If you are breeding fish, or are battling algae growth, keep nitrate even lower, below 10 ppm. Fish will feel the impact of nitrate by the time levels reach ppm, particularly if these levels persist.
The resulting stress leaves fish more susceptible to disease and inhibits their ability to reproduce. High nitrate levels are especially harmful to fry and young fish and will negatively affect their growth. Furthermore, the same conditions that cause elevated nitrate often cause decreased oxygen levels, which further stress the fish.
Elevated nitrate is a significant contributor to undesirable algae growth , and nitrate levels as low as 10 ppm will promote algae growth.
The algal blooms that are common in newly set-up tanks are usually due to elevated nitrate levels. Although plants utilize nitrate, if nitrate levels rise faster than the plants can use them, then even the plants can become overgrown with algae, ultimately leading to their asphyxiation and demise. Unlike the aerobic bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite and then nitrite to nitrate, the bacteria that remove nitrate avoid oxygen-rich environments.
Therefore, well-oxygenated conventional filters, unfortunately, will not harbor the kinds of bacteria that remove nitrate. However, there are some steps you can take to keep nitrate low. Although special filters, called denitrators, exist that will remove nitrate, such devices are usually quite expensive compared to other filtration units.
Instead of purchasing a pricey denitrator or special filter, you can purchase from your fish store a nitrate-lowering media to put into the filter you have. These will pull the nitrate out of solution, and need to be replaced periodically. Sometimes tap water contains levels of nitrate that are unacceptable for the aquarium. Of course, such large changes are not generally possible with a marine tank, though they work very well. This is why saltwater hobbyists often rely on nitrate-reducing systems like live rock and deep sand beds, and it is why reef aquarists usually keep only a few small fish that are lightly fed to minimize waste production.
Check your filters regularly. If you do not have a dedicated biofilter and rely on the bacterial colonies in your mechanical filter medium, replace only part of the medium at each cleaning.
However, if the medium is seriously matted and plugged, a gentle cleaning in a bucket of tank water will remove most of the decomposing gunk without damaging the biofilter.
In fact, it will increase biofiltration capacity because of the increased flow of oxygen-rich water through the medium. A heavily planted tank is the most natural way to have low nitrate levels, since plants will utilize much of the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate produced in the aquarium.
This is the principle behind growing and harvesting macroalgae in a saltwater sump system. The rapidly growing algae remove wastes from the water, and the regular removal of some of the algae permanently removes those substances from the system.
Mangrove plants are especially popular with marine aquarists, but they are equally effective at removing wastes from fresh water. These plants are rooted under the water, but they must grow out of the water. Remember, though, that plants can only utilize a certain amount of wastes, which is why planted tanks, like reef setups, are typically lightly stocked with fish.
Although it takes effort to maintain low levels of nitrate in your aquarium, the reward of watching healthy, beautiful fish swimming tranquilly in a tank in your living room far outweighs the work that goes into assuring the health and longevity of your fish. Keeping Up with Nitrate.
What Is Nitrate? Measuring Nitrate You will first need to determine what the nitrate level is in your aquarium by testing the tank water with a test kit. Contributing Factors An aquarium with a high nitrate level typically suffers from one or more of four principal factors. Overfeeding Overfeeding is the number-one cause of high nitrate levels in aquariums. Overstocking Keeping too many fish in a tank also leads to problems with accumulated wastes. Dirty Filters Laxness in cleaning filters often underlies high nitrate levels.
Decaying Plant Material Even though plants are natural filters and can help keep nitrate levels down, their dead leaves, if not removed, will decay and produce additional wastes. Solution There are various devices and procedures that can lower the nitrate level. Daily Maintenance Feed your fish sparingly.
Lastly, one might control nitrate levels here again through biological action using various types of microbes. These diverse microorganisms either sequester nitrate for biomass or convert it to another substance e. Live cultures are increasingly becoming available in the trade. These include both aerobic and anaerobic types. Aerobic forms mainly heterotrophic bacteria can take up nitrate rather quickly but usually need to be "fed" a carbon source, such as ethanol.
Anaerobic forms such as purple nonsulfur bacteria work more slowly but do not require carbon dosing, as they typically dwell deep in the bottom sediments where organic matter is plentiful. Additionally, unlike their aerobic counterparts, anaerobes pose no risk of blooms typically from carbon overdosing that can cause dangerous oxygen depletion. In most cases, it'll be best to foster a microbial community that is as dynamic and diverse as possible.
However you choose to manage nitrate, one thing is clear: to keep healthy animals in a relatively algae-free tank, it must be managed aggressively.
By sticking to a tight water change regimen, using only purified water, adding quality chemical filters, installing a refugium and supporting the growth of beneficial microbes, you need not ever struggle with chronic nitrate build-up! How to Reduce Nitrate in Your Aquarium.
Written by: PetMD Editorial. Published: April 09, How to Reduce Nitrate in an Aquarium There are essentially two manners in which nitrate levels can be kept low, even in well-stocked and well-fed aquaria. Conducting Water Changes Removal is simple enough if you carry out large, regular water exchange. Installing a Refugium For those who care not for tasks that require hauling heavy buckets about, there is one option that can significantly reduce the demand for water exchange.
Using Microbes Lastly, one might control nitrate levels here again through biological action using various types of microbes. Help us make PetMD better Was this article helpful? Yes No. Share this article. What did you find helpful? What was not helpful? Say more Sign me up for the PetMD Newsletter.
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