# Nitrate Rich Tap water



## Barbara Turner (18 Mar 2018)

Hi
Just tested my tap water after running it for 5 minutes. Slightly surprised by the results.
0 - chlorine
40mg/l nitrate
I expected a reasonably high carbonate harness

If I switch to EI, guessing I only need to buy the Potassium Phosphate KH2PO4 and
Chelated Trace Elements?

(180L planted tank with neon tetras, cherry shrimps and pgymy Cory's )


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## dw1305 (18 Mar 2018)

Hi all, 





Barbara Turner said:


> Just tested my tap water after running it for 5 minutes. Slightly surprised by the results.


If you get figures from your <"tap water supplier"> (Yorkshire Water?) it would give you some idea of the accuracy of the test kit. 

Because of where you live 40ppm NO3 isn't impossible, but it is fairly unlikely at this time of year.  The water will be hard and the pH value will be nearer pH8 for chemical reasons. I have no idea  how the kit "measures" CO2 levels, but that is a meaningless number.

cheers Darrel


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## Angus (18 Mar 2018)

Water supplier readings all the way, better than dipping your test kit, just to add to what darrel said, if your water report is old, like mine is from 2016, they have a minimum and maximum allowable ppm or mg/l extra to the tests current report, you can use that as a guideline reading too.


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## ian_m (18 Mar 2018)

Ignore your tap water value, you tested using a hobby grade test kit, so results will be uncertain and water companies report is not your tap water, but their water sampling point.

Most people who vary their dosing based on their tested water values end up with plant nutrient issues.

Ignore your water values and dose as per EI or whatever you ferts instructions say. 

Unless of course you test your water daily with lab grade test kit...!!!


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## Barbara Turner (18 Mar 2018)

My first reaction was to not believe the results but reading online UK water has to have a nitrate content less than 50ppm, they even go to the effort of mixing water from different sources to achieve this.. 
If I was plants only I wouldn't be bothered, follow the EI method of sticking lots in and doing big water changes. 

My concern with this is that snails shrimps and fish aren't going to be very happy. Especially if I dose straight after water changes. 
Just watched the following video online, the £4000 lab machine doesnt fair well intially. I fully accept my test results are probably going to be out by a fair margin but my tap water is still a long way from zero. 

Thinking about it I'm probably wrong not dosing everything, I should tailor the dosage and monitor everything daily until I find a weekly routine that works. 

What do people recommend for test kits been tempted to buy the jbl proscape testlab? 


Video link

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vide...racy-of-nitrate-test-kits-and-why-it-matters/


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## sciencefiction (18 Mar 2018)

It is fairly easy identify nitrogen deficiencies. The old leaves start getting damage/yellow, brown, etc..In severe cases when left for a long period, new growth will be stunted but there'll be alarming signs all over before this happens. So I'd try without dosing and see where you get, then adjust.


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## Zeus. (18 Mar 2018)

I also would ignore your test results and dose a standard EI dose


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## Barbara Turner (18 Mar 2018)

Just found the test report for the area from Yorkshire water, doesn't look like the test was a million miles away. (Thanks darrel for the tip)

Nitrate was 27.5

What's the max nitrate levels people would recommend?




*Substance* *Typical value* *UK/European limit* *Unit*
Calcium 73.1 - mg Ca/l
Magnesium 20.2 - mg Mg/l
Residual chlorine - free 0.12 - mg/l Cl2
Residual chlorine - total 0.21 - mg/l Cl2
Coliforms 0 0 no/100ml
E-coli 0 0 no/100ml
Aluminium 3.8 200 µg Al/l
Colour 0.7 20 mg/l Pt/Co Scale
Conductivity 513 2500 µS/cm
Fluoride 0.1 1.5 mg F/l
pH (Hydrogen Ion Conc.) 7.5 6.5 - 9.5 pH Units
Iron 7.6 200 µg Fe/l
Nitrate 27.58 50 mg NO3/l
Nitrite 0.003 0.5 mg NO2/l
Sodium 15.4 200 mg Na/l
Turbidity 0.09 4 NTU
Copper 0.0089 2 mg Cu/l
Lead 0.48 10 µg Pb/l
*Water Quality*
Supply Zone: Clifton 2004

Areas Covered: Adwick le Street, Bentley, Brodsworth, Carcroft, Conisbrough, Harlington, Norton, Scawthorpe, Skellow, Sprotbrough

Report Period: 1st January 2016 - 31st December 2016

Water hardness type: Hard

Water hardness average: 106.5mg/l calcium


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## Edvet (18 Mar 2018)

Barbara Turner said:


> What's the max nitrate levels people would recommend?


If it is from dosing NO2 it can go up to 500 without fish damage, so don't worry about dosing it as long as you do waterchanges.


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## alto (18 Mar 2018)

Nitrite NO2 level of 500 mg/l would be toxic to most fish & certainly shrimp, snails that can close a "trapdoor" & isolate might survive


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## alto (18 Mar 2018)

Nitrate NO3 500 mg/l may also be (fatally) toxic depending on species
If you pick up fish from lfs, breeder etc tanks running less than 20mg/l NO3 levels, releasing these fish into 500mg/l NO3 is stressful at the least - and would certainly nullify any shop livestock guarantee

I'm quite dubious of commonly kept freshwater shrimp species (most line bred (inbred) mutations) managing to survive longterm in the presence of such high Nitrate levels as well


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## Edvet (19 Mar 2018)

Sorry my bad typo NO3 it shoud have been.


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## BubblingUnder (19 Mar 2018)

Barbara Turner said:


> What's the max nitrate levels people would recommend?



I take action if Nitrate gets to 40mg/l (occasionally measured by API test strip) but generally rely on my Discus & plant behaviour to monitor water quality. However my tank is heavily stocked with fish/shrimp/plants plus houseplant filter & Nitrate removing resin in an internal filter. I also stay away from tapwater using rainwater from a water butt (as Nitrate reads as half that of my tap)


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## ian_m (19 Mar 2018)

Please ignore your water results, especially any of your own test results.

NO3 only causes issue in the 1000's ppm range, which in your tank you will never get near.

I accidentally ran my tank with 350ppm NO3 (and 80ppm PO4) for over week after a timer failed to on and dumped all my EI solution in the tank!!!. No fish died but equally no algae and no change to plants, just a waste of EI solution !!

This post by Darrel contains links to research where the lethal dose of nitrates are 3000ppm odd for fish and over 500ppm for invertebrates, way way higher than you will ever get in your tank.
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/help-me-calculate-my-ppm-please.27608/#post-286911

So use your tap water and dose full EI (make sure CO2 and lights are spot on) and away you go. No issues.


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## Edvet (19 Mar 2018)

BubblingUnder said:


> I take action if Nitrate gets to 40mg/l


While that level is completely safe when it comes from NO3 dosing, when it originates from the Nitrogen cycle ( amonium->nitrite->nitrate) there is the plausible risk the earlier products, which are far more harmful, are abundant too. Hence the warnings for high nitrate levels in the literature and in books and fora.


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## dw1305 (19 Mar 2018)

Hi all,
I’m away at the moment, but you could try the duckweed index it would allow you to make use of the nutrients in your tap water.

Cheers Darrel


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## Barbara Turner (22 Mar 2018)

Thanks Darrell
Do you have a link to it sounds interesting.


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## Edvet (22 Mar 2018)

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/duckweed-index-ferts-advice.21003/


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