nitates in riparium

[dr zaius]

hey guys,
I have tested my water in my riparium and the nitrates are 40, which is higher than i would like, I have done water changes and dosed nitrate minus by aqua tetra. I have root medic tabs in the planters which could be leeking nitrates into water (not sure though!) I have to top up water in tank every 3-4 days but dechlorinate water.

A member of another forum suggested caliberating my test kit to confirm its reliability but I need KNO3 but can't find it any where!

this is a link to the thread I made,

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/ferti ... ost1081532

any ideas??!

thanks

 

[peter1979]

did you test your tap water supply? I didnt see an answer to that question on the thread provided. My tap water comes out around 40ppm on various occasions. Nitrate can be present in tap water by way of leaching from farm lands that have been dosed with fertlizer (nitrates), this can also fluctuate depending on weather etc. If its rainy then you might see a rise in tap water nitrates. Obviously there is little to do about this, as you cant really change your tap water. Im not sure of the effectiveness of chemicals to reduce nitrate in tank water, but personally I wouldn't use them purely as you will always be adding it.

 

[dr zaius]

ill test my tap water, if this is the cause is 40ppm too high or ok?

 

[peter1979]

Depends what for really. Im not an expert on it so i'll leave it for someone else to confirm, but personally i wouldnt worry too much about it. Maybe if it was 80ppm or thereabouts. Just do regular water changes, maybe twice a week, 30% or so.

 

[ceg4048]

ill test my tap water, if this is the cause is 40ppm too high or ok?

Yeah, it will cause your plants to grow really fast, out of the tank and on to the carpet. You might then trip over the stems and get injured...

Cheers,

 

[Brenmuk]

In the context of a planted tank or a riparium then nitrates are your friend and will promote healthy plant growth so don't worry about them.

If you look at the suppliers section you should be able to get KNO3 in powder form.

It would be interesting to know what test kit you are using and how accurate you think they are based on your calibration.

Good luck

 

[dr zaius]

thanks for your help guys