Effects of Nitrates in Fish Tanks

Overdose of nitrates in your fish tank can turn to be a hinder to the growth and development of the fish and the coral plants used. High nitrate level of about 100ppm would make the fish stressed which eventually leads to fish being vulnerable to several diseases. The effect can be acute on younger fish as the oxygen level also decreases because of the presence of the nitrates. These also egg the high growth of the algae which may also hinder the plants. Nitrates are formed as a result of the nitrogen cycle taking place in the water. The maximum value of nitrates that can be present in the aquarium is 50ppm, though keeping it lower than 25ppm is safer.

Reducing the Nitrates in the Water

A few simple steps can be taken to achieve lower levels of nitrates in the fish tank. The easiest ones are to keep the fish tank clean as wastes produce more harmful nitrates. Apart from this, the water must be changed periodically and care must be taken to not over-feed the fish as it causes increased nitrates or phosphates production. Using live plants or the RO/DI water are the effective steps to keep the nitrate levels to the minimum. The best of all but a little expensive nitrogen filters or denitrators can be used to make sure that all the unwanted materials producing nitrates are removed systematically helping with your aquarium care. Some of the filters employed are wet or dry filters or live rocks to percolate the nitrates.
Thus by employing the right kinds of nitrate filters along with the few precautions mentioned, can help to reduce nitrates’ percentage in the fish tanks or aquariums.