Nitrates high on tap water?

[cee219]

When I checked the nitrates in my tank it was between 20-40 ppm... I've been having some discoloration in my bleeding heart tetras so I figured it was from stress from bad water quality.

but when I tested my tap water for nitrates out of curiosity... I got the same reading? I'm using Doc Well Fish whatever brand of drop test kits. Could my testing just be wrong?

 

[Menagerie]

This happens occasionally. Except for very sensitive fish, nitrate levels can be 20-80 ppm. If you think the nitrates are a problem (all other water quality components fine? No fluctuation in temp/pH?) then plants are the only thing to help. You don't have to make your tank a super planted tank, but a low light plant or two will help or (depending on the top of the tank) you could have a lucky bamboo with the roots in the water and the plant coming out.