Max Nitrates?
- Thread starter Buphy
- Start date
Depends on the fish i would say. I remember reading 80-100 ppm constantly increases the risk of disease and stunting, and at 200 ppm your fishes gills cannot function properly. I would say 10-20 ppm is about average in my tanks. I change water when they reach around 40 ppm. Ime 20 does not hurt your fish. But I'll look for some scholarly evidence and such.
Ya, I was thinking it was between 20-40 ppm but some one is asking for proof... aka pissed off people who don’t want to do enough water changes.
A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.
Ideal maximum 5 - 10 ppm. 20 - 50 ppm is too high, according to this article:
http://www.tfhmagazine.com/freshwater/feature-articles/keeping-up-with-nitrate.htm
Keep nitrates between 5 - 10 ppm or lower. The upper limit in a freshwater tank should not exceed 40 ppm:
https://fishlab.com/nitrate/
Different fish have different recommendations for nitrate maximum.
Ideal maximum 5 - 10 ppm. 20 - 50 ppm is too high, according to this article:
http://www.tfhmagazine.com/freshwater/feature-articles/keeping-up-with-nitrate.htm
Keep nitrates between 5 - 10 ppm or lower. The upper limit in a freshwater tank should not exceed 40 ppm:
https://fishlab.com/nitrate/
Different fish have different recommendations for nitrate maximum.
Fish that come from stagnant pools, rice paddies, and those with auxiliary breathing ability like some anabantiods, will tolerate elevated nitrate.
Species that come from well oxygenated rivers that are used to constant water change, or those from pristine lakes, live and have evolved in almost 0ppm nitrate conditions.
As a chemist part of my job was to daily test raw Lake Michigan water, for most of the year, nitrate was 0.
In my opinion 20ppm and higher create stress, which leads to disease, and other problems. I tried to keep my tank between 2-5ppm nitrate.
Species that come from well oxygenated rivers that are used to constant water change, or those from pristine lakes, live and have evolved in almost 0ppm nitrate conditions.
As a chemist part of my job was to daily test raw Lake Michigan water, for most of the year, nitrate was 0.
In my opinion 20ppm and higher create stress, which leads to disease, and other problems. I tried to keep my tank between 2-5ppm nitrate.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144860917301231?via=ihub
100 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen = 443 mg/L nitrate (API test kit units).
100 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen = 443 mg/L nitrate (API test kit units).
I don't think there has been any proper long term studies to find a safe limit. If I remember correctly there's a few studys where fish survived in 100+ppm for months with seemingly little effect, what the results would be over 5 or 10 years is unknown.
Nitrates aren't the only thing to effect your water and fish health but Imo act as a good barometer. Personally i try and keep them below 10ppm.
Nitrates aren't the only thing to effect your water and fish health but Imo act as a good barometer. Personally i try and keep them below 10ppm.
10mg NO3-N/l = 44.2 ppm NO3-
"A nitrate concentration of 10 mg NO3-N/l (USA federal maximum level for drinking water) can adversely affect, at least during long-term exposures, freshwater invertebrates (E. toletanus, E. echinosetosus, Cheumatopsyche pettiti, Hydropsyche occidentalis), fishes (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Salmo clarki), and amphibians (Pseudacris triseriata, Rana pipiens, Rana temporaria, Bufo bufo). Safe levels below this nitrate concentration are recommended to protect sensitive freshwater animals from nitrate pollution."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15667845
"A nitrate concentration of 10 mg NO3-N/l (USA federal maximum level for drinking water) can adversely affect, at least during long-term exposures, freshwater invertebrates (E. toletanus, E. echinosetosus, Cheumatopsyche pettiti, Hydropsyche occidentalis), fishes (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Salmo clarki), and amphibians (Pseudacris triseriata, Rana pipiens, Rana temporaria, Bufo bufo). Safe levels below this nitrate concentration are recommended to protect sensitive freshwater animals from nitrate pollution."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15667845