Water changes are a sure shot, as they instantly and permanently remove the nitrate from the system. Removal is simple enough if you carry out large, regular water exchange. Nitrate gets into our tanks in more sneaky ways, such as in replacement water, supplements and fish food.Ĭonsequently, one should use only purified water for replacement or top-off, be certain that any products used in the water are nitrate-free, and then, follow that big one: feed your fish sparingly! Conducting Water Changes Of course, very few among us would grab a bottle that boldly reads NITRATE and pour its contents into our aquarium. These are (1) minimizing nitrate input and (2) promoting its removal/uptake. There are essentially two manners in which nitrate levels can be kept low, even in well-stocked and well-fed aquaria. Truly, the best way to avoid battling algae in these endless cycles is to effectively prevent its proliferation through strict nutrient limitation. These may occur as either planktonic (e.g., "green water") or benthic (e.g., film or slime) blooms.īy the time they become evident, they are already well on their way to choking out your corals, adversely altering your water chemistry and making your tank look generally overgrown and derelict. Still, nitrate concentrations of just a few parts per million can lead to massive algal blooms. Most professional aquarists contend that nitrate concentrations should never exceed 20 ppm but are much more safely maintained below 10 ppm. Lethargy, poor color, poor immune system and weakened feeding response are all signs of nitrate poisoning. Over time, at just 30 ppm, nitrate can negatively impact cell development in both fishes and invertebrates. Chronic exposure, on the other hand, can indeed be damaging, even at much lower levels of exposure. A lot of fishes can tolerate brief exposures of up to 550 ppm. Sure, you've been told so many times that nitrate is harmless. The Potential Dangers of Excess Nitrate Levels If your nitrate levels are above, say, 10 or 15 parts per million (ppm), you've got some stuff to do. Reliable nitrate readings can be quickly and easily obtained using a quality test kit, such as the API Nitrate fresh and salt water aquarium test kit. Not necessarily! Where is all that nitrate going? If you cannot answer that question with a number, you need to start testing your water! Nitrifying bacteria in our so-called biological filter convert the ammonia to nitrite and the nitrite into nitrate. As we feed our fishes, they produce nitrogenous waste products in the form of ammonia. Though toxic substances are converted into less toxic substances, accumulations of their biological byproducts can themselves pose issues. In the characteristically nutrient-poor waters of habitats such as coral reefs, algal growth is very, very restricted.įish tanks are another story, mainly due to the fact that conventional aquaria are recirculating systems that filter and recycle water over and over again. Nitrate is critical for the growth and reproduction of plants, and because it is in low supply, its abundance very directly influences the algal productivity. In fact, in many ecosystems, it is a limiting nutrient. What’s the Role of Fish Tank Nitrate?īecause it is so important, nitrate can get used up rather quickly in the natural environment. Therefore, maintaining low concentrations of macronutrients, such as nitrate, is key to keeping an algae-free tank. Nitrate is the form preferred by most plants. The most important components in "algae fertilizer" are ammonia/ammonium, nitrite and nitrate. But like any plant, they must obtain the basic building blocks of their biomass from their surrounding environment in the form of various nutrients. Yes, being capable of photosynthesis, they certainly do obtain their energy from light. It seems the stuff just spontaneously generates if you make one wrong move, such as overfeeding the fish, skimping on a water change or slacking on replacing chemical filtrants.Īlgae cannot simply grow from nothing. Perhaps the most challenging part of maintaining aquaria (whether freshwater, brackish or marine) is controlling nuisance algae growth.
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