The Planted Tank Forum - View Single Post - Rising nitrates even after water changes!

Hardstuff · 12-26-2012, 05:47 PM

I also even just double checked my API Nitrate test kit comparing it to r/o water. It registered zero. So it appears to be working & I trust it because of the way the tank was & is doing. I used it to prevent Nitrates from crashing below 5ppm & always worked for me. I dosed KNO3 to 10-20ppm & left it that way until reset. Then it would always show 5ppms or less after water change. But back then I had more algae to as well. Now with NO algae my nitrates are high! Say 20-35ppm at times with normal Nitrate dosing. So I decided last week to stop dosing KNO3 & to my surprise the levels still stay above 20ppms!

12-26-2012, 05:47 PM	#6
Hardstuff Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: mesa Posts: 221	I also even just double checked my API Nitrate test kit comparing it to r/o water. It registered zero. So it appears to be working & I trust it because of the way the tank was & is doing. I used it to prevent Nitrates from crashing below 5ppm & always worked for me. I dosed KNO3 to 10-20ppm & left it that way until reset. Then it would always show 5ppms or less after water change. But back then I had more algae to as well. Now with NO algae my nitrates are high! Say 20-35ppm at times with normal Nitrate dosing. So I decided last week to stop dosing KNO3 & to my surprise the levels still stay above 20ppms!