Dealing with high nitrates in water

[flitabout]

Ok so as many of you know I have been trying to deal with my high Nitrates in my water. So I have come up with an experiment that I think works.
So normally I do 2 50% pwc a week. Well I stopped doing them last week so I could actually watch the nitrates and how they rise versus plant mass, ferts and lighting. I think I have found the stabilizing point which came out around 40ppm and it's been holding steady there for around 4 days.
So now I am doing water changes to get the nitrates down around 10 ppm. I don't think my fish are too happy with back to back 60% changes. But if this works I may finally be able to keep my water changes down to 50% once a week again and not because of stupid high nitrates!
I upped the PPS-Pro dosing to 2x the high light dose and upped my photo period to 12 hours a day.
So my question is what do you all think about my experiment For better nitrate management?

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Flit....

If you're not keeping and breeding rare fish, then a nitrate reading of 40 ppm isn't bad. This won't affect most hardy species. As long as you're following a sound water change routine by removing and replacing most of the tank water weekly, you'll maintain a steady water chemistry and this all the fish need.

B

 

[flitabout]

I want to do GBRs again and that's why I was trying to get the nitrates down. I know they don't do well with high nitrates. I just completed my tap test as I haven't done that in a few months. It's matching my tank after 2 huge water changes this morning I think it's down to maybe 30ppm. I am going to try again in a few months after the new lewis and clark water system is hooked up to our water. It supposed to be done some time this summer.

 

[Fresh2o]

With your PPS-Pro setup, are you including KNO3 with the macros? If so, then I would omit them and mix/dose as needed. The biomass might be providing enough nitrates as is.

 

[flitabout]

Nope I skip the KNO3

 

[Fresh2o]

I thought so. Aside from the WCs, a few things you can look at:
Decrease fish population
Decrease feedings
Increase plant mass
Increase light

 

[flitabout]

No room for more plants and I currently have 1 angel 9 neons 6 ottos and 1bnp in a 55g and I feed sparingly every other day. I am actually adding plants the only plants I can which is pothos and wandering jews out of the top of the tank. I am seriously out of ideas short of an RO/DI unit but I don't have the money for that right now. I even have plants coming out of the HOBs on the tank!

 

[Fresh2o]

Hmmm...looks like you’ve done all you can do. I bet the bnp is big ammonia contributed.

 

[Brookster123]

Have you tested your source water for nitrates? Are you running co2? That bioload is non existent. I have more in my 30g. Somethings amiss. Have you noticed your angel looking off?? He's really the only canary in this coal mine. How old is the tank? Filtration?

 

[flitabout]

That angel looks great. The tap is terrible and is the main source of the problem. The tank has been up for 9 months and all the stuff and the filters have been running for the last 5 years. Everything is pristine as I can get it except the tap water. It's hard and is loaded with Nitrate. Like 550 TDS kind of hard. It's all the runoff from the farm land. Like I said can't wait until they hook up the new water source this summer

 

[Brookster123]

So what's the problem?