View Full Version : Nitrate
mikedel
01-10-2004, 2:46 PM
How high can I let the nitrates get before I should worry about doing a water change? I guess what I am asking is what would be a high nitrate reading and what would be a safe nitrate reading?
Slappy*McFish
01-10-2004, 3:32 PM
Nitrates should be below 30ppm...5-15ppm is ideal.
Idealy, you should always worry about doing water changes and make it part of a routine schedule..don't wait for things to go 'bad' before taking action. Try to maintain healthy water as opposed to trying to fix unhealthy water.
mikedel
01-10-2004, 5:38 PM
Thanks. I have always done reguluar water changes(at once a week), but recently I have had several fish die off for no ovious reason. I have always tested amonnia and nitrite, but my kit didnt come with a nitrate test. We my fish strarted to die I figured I should test the nitrate so went out and bought a nitrate kit. Amonnia was at 0 Nitrite at 0 and Nitrate at 20ppm. I dont know what the deal is.
Slappy*McFish
01-10-2004, 7:28 PM
How old is the tank and what are your hardness and pH levels?
Also, do you have a thick gravel bed? Ever notice bubbles of gas coming from the substrate?
mikedel
01-11-2004, 12:19 AM
The tank is about 4 months old. The Ph is 7.2 or 7.4 there isnt a very thick gravel bed, maybe an inch max, and I dont ever see any gas bubbles coming from it.
Yeah, if the gravel bed is thick and/or you don't clean the gravel with a siphon, anaerobic bacteria can form. Basically, this bacteria convert Nitrate to nitrogen gas....good for the nitrate reading, bad for the fish.
Gravel cleaning important...very :p
Denitrification is in no way is harmful to fish. The statement to the contrary is simply incorrect. Hydrogen sulfide production in thick, highly organic subtrates can be dangerous, but N2 production (odorless, tasteless gas which makes up 80% of the atmosphere we breathe) is completely harmless.