco.

Are the nitrates too high for me to put any other fish in my tank? Or is it going to be leathal to them.
 
Well, the pleco doesn't help much, that's for sure :)

Add a lot more plants and try to get the nitrates down to a steady 20ppm that holds between water changes. If you can do that, then you can try adding a couple more fish.

Assuming your phosphates aren't wacko as well, I'd LOVE to have that water of yours. I dose NO3 four times a week for my plants.

Lucky stiff.

Roan
 
Yah I know the pleco is too big, and makes tons of waste. Are there any plants that you would recomend? I was thinking maybe some cocomba, and java fern. Would the pleco destroy broad leaf plants?
 
I heard that moss balls are good nitrate eaters. I have several because I like how they look :)
Don't know about plecos and broad leaf plants but I've never heard that they would bother them...
 
I can attest to the Nitrate eating ability of Hornwort. I have two goldfish and found out that hornwort was one of the plants they could not eat away faster than it grew. My tap water has a nitrate reading of about 7. I do 50% waterchanges a week and my Nitrates have never tested above 10 even after 7 full days without any fresh water. Now remember I am talking about two fat gluttenous goldfish who probably get fed by every member of our house. I even caught the housekeeper feeling sorry for them when they begged and throwing in a handful of flakes. I must say that my goldfish make people think that they will die from starvation with their dances even though they are obese little Ryukins.
 
I am on city water. I think I am going to ask for a water report from my city. They have much more sofisticated testing equipment than I do. And besides, I just might be doing my testings wrong on my tank and tap water. This way, if their numbers are way different from mine, I can look into what I might be doing wrong, or otherwise start asking questions in the right places to get it looked at.

I use the aquarium pharmacuticals master test kit for fresh water. Is this one a good one, or should I look into a different brand. I have seen this specific one mentioned several times on these forums.
 
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