anyone else have this problem?

[Delphinus]

Oh I dare ya to dangle your fingers in there

You first.

if things dont improve soon im gonna buy one of these

The sulfur reactors are exactly the same as a calcium reactor without the CO2 input, if you're into DIY you could probably build yourself one for a lot less, or find a used calcium reactor and then use sulfur media. I tried a sulfur reactor for about a year, I found the trickiest part is the flowrate. If I were to do it over again, I'd suggest using a peristaltic feed pump and if you really want to go top shelf, put the feed pump on an ORP controller. When dialed in right they work pretty awesome. Just food for thought.

Or you could try a coil denitrator ... usually around $20 in parts so a cheap option to look into and not a lot wagered if it doesn't work out.

Or heck, dose with sugar (or sugar and vodka). I tried sugar dosing a few months ago, it really does bring the nitrates down pretty quick. Only thing is they come back up when you stop.