Still Nitrates!

[Lhutch]

i did 15% water change like 3 hours ago and i still have high nitrates!!!, any ideas?, i was gonna get puffs tommarow night but i dunno know

amonia 0

 

[Scunny]

How longs the tank been running for? What are your water stat readings?

 

[Lhutch]

tanks been running for like 2 months,cycled, nitrates are 10ppm? its orange on my nitrate test kit by API

 

[Davidtq]

You need to compare your tank nitrates to your tap water nitrates, no amount of water changes will take your tank nitrates below tap water levels, its not at all unheard of for people to have high tap water nitrates. 15% water changes wont reduce your nitrate levels by huge amounts lots of small water changes has less effect than a few big water changes. as the results of successive water changes are diluted. For example if you had 100ppm tank nitrates and 0 ppm tap water nitrates you do one 50% water change your nitrates above tap water level will literally half you would end up with 50ppm nitrates inone water change. If you did 2 x 15% water changes followed by two 10% water changs you would end up with 58.5 ppm of nitrates. you will ahve changed the same number of litres of water but each successive water change dilutes the effects of the next one. On the same tank following the 50% water change the second 50% water change would not take nitrates down to 0, but to just 25ppm!

edit

10ppm isnt a high reading for nitrates at all many places have 40ppm from the tap! im lucky living in a 5ppm area.

 

[Fish2u]

10ppm nitrate (NO3) is fine (probably your tap water has it) ... above 40 ppm might cause problems ... If you want to avoid Nitrates completely, do a 60-70% water change and use distilled water ...

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

and use distilled water ...

Never use distilled water in your tank unless you are replacing evaporation, or know what you are doing. Distilled water contains no GH/KH (general hardness / carbonate hardness) which are minerals that buffer the pH of your tank, and that plants/fish use for growth and development. If you start using "soft" water sources like distilled, reverse osmosis, or de-ionized water you have to remineralize it, and be consistent at doing so with every water change.

10 ppm of Nitrates is fine. I have 15 ppm of Nitrates in my tap so I try to keep my tank below 25 ppm (usually keep it below 20 b/c I have plants). Over 100 ppms is where Nitrates become toxic, but keeping Nitrates low as possible helps prevent algae blooms.

 

[Lhutch]

my tap water has a nitrates of 5ppm so 10 ppm wouldnt be harmful to figure 8 puffers, could i get the puffs tomarrow and just do water changes more frequently untill i loose the rest?

 

[Scunny]

IMO 10ppm is fine. If your tap water is 5ppm then 10ppm is nothing to be worried about.

 

[Lhutch]

ok thanks,should i go with schedule and get my fish tomarrow night?

 

[doresy]

I have answered your other post, please check before getting fish.

Bit concerned about both threads as you seem worried about what is a low level threat of nitrAte but do not answer to queries about nitrIte levels.

I am not up on puffers but I wouldn't even consider one if I was in ANY way unsure that my tank was cycled.

More than one F8. What is your tank size? Also, don't F8 start off in freashwater then progressivly build up into brackish?