# High nitrates- adjust ferts?



## Lauren (Mar 18, 2006)

My nitrates are high. I think something may have changed with my tap water, because it is testing high too. Shame I didn't think to test the tap water before the water change I just did :doh:. I plan on moving to just RO water to try and amend this. I currently do 50/50 RO tap split. 

I don't know if I can trust my API test kit because I've never calibrated it, but both my tap and my tank are showing 80-160ppm right now. So I really need to get this under control! I'm going to do a 50% RO water change tomorrow to try and get it down initially, but my question is- should I change up my IE dosing if my nitrates are still high after that water change?


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## rjordan393 (Nov 23, 2012)

I believe it is mandated by the Federal and States, that tap water must not contain more then 10 ppm nitrate. I would recommend trying another brand of test kit before making any changes. The API kit for some reason may not be given the correct results. Contact your local water authority and ask for the current nitrate, phosphate and potassium levels.


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## Lauren (Mar 18, 2006)

Thanks- I was going to do a calibration tomorrow to confirm the results. My water district's 2013 report shows that nitrates were 2.5ppm back then.


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## rjordan393 (Nov 23, 2012)

Also make sure you are adding the correct amount of sample to the line on the test tube. The better test kits have test tubes made of glass. Plastic test tubes can have a permeation problem from using a brush that can scratch the interior surface. So any residue left in these scratches from prior cleaning can also affect the results.
If I read your results correctly, you are saying your test reads 80 ppm from the tap and 160 in the tank. That leads me to suspect your test procedure is not being performed correctly. If your fish are not showing any kind of stress, then that is another sign, something is wrong with the test kit or your procedure.


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## Lauren (Mar 18, 2006)

The fish are all fine- swimming around very happily right now. The test kit is made of glass. It's the API test kit. I filled up to the line, added 10 drops of solution 1, shook it for a few seconds, shook solution 2 for 30 seconds, added 10 drops, then shook the whole solution for a minute. Both results from tap and tank looked about the same, but the lighting changed in the course of the testing, so I said 80-160 to be safe. 

I'll calibrate the test after I eat breakfast and report back on what my findings are.


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## rjordan393 (Nov 23, 2012)

The only things left to check is to make sure you are holding the dropper bottles in a vertical position. Check the expiration date on the kit. The API kit comes with two color cards; one for freshwater, the other for saltwater. Take a sample of your tap water to the fish store and ask them to test it.


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

Or test some RO or bottled water. Should contain less or otherwise it's time for a new testkit.


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## Gone missing (Aug 26, 2017)

Can I revive a really old posting just because it meets what I'm also looking at in my tanks? 
I get clues and lots of hints that there are others with the same problem but reading/searching still has not given me the level of answers I feel I need. 
Right now, the only water that I can test with confidence is the tap at near zero, and the measured/mixed test for 10 PPM. Beyond ten, when I test the 25 PPM solution, the test becomes bright solid red to almost too red to see through. 

What to do when API nitrate test results are not usable? First I reviewed what I have done. 
I have a new kit expires 2019. I have also used different kits but get the same result. Being sure I can count to ten and measure somewhat accurately, I also feel I'm doing the test correctly. So I moved on to doing the "weird" things to try to get better results. On a theory that I was not getting bottle two mixed and it had formed crystals, I built a bottle shaker on my reciprocating saw. Let's just say, I am sure the bottle has been shaken long enough and hard enough? 
So what do you folks feel might be a better answer? Another brand? Ideas of what random elements might be in my tap to interfere? I see lots of complaints with the test but I tend to want a better answer than it just doesn't work.


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## Gone missing (Aug 26, 2017)

Okay, so not getting much response on the question so I moved on to try some things. anybody who has really high readings on the API test kit may want to consider other test kits. I am now using a Salifert kit and the readings are much more in line with what I might expect. 
I'm sure there will always be a bit of quesswork in judging colors but the Salifert gives me colors ranging in differing amounts of pink to red and I can actually see a reading which matches somewhere close to my pre-mixed/measured samples. 
At this point, I can begin to see a path to get from point "A" to point "B" with more confidence in testing nitrate.


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

@Gone Missing the test kit is fine. When it gets older its more inaccurate.


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## Gone missing (Aug 26, 2017)

DutchMuch said:


> @Gone Missing the test kit is fine. When it gets older its more inaccurate.


I'm guessing you may have missed the part where I got a new kit and it expires in 2019? Something about the API kit does not work for me . I've tried a number of different "tricks" get better results but none have worked very well if my nitrate is above 20-25. 
It's been a pretty common complaint over the years and I have discussed it various ways on different forums. But the results have never got me anywhere close to workable. 
I admit to making quite a few errors but after a certain number of tries, I just have to move beyond thinking it was user error. Shaking bottles and counting to ten really isn't all that hard after you do it a few times? Know what I mean? 
Anyway, at this point the Salifert is doing what I need.


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## Gone missing (Aug 26, 2017)

I brought this old post back to life as I was getting the same results as the OP. API liquid test was showing unbelievably high nitrates like 100 + so I have now gone to the Salifert test and I feel I'm getting a more reliable answer. I can get just short of fifty PPM and do a 50 % water change to get half of that. 
But that does bring me around to a point where I can see I do need some changes. I never really believed my African cichlids would do so well in 120PPM nitrate but could get no better answer. Now I see my nitrate and phosphate are both high so need to adjust my dosing. Seems like dropping doing nitrate and phosphate are good but also increase the potassium with K2SO4. That leaves a chemistry challenged guy like me wondering how much to increase it but with real numbers, I can begin to get there. 
Note to self? Be patient, it will all work out.


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