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Nitrates are are coming from the breakdown of nitrite by bacteria.
Ammonia eating bacteria produce nitrite. Nitrite eating bacteria produce nitrate. In the natural world, there are bacteria that also consume nitrate but in our tanks, we aren't able to produce a large enough environment suitable to produce enough of those bacteria. We use other methods to reduce nitrate such as macro algaes, biopellet reactors, water changes and carbon dosing methods.
So wouldn't it stand to reason that if I'm able to get my nitrite levels down, there wouldn't be anything for those bacteria producing nitrates to feed on? So a simple water change should help largely to eliminate them after cycle, right?