High nitrates please help!!!!!

[Brittani299]

Hello,

I have a 60 gallon fish tank that is having a problem with high nitrates. I have been doing regular water changes and have been taking 10% of water out every other day to see if they will go down but they won't. I have 2 rosy barbs, 2 rainbows, 1 African leaf fish, 1 betta, and 1 mystery snail. I don't really understand why the nitrates are so high.

 

[KcMopar]

Try 50-75% water changes.

 

[OrangeCones]

What is 'high nitrates' (actual reading)?

 

[Brittani299]

[SUB][/SUB]

What is 'high nitrates' (actual reading)?

My N3 is past 200. It is not even reading ony strips and my N2 is past 10.0. Both aren't even reading on the strips.

 

[OrangeCones]

Presuming your "N3" is nitrate (should be NO3) and "N2" is for nitrite (should be NO2), I would question the accuracy of your readings. A reading of even 0.25 for nitrite would cause distress in your fish, 10 would be lethal very quickly.

Can you get a liquid test kit, or have the water tested by a LFS that uses one?

 

[Brittani299]

Presuming your "N3" is nitrate (should be NO3) and "N2" is for nitrite (should be NO2), I would question the accuracy of your readings. A reading of even 0.25 for nitrite would cause distress in your fish, 10 would be lethal very quickly.

Can you get a liquid test kit, or have the water tested by a LFS that uses one?

Sorry about that my iPhone doesn't like the difference between nitrate and nitrite. The thing that I don't understand though is that I tested my 60 gallon and got those high reading but then went and tested my 10 gallon and got prefect readings on it. So I dont know if it is the testing strips because it is showing different on both tanks. I will go to the store and see what they say.