At what level does Nitrates become toxic to fish?

xenon · 09/23/2007, 11:51 AM

I recently switched my reef over to FOWLR and I was curious on how high I can let me nitrates go before a water change.

Thanks!

erbio · 09/23/2007, 12:41 PM

I have read that fish can stand up to 80ppm of nitrate. I'm not saying this as fact, this is what I've read several times.

My nitrates stay at 0 within my reef tank...

AquaReeferMan · 09/23/2007, 01:13 PM

Did you switched your 90 over? What happened to all the pretty coral you had in there?

lazluvtoo · 09/23/2007, 01:14 PM

My nitrates are off the chart...160+...and my fish are all swimming around happy and healthy. I am working on getting the nitrates down with frequent H20 changes and the purchase of a de-nitrator.

davidryder · 09/23/2007, 02:15 PM

Nitrates aren't harmful to fish... help me out here, but they have an affect on Ca, Alk, or Mg... Dr Farley wrote an article about it.

OnoIgotICH · 09/23/2007, 02:22 PM

i think in a fowler tank if u have high nitrates i dont think parasites are able to live , would that be correct?

xenon · 09/23/2007, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AquaReeferMan
Did you switched your 90 over? What happened to all the pretty coral you had in there?

Yep, I sold them all off.

My life is too busy to manage a reef.

xenon · 09/23/2007, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by OnoIgotICH
i think in a fowler tank if u have high nitrates i dont think parasites are able to live , would that be correct?

Good point.

Let me rephrase my original question.

"At waht level does Nitrates become toxic to cleaup crew"

OnoIgotICH · 09/23/2007, 03:29 PM

I think in a fowler tank your gunna end up having some fish that ends up eating crabs.

AZDesertRat · 09/23/2007, 03:34 PM

Fish can tolerate nitrates in the hundreds. A clean up crew is very sensitive unless they have been acclimated to it.

CruzinKim · 09/23/2007, 03:54 PM

Even though fishes can tolerate high nitrates, I wouldn't want them over 65ppm myself. I added a denitrator and my fishes are happy as clams, nitrate levels below 10ppm now. Inverts like it less than 20ppm.

Ehaze · 09/23/2007, 04:01 PM

can corals/inverts stand nitrates?

xenon · 09/23/2007, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CruzinKim
Inverts like it less than 20ppm.

Where did you learn this?

OnoIgotICH · 09/23/2007, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ehaze
can corals/inverts stand nitrates?

hell no. corals cant even stand close to 5ppm nitrates

CruzinKim · 09/23/2007, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by xenon
Where did you learn this?

I'm categorizing starfish, hermits, snails, shrimps, urchins, nudibranchs, feather dusters, clams, anemones all as invertebrates and they don't do well when nitrates start exceeding 20ppm.

Quote:

Originally posted by Ehaze
can corals/inverts stand nitrates?

Corals no higher than 10ppm, ZERO would be best.

Ehaze · 09/23/2007, 04:32 PM

thank god i bought a denitrator! after reading this thread i was so worried!

m2434 · 09/23/2007, 04:54 PM

I've read fish tend to be okay up to 200+ ppm, but I wouldn't let it get any where near that high.

Johnsteph10 · 09/23/2007, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AZDesertRat
Fish can tolerate nitrates in the hundreds. A clean up crew is very sensitive unless they have been acclimated to it.

Tolerate being the key word.

They will not thrive since it is much less than the ideal environment. They will likely be stressed setting them up for diseases and more chronic conditions such as HLLE.

davidryder · 09/23/2007, 05:22 PM

Here's a good read:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...t2003/chem.htm

lazluvtoo · 09/23/2007, 05:51 PM

Even though my nitrates are high at 160+, my green carpet anemone seems to be thriving. Wow, wonder how he'll look when I get my nitrates down? He's huge now! :0

m2434 · 09/23/2007, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lazluvtoo
Even though my nitrates are high at 160+, my green carpet anemone seems to be thriving. Wow, wonder how he'll look when I get my nitrates down? He's huge now! :0

My LTA was thriving when my tank was up to 30ish (I know far shy of 160+), but I'm down to 0 and it's been doing even better!

lazluvtoo · 09/23/2007, 06:07 PM

That's good to know...looking forward to getting those suckers (the nitrates) DOWN!

ionredline0260 · 09/23/2007, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by OnoIgotICH
hell no. corals cant even stand close to 5ppm nitrates

Gotta call BS. I work at my LFS and see hundreds of tanks with nitrates of 20+ and thier corals are thriving.

kidchill · 09/23/2007, 07:34 PM

Hmmmm.....Are nitrates bad......hmmmm....If they weren't worrisome then we probably wouldn't spend time testing for them or doing water changes to prevent the rise of them......Just food for thought.......Also in that link I would like to point out " Nitrate itself is not particularly toxic at the levels USUALLY attained in aquaria" I think that's a fairly blanked statement!! Apparently we can get some pretty friggin high nitrates in our tanks!!!

davidryder · 09/23/2007, 07:45 PM

Nitrates have been measured in the thousands in the ocean with flourishing life in the region.

I would venture to say we don't know what the extent of the effects of nitrates on fish are.

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling2.htm

I did a search on nitrates and fish and came across a lot of conflicting information.

I have also read that nitrates are sort of a summary of the overall health of your tank. If your nitrates are over 100ppm there is likely something else wrong in the tank.

09/23/2007, 11:51 AM	#1
xenon Owner of Canada Corals Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mississauga, Canada Posts: 3,148	At what level does Nitrates become toxic to fish? I recently switched my reef over to FOWLR and I was curious on how high I can let me nitrates go before a water change. Thanks!

09/23/2007, 01:13 PM	#3
AquaReeferMan Got Reef? Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Under the Sea, Pa Posts: 4,593	Did you switched your 90 over? What happened to all the pretty coral you had in there? __________________ Couple SPS/Zoanthid tanks and a couple of FW planted tanks. Current Tank Info: 5 pieces of glass with some silicone and plastic frames holding them together

09/23/2007, 01:14 PM	#4
lazluvtoo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Clermont, Florida Posts: 249	My nitrates are off the chart...160+...and my fish are all swimming around happy and healthy. I am working on getting the nitrates down with frequent H20 changes and the purchase of a de-nitrator. __________________ If my tank is beautiful...life is beautiful!! Current Tank Info: 90 gl reef containing mostly mushrooms & polyps, a bubble and a leather. Tangs, green reef cromis', and a maroon clown and his carpet anemone

09/23/2007, 02:15 PM	#5
davidryder Claris or Elliot? Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Nightopia Posts: 2,750	Nitrates aren't harmful to fish... help me out here, but they have an affect on Ca, Alk, or Mg... Dr Farley wrote an article about it. __________________ A rolling stone gathers no moss... Current Tank Info: 90g mixed reef, corner overflow (Mag 9.5), 25g refugium (Mag 5), 15g refugium, Orbit 260w pc, Pan World 50PX-X (Closed loop), AquaC EV-120 (now skimmerless)

09/23/2007, 04:01 PM	#12
Ehaze Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Thornton, Colorado Posts: 1,259	can corals/inverts stand nitrates? __________________ 75g SPS tank, 30gal sump/refuge. Melev RO/DI, Coravue duel calc reactor, MSP 200 skimmer, 2 Vortech MP40, Mag drive 9.5 return, autotopoff.com ATO, 2 CoralVue 250W SE finished pendants(with 20k Radium bulbs), powered by 2x Icecap ballasts, controlled by a ACJR.

09/23/2007, 12:41 PM	#2
erbio Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: NY Posts: 625	I have read that fish can stand up to 80ppm of nitrate. I'm not saying this as fact, this is what I've read several times. My nitrates stay at 0 within my reef tank...

09/23/2007, 02:22 PM	#6
OnoIgotICH Moved On Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 287	i think in a fowler tank if u have high nitrates i dont think parasites are able to live , would that be correct?

09/23/2007, 03:29 PM	#9
OnoIgotICH Moved On Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 287	I think in a fowler tank your gunna end up having some fish that ends up eating crabs.

09/23/2007, 03:34 PM	#10
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	Fish can tolerate nitrates in the hundreds. A clean up crew is very sensitive unless they have been acclimated to it.

09/23/2007, 03:54 PM	#11
CruzinKim Moved On Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: If Not There, Then Here. Posts: 693	Even though fishes can tolerate high nitrates, I wouldn't want them over 65ppm myself. I added a denitrator and my fishes are happy as clams, nitrate levels below 10ppm now. Inverts like it less than 20ppm.

09/23/2007, 04:32 PM	#16
Ehaze Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Thornton, Colorado Posts: 1,259	thank god i bought a denitrator! after reading this thread i was so worried! __________________ 75g SPS tank, 30gal sump/refuge. Melev RO/DI, Coravue duel calc reactor, MSP 200 skimmer, 2 Vortech MP40, Mag drive 9.5 return, autotopoff.com ATO, 2 CoralVue 250W SE finished pendants(with 20k Radium bulbs), powered by 2x Icecap ballasts, controlled by a ACJR.

09/23/2007, 04:54 PM	#17
m2434 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,171	I've read fish tend to be okay up to 200+ ppm, but I wouldn't let it get any where near that high. __________________ Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there. ~Richard Feynman

09/23/2007, 05:22 PM	#19
davidryder Claris or Elliot? Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Nightopia Posts: 2,750	Here's a good read: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...t2003/chem.htm __________________ A rolling stone gathers no moss... Current Tank Info: 90g mixed reef, corner overflow (Mag 9.5), 25g refugium (Mag 5), 15g refugium, Orbit 260w pc, Pan World 50PX-X (Closed loop), AquaC EV-120 (now skimmerless)

09/23/2007, 05:51 PM	#20
lazluvtoo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Clermont, Florida Posts: 249	Even though my nitrates are high at 160+, my green carpet anemone seems to be thriving. Wow, wonder how he'll look when I get my nitrates down? He's huge now! :0 __________________ If my tank is beautiful...life is beautiful!! Current Tank Info: 90 gl reef containing mostly mushrooms & polyps, a bubble and a leather. Tangs, green reef cromis', and a maroon clown and his carpet anemone

09/23/2007, 06:07 PM	#22
lazluvtoo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Clermont, Florida Posts: 249	That's good to know...looking forward to getting those suckers (the nitrates) DOWN! __________________ If my tank is beautiful...life is beautiful!! Current Tank Info: 90 gl reef containing mostly mushrooms & polyps, a bubble and a leather. Tangs, green reef cromis', and a maroon clown and his carpet anemone

09/23/2007, 07:34 PM	#24
kidchill Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 78	Hmmmm.....Are nitrates bad......hmmmm....If they weren't worrisome then we probably wouldn't spend time testing for them or doing water changes to prevent the rise of them......Just food for thought.......Also in that link I would like to point out " Nitrate itself is not particularly toxic at the levels USUALLY attained in aquaria" I think that's a fairly blanked statement!! Apparently we can get some pretty friggin high nitrates in our tanks!!!

09/23/2007, 07:45 PM	#25
davidryder Claris or Elliot? Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Nightopia Posts: 2,750	Nitrates have been measured in the thousands in the ocean with flourishing life in the region. I would venture to say we don't know what the extent of the effects of nitrates on fish are. http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling2.htm I did a search on nitrates and fish and came across a lot of conflicting information. I have also read that nitrates are sort of a summary of the overall health of your tank. If your nitrates are over 100ppm there is likely something else wrong in the tank. __________________ A rolling stone gathers no moss... Current Tank Info: 90g mixed reef, corner overflow (Mag 9.5), 25g refugium (Mag 5), 15g refugium, Orbit 260w pc, Pan World 50PX-X (Closed loop), AquaC EV-120 (now skimmerless)