Nitrate poisoning affect your fish health and can kill him very quickly. Is there any treatment? How do I prevent it in my fish tank?
Excess nitrates in water are often misunderstood by aquarists. Although much less toxic than Ammonia or Nitrite, high levels of nitrate – can kill your fish very quickly. Chemically, Nitrates are similar to Nitrites, in that both consist of molecules of Oxygen and Nitrogen.
Nitrate is one of the natural by-products of fish digestive waste and can accumulate in an tank where there is no regular maintenance.
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Nitrate poisoning occurs when fish are exposed to increasing levels over a period of time. This usually happens when the regular maintenance of the tank is not performed correctly. Overfeeding and excess fish also contribute significantly to the increase in these levels.
If steps are not taken to reduce nitrates, the cumulative effect could be the death of all fish in the fish tank.
Some species can be affected by levels as low as 20 mg (milligrams) / l (liter), while others will show no apparent symptoms until the levels have reached several hundred mg / l. Younger fish are affected at much lower levels, as are saltwater fish.
The nitrate “shock” occurs when fish are suddenly exposed to a distinctly different level of nitrate. Although this shock usually happens when fish are exposed to a much higher nitrate level, it can also happen if nitrate levels drop dramatically.
Some species, such as Discus Fish, are more sensitive to these sudden changes.
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What Are The Possible Symptoms Of Nitrate Poisoning?
Fish behavior can give you a clue to diagnose nitrate problems in your aquarium:
– Listless fish;
– Some fish showing loss of balance;
– Fish are at the bottom of the aquarium all the time;
– Lack of appetite;
– Whitening of part of the animal’s body;
When nitrates increase slowly over time, one or two fish may begin to show symptoms. If nitrate levels are not reduced, more fish will begin to experience these same symptoms.
Eventually, some will begin to die, which occurs within a few days. If animals are exposed to very high nitrate levels, they usually die within 24 hours of exposure. Aquarists are often unaware of the problem until all of their fish are dead.
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In these situations there is little that can be done for the fish that has been affected, but recognizing it can prevent further tragedy before new fish are added to the fish tank or intoxicated.
Most cases of sudden nitrate “shock” and subsequent loss of fish occur when a new animal is taken to an tank with dramatically higher nitrate levels. In fact, this no longer occurs in cases where the hobbyist moves a fish from one tank to another inside the house, as we generally treat all of our tanks in the same way, resulting in similar water conditions in all of them.
However, this shock can also occur when we make sudden changes of water inside an tank that has already matured and has high nitrate levels. The sudden drop in nitrate can cause this shock and consequently death the animal.
Is There Any Treatment?
Even in cases of sudden exposure to high levels of nitrates, it is possible to reduce the effect, thus giving the fish a chance of survival. The key is to prevent another sudden change from happening. Optimal nitrate levels in a freshwater aquarium should be kept below 20 mg / l.
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However, any changes should occur slowly, at a rate of change of less than 50 mg / l per day.
First of all, test the replacement water to obtain a nitrate level as a base. This will give you an initial nitrate level so you have a place to start. There are several tests available in the pet stores, so it’s up to the hobbyist to only check the one that best fits their budget.
Below are some methods to treat nitrate problems in the fish tank:
– Reduce Food: If your fish are being overfed, your digestive process will add excessive nitrate to the water. However, be sure to feed just enough to keep your fish healthy. Nitrate levels should drop naturally when eating practices are corrected.
– Perform Partial Water Changes: Make a partial change of 5% water every 1 or 2 hours using water with low nitrate content. Continue performing this procedure until you have replaced approximately half the volume of water in the tank.
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This process will reduce nitrate levels significantly, but slowly enough to avoid the effects of sudden changes. After the last change, test the water and observe how much the nitrate level has dropped. If the levels remain above 100 mg / l, repeat the process the next day.
– Use Nitrate-Removing Media: There are some media on the pet stores that can be used if the other methods do not reduce the levels the way you need them.
– Increase Aeration: Increasing the aeration of the tank can help decrease nitrate levels, as tanks that have high levels of nitrate generally have low levels of oxygen.
How To Prevent This From Happening?
To avoid Nitrate poisoning or shock:
– Be Sure Of The Nitrate And pH Values Of Your Tank When Buying A New Fish. When you go to the store, ask the employee to show you the pH and nitrate values of the water where the fish are currently and compare it with the ones you have at home.
If these values are not close, do not buy the fish until you can adjust your home tank to match, at least as closely as possible, with the original fish tank.
– Keep Plants Alive In The Tank. The addition of live plants to the tank is a great long-term preventive measure. Plants consume nitrate, helping to maintain the lowest levels in your tank.
– Do Not Overfeed The Fish. Immediately remove any food that is not eaten by the fish.
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– Avoid Overcrowded Fish Tanks. The more fish, the more waste in the water and therefore more nitrates. So, this is one of the golden rules.
– Clean The Fish Tank Filter. Regular cleaning of the filter with the tank water itself will keep nitrates at bay.
– Keep The Fish Tank Clean. Good general maintenance, such as performing partial water changes, cleaning the substrate, will help keep nitrate levels low.
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