Nitrates always high

[zoowks]

No matter how many times i do a water change, (3 10-15% water changes in the last 4 days,) my nitrates always seem to be at 40 ppm, its a 10 gal freshwater tank, the nitrite/ammonia/ph are all perfect, its just the nitrates are always higher then i'd like. Is it a really a problem? I've read Nitrates are not much trouble for freshies but it may eventually lead to a shorter life span? Anyone know the truth behind this?

 

[brandonberry]

You'd probably be better off posting this in a freshwater forum, however I'll give it a shot.

Have your local fish store verify your test. Your test kit could be bad. Your tap water could have high nitrates. If so, consider purchasing a RO/DI filter. To my knowledge, there is no scientific proof that nitrates lead to a shorter life span. If you aren't having algae problems, I would not worry about it.