Can algae cause high nitrates?

[greenmaji]

Getting a new filter on there as soon as possible would be good as long as you dont take the old one down..
If some of my fish were showing signs of stress I would be changing water.. 50%-75%

 

[aqh88]

With dropping the nitrates that much so fast I wouldn't think it would take much ammonia to push the fish over their limits. Add the new filter, do water changes, don't gravel vac for at least a week and then only do 1/4th-1/3rd the gravel per week, and leave the older filter on. With your nitrates going up that fast this tank sounds like it will take at minimum weekly water changes if not twice weekly. I prefer nitrates under 20 and near 40 has proven to cause damage. Are you sure you don't have normal kissing gouramis and they stuck a fancy name on them?

 

[zero2dash]

With dropping the nitrates that much so fast I wouldn't think it would take much ammonia to push the fish over their limits. Add the new filter, do water changes, don't gravel vac for at least a week and then only do 1/4th-1/3rd the gravel per week, and leave the older filter on. With your nitrates going up that fast this tank sounds like it will take at minimum weekly water changes if not twice weekly. I prefer nitrates under 20 and near 40 has proven to cause damage. Are you sure you don't have normal kissing gouramis and they stuck a fancy name on them?

The rest of the fish seem totally fine, including the one other rounded/bloated pink gourami I have. And yes I'm sure they're not normal pink kissing gourmi; those are elongated like regular gouramis. The guy I have is round and flat like a discus (about the size of a quarter) but he has the same color and features ("kissy lips") that a regular pink kissing gourami has.

 

[zero2dash]

I am a few days late on the PWC but I finally did it earlier tonight.
Another 2/3 removed (added a little more since it was a few extra days between changes), tests:

pH 6.4
Ammonia 0.5 (down .5)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5 (down 2 colors from 20 the other day).

Looks like once my Ammonia goes to 0, I can go buy my severum.
It's also nice to note that the wounds that my blue gourami had (that looked like HITH) are healing up quite well and the overall general health of all the fish seems to be increasing daily. I'm happy and I'm sure they are too.