nitrate levels are high

R

richm20

AC Members
Oct 10, 2005
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Long Island, NY
Ok, my nitrate levels are high (60-80) cant tell cause the colors are so close. My problem is my tap water is almost at the same level. Any idea on how to lower my levels? Everything else is at 0 in a 90 gallon fresh water tank with a bunch of scale-less fish. Thanks
 
AmQuel Plus claims to neutralize, ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte. It also claims that it wont affect your biological filter.
 
Is your tank planted? If not you may wish to consider live plants as they will eat the nitrate.
 
Hrm, yah, but he has a different problem. He has Old Tank Syndrom, which is the accumulation of nitrates in a tank that has not received regular water changes.

richmo's nitrates are out of the tap and much harder to deal with. I also suggest using plants to offset the nitrates.

Roan
 
Is it safe to drink tap water like that? RO or distilled water may be an option, but for a 90 gallon that can get expensive quick.
 
I guess it all depends on what the municipality considers "safe" to be. I'd like to know what the phosphate level is.

My water just changed from a reading of 5ppm nitrates to 10ppm nitrates. The phosphate levels are 2+, off the chart. Good for plants, mind you, but we drink water filtered via our fridge.

Hrm, I should test THAT water, too.

Roan
 
you can build an anaerobic denitrator as follows: you need a power filter, which can be also used as a mechanical filter. you also need some place to put the device where it's dark, such as a box or the bottom of a cabinet. The only other thing you need is 25 feet of 3/8 to 1/2 inch tubing. Roll the tubing up, but let both ends stick out. The ends should be long enough to reach to the aquarium, and an extra foot or so. Take the roll and put it into the box or cabinet, letting the ends stick out. Put one end into the output of the power filter, and make sure that it wont fall out. Then, suck a bit on the other end, to start the siphon. As the siphon starts, the tube should fill with water. Once that is done, lower the end of the tube until the water level is around the end of the tube, and plug it with your finger. Stick it into the aquarium, and let go. Then tape it, rubber band it, etc. to the edge of the aquarium, making sure that the end is either in the water, or just above it. If the end is just above the water, you should see the water flowing. Then, give it some time. It should take about a month for the bacteria to grow on the filter, but in a month, you should see a real drop in your nitrate levels. Remember to still do water changes, because nitrates are not the only bad things in old water.

there is also a product called "AllGone" which perports to eliminate nitrates "non-chemically". i have no peresonal experience with this product but know a few people who've tried it with success.
 
if your tap water is 60-80 ppm's of nitrate you have a bigger problem than aquarium water. If I were you I would be buying lots and lots of bottled stuff.

Obviously you are not on a municipal water system. If you were the story would be very, very different. Here is a link to the epa which details the water quality standards currently in place http://www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html#mcls . You are 6-8 times above the limit. Might not hurt to see if a municipal system is close enough for you to tie into.

those little "moss" balss are excellent nitrate eaters.
 
Do note that the EPA regs are measured as nitrate-nitrogen, so that measured as nitrate the reg would be 44mg/l nitrate (1ppm or mg/l N = 4.4ppm NO3). The titers mentioned appear to be above EPA limits, but not anywhere near 6-8x.
 
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