# Nitrate levels too high



## Aidenw19 (Sep 15, 2012)

I went to the pet store to get my water tested today and the guy said my nitrates were off the charts so what do i do???


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

You do a water change. Define "off the charts." Which test and how high does it go? 

You will want to do a 25-30% water change today. Then I would make 10-15% changes daily until you get it back down. Don't go off and change all the water at once. Bad idea. 

Nitrates of less than 40 are okay, less than 20 is good, less than 10 is great. Plants and less than 5 is pretty much ideal


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

start small on water changes and work up. After you get the number down, figure out how much water to change how often to keep it down. In a typical FW tank, nitrate just keeps going up between water changes.


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