Welcome to Koi Forum. Is this your first visit? Register
Results 1 to 3 of 3
  1. #1
    Junior Member Rank = Tosai Brian C's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2023
    Location
    South East Kent
    Posts
    28
    Thanks / Likes
    9

    High readings for nitrate from tap water.

    Morning All,

    I'm getting completely different readings for nitrate from 2 different test kits from our tap water. First kit I have had since spring is Aqua Care ( made under licence by NC labs. for Maidenhead Aquatics) expiry date 07/2026, this reading is 2.5 ppm.

    I also have a new API kit, recommended by Manky Sanke on this site a few weeks ago, this reading is between 20 & 40 ppm.

    As well as my koi pond I have a tropical aquarium which is in the early stages of set-up (5 weeks) the nitrate reading from the tank water is very little different from the tap water from both test kits. I am suffering from algae in the tank and having to clean the gravel every 6 days & the glass twice a week. The pond is slowing down with the colder weather, the UV is off and the water is clear.

    Thanks for any help or comments,

    Brian



  2. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    South East
    Posts
    6,174
    Thanks / Likes
    13537
    The second reading on the API kit stands out as being the accurate one based on typical values.

    20 to 40 ppm would be pretty typical for a low stocked Koi pond being fed twice a day.

    10 to 20 ppm is pretty typical for water from the tap depending on where your supply is from in Kent.

    Nitrate tests are often a bit more involved than other parameter tests so double check you are following the instructions to the letter, i.e some have you shaking the bottle for 1 minute, and then vial for another 1 minute, others require you to add a powder to the vial etc etc.

    What type of algae are you suffering from in the tank, brown algae, green water or string algae etc?

    I used to always get brown algae all over the glass of my tanks within 7 days of cleaning it off, despite relatively low nitrate levels. Rightly or wrongly I put it down to the heavy mineral content (GH / KH - hardness) of Kent water supplies.

  3. #3
    Junior Member Rank = Tosai Brian C's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2023
    Location
    South East Kent
    Posts
    28
    Thanks / Likes
    9
    Thanks for that RS2000,

    Yes, following instructions to the letter. I just don't see how 2 different test kits can give such different results.

    I haven't checked the pond for nitrate for a while & this is the first time I have checked the tap water.

    I am returning to tropical fish after a gap of about 20 years. I realise the tank is in the early stages of set up. The algae is green with some string algae and no brown algae, the water is clear, not green. I only have a few fish including the old favourites, neons, guppies also 3 small bristlenose plecos ,I'm feeding small amounts twice a day.

    It's strange, but we received a letter from Southern Water on Tuesday advising us that " as part of the improvement upgrades at Martin Gorse Water supply Works we have installed a new nitrate removal plant that uses ion exchange to remove nitrates in the water" They go on to say that we might notice a slight difference in the taste of the water, cant say we have noticed.

    Thanks again for your reply.

    Brian.

  4. Thanks RS2OOO Thanked / Liked this Post
 

 

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:36 AM. Online Koi Mag Forum
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3
Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.

vBulletin Improved By vBFoster® (Lite Version), © UltimateScheme, Ltd.