Drew04

Tank has been cycled for a while now. ammonia and nitrite read 0, nitrate is in the 80-100 range. Water changes DO NOT lower nitrate, so I tested the tap water...same reading 80-100.

Now what?

How do I get nitrates out of my tap water before introducing to my tank? I can take gallon jugs to the supermarket for $.25 refills of spring or distilled water, but that's alot of jugs to be carrying in and out of the house every week. Would a Britta water filter remove nitrates?

I'm sure this is a somewhat common issue, what do the rest of you do?

Thanks in advance!

Butterfly

Live plants would Love your water Fast growing plants like water sprite and hornwort will soak it right up. I think the water filters (correct me if I'm wrong) basically take chlorine and that kind of chemicals out of the water.
Carol

Lucy

That seems excessive coming from your tap. What are you using to test?

Here are a few links that may interest you:
http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001201...3/d001233.html

http://healthvermont.gov/enviro/water/nitrates.aspx

http://www.biology-online.org/articl...e_effects.html

Drew04

I have some live plants in my tank, but there are not doing too well.

For testing I use API freshwater master kit

GouramiGirl1221

I use a PUR water filter. It takes my ammonia reading from 2 PPM down to .25 ppm and nitrate from 30 ppm to 5 ppm. Not as high as yours, but it does help some.

What kind of plants do you have? Anacharis is very fast growing and will soak up a lot of your nitrates. I've got new stems every 3 or 4 days. Watersprite is also great.

angelfish220

I know that someone here was doing an experiment about it and it worked, let me look around.

Shawnie

wowsers are you really banging that number 2 bottle on the counter to mix it? that high from the tap cant taste very good ...does it? could the test be expired?

thats got to be so frustrating

Drew04

bottle #2 is in code and yes, I'm smashing it on the table top.

I picked up a bunch of anacharis, hopefully that does the trick.

and no, the water does not taste very good.