Keeping Lower Nitrates

I recently had a random cory death and I'm wondering if my nitrates getting above 10 could be a problem. I have panda cories.
Right now my nitrates are at 5ppm. In order to keep my nitrates below 10 I'd have to do two PwC a week.
I have 2 mollies 4 platies 3 guppies 1 dwarf gourami and now 5 panda cories. My tank is a cycled 37 gal.
I do have some plants to help, 2 aponogetten, 3 lucky bamboo and a moss ball. Plus I have sachem matrix which is suppose to lower nitrates.

 

Most will say under 40 or 20 nitrates is fine, I don't think 10 would've harmed him

 

Out of curiosity, how much water are you changing with each PWC ?

 

Out of curiosity, how much water are you changing with each PWC ?

Well usually just 8 gals or so unless I need to do a 50% which I did after I found the dead one just to be safe.
I usually do one water change but I've done 2 the last 2 weeks bc every time I see the cories dorsals getting a little tattered I do a water change and next day they are better. Could it be that I don't have good flow on the bottom of the tank?
Idk, I'm still very new.

 

Get a bunch of anacharis and/or pennywort, anything that grows very quickly. Knocked the nitrates in my goldfish tank down to 0, and that says a lot.

 

Well usually just 8 gals or so unless I need to do a 50% which I did after I found the dead one just to be safe.
I usually do one water change but I've done 2 the last 2 weeks bc every time I see the cories dorsals getting a little tattered I do a water change and next day they are better. Could it be that I don't have good flow on the bottom of the tank?
Idk, I'm still very new.

Hmmm, flow could be an issue, but "tattered" fins usually mean there is a water quality problem, possibly a picked on issue. Hopefully you've made sure the tank is cycled and there is no ammonia or nitrites available. How is your confidence in your nitrate readings?

 

Doubt it. Those are decent nitrate readings. My Pandas were fine with the high nitrate readings I got when I upgraded tanks.

 

Wouldn't be nitrates. I have between 20-40 nitrates in my tank and my pandas are multiplying.

 

I have a South American tank with 10 Corys that the nitrates are always 40-60ppm and Ive never had a problem. In most cases, anything around that and lower is pretty safe.