nitrates in tapwater

[vvjosh06]

I am kinda lost on this one. I've been having high nitrates but all other readings are good. So I decided to test my tap water, week after the rest it revealed my two water has 40ppm nitrates starting out. I currently rent a house so a RO filter is out of the question unless I hook it up to an outside faucet and buy a large drum and heater. And driving to the nearest fish store and buying water is not very cost effective due to gas prices and the range of driving. Does any one have any ideas on what I can do or maybe a better way of testing? Currently using an API master kit. Maybe boiling? But I feel it would take forever since I have a 10G and a 60G. Any and all ideas accepted.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Do you have well water or city water? If you live in the city, I would contact them... We have a well, and sometimes the water gets to like 80 nitrates and over.

 

[vvjosh06]

I'm on city water. I live on a military base. I guess I will be calling the city I've noticed here lately that my water smells like chlorine like their trying to bleach the water clean or something

 

[mrvincent]

1. Buy a RO dedicated for your tank
2. Buy RO water
3. If you don't want to do this, then change your passion. I think it's very cruel to have 40ppm nitrates in tap, that make U unable to simply use it for aquarist use.

 

[vvjosh06]

Well I didn't buy a RO but I did buy a DI which is guaranteed to remove 90% of organics and non organics from the water. Super stoked about it and can't wait for it to get here. I checked out the reviews and seen nothing but good things about it. Early black Friday present for me haha. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

 

[flitabout]

Well if you live in the US then anything above 10ppm according to the EPA isn't safe for you let alone your fish it is also illegal. It would be worth the money to get yourself a small RO unit. I hike 20g of RO water in for my fish weekly. It's $.39 a gallon I pay $7.80 for all of it. I get it from the fill your own jug thing from the grocery store and remineralize it with Seachem's Equilibrium for my planted tank. The have another one that is better for fish only tanks.