Nitrates

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12-14-2006

Posted by Charlie Durand on December 14, 2006, 6:05 pm

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Hey there,

I am having trouble with nitrates. They are running around 40ppm.

At what levels do things get toxic for freshwater fish? Specifically the
big cichlids like Oscars and Red Devils.

The nitrates are 40ppm out of the tap by the way.. water changes do nothing.
I'm looking into a reverse osmosis setup.

Thanks!

Charlie

Posted by Dave on December 14, 2006, 7:15 pm

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> Hey there,
>
> I am having trouble with nitrates. They are running around 40ppm.
>
> At what levels do things get toxic for freshwater fish? Specifically the
> big cichlids like Oscars and Red Devils.
>
> The nitrates are 40ppm out of the tap by the way.. water changes do
> nothing. I'm looking into a reverse osmosis setup.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Charlie

I had a similar problem, and in desperation I purchased another test kit -
the new kit showed a more accurate reading - Just a thought!

---
David Scott
Hampshire, England

Posted by default on December 14, 2006, 7:37 pm

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One possibility is the inaccuracy of the test kit you're using to test
nitrates. If you water supply is treated with chloramines and you're
testing after adding a dechlorinator, the test kit may be showing the
ammonia debonded from the chlorine. Try testing your tap water before
dechlor is added, and after. Also, try testing after it sits for a day
or more.

just some thoughts,
steve

Charlie Durand wrote:

> Hey there,
>
> I am having trouble with nitrates. They are running around 40ppm.
>
> At what levels do things get toxic for freshwater fish? Specifically the
> big cichlids like Oscars and Red Devils.
>
> The nitrates are 40ppm out of the tap by the way.. water changes do nothing.
> I'm looking into a reverse osmosis setup.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Charlie

Posted by Charlie Durand on December 18, 2006, 1:39 pm

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> One possibility is the inaccuracy of the test kit you're using to test
> nitrates. If you water supply is treated with chloramines and you're
> testing after adding a dechlorinator, the test kit may be showing the
> ammonia debonded from the chlorine. Try testing your tap water before
> dechlor is added, and after. Also, try testing after it sits for a day
> or more.
>
> just some thoughts,
> steve

Well this is actually my second set of tests just for that reason. Plus the
local fish store confirms my findings. 40ppm.

I have ~40ppm of nitrates coming out of the tap. That's not in question
anymore. The question now is how to deal with this.

I have a 240 gallon tank so the nitrate sponge stuff for the filters is
getting expensive. I'm considering the purchase of an RO filter with the
De-ionizer for nitrates. Anyone have any experience with these things?

Posted by George B. on December 19, 2006, 5:00 pm

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R.O units remove all minerals from the water as well as nitrates. My is
suggestion is to find a water treatment specialist in your area. This would
usually be a plumber that also installs and repairs well pumps. I talked to
my plumber about this. He usually adds a module to add calcium to make sure
the ph stays above 7.0. Water with a ph lower than 7 is acid and will eat
pinholes in copper pipe. If you have africans, you will want to increase the
ph and alkalinity. You can also find units for sale at Big Als.com and That
Fish Place. However the plumber can provide you with some advice and
depending upon your home, can run a line to your refrigerator for cold water
and ice.

>> One possibility is the inaccuracy of the test kit you're using to test
>> nitrates. If you water supply is treated with chloramines and you're
>> testing after adding a dechlorinator, the test kit may be showing the
>> ammonia debonded from the chlorine. Try testing your tap water before
>> dechlor is added, and after. Also, try testing after it sits for a day
>> or more.
>>
>> just some thoughts,
>> steve

>
> Well this is actually my second set of tests just for that reason. Plus
> the local fish store confirms my findings. 40ppm.
>
> I have ~40ppm of nitrates coming out of the tap. That's not in question
> anymore. The question now is how to deal with this.
>
> I have a 240 gallon tank so the nitrate sponge stuff for the filters is
> getting expensive. I'm considering the purchase of an RO filter with the
> De-ionizer for nitrates. Anyone have any experience with these things?
>
>
>

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