How To Reduce Nitrates In Saltwater Tank

Although many aquarists run their tanks with extreme nitrate levels the ideal is a maximum of 5 to 10 ppm.

How to reduce nitrates in saltwater tank. If your nitrate levels are above say 10 or 15 parts per million ppm you ve got some stuff to do. The three basic nnr setups one can choose from to reduce nitrate naturally in saltwater aquariums and reef tank systems are as follows. So the general idea for reef aquariums is to keep nitrates as low as possible without stressing over a specific level. The final by product of fish waste and the cycling process in a saltwater aquarium is nitrate.

Cleaner tanks produce less nitrate that must be removed by water changes. High nitrates are always because of your actions. Freshwater tanks can be at the higher end with marine fish only setups at the lower end and reef tanks as near zero as possible. The potential dangers of excess nitrate levels.

The principle of nnr or natural nitrate reduction filtration is that the nitrifying bacteria do all the work. Regular testing of the water and knowing how to lower nitrite levels in freshwater aquarium will help keep your fish healthy. This is quite a lot and honestly very unlikely. Our captive reef tanks are drastically different than a wild reef however considering that many successful reef aquarists keep beautiful thriving corals with nitrate levels above 10 ppm.

Levels of 20 to 50 ppm are too high. The lowest levels of nitrites in your tank will cause stress that makes your fish unhealthy. For saltwater fish the lower barrier will be as much as 30 ppm of nitrite. Nuisance algae growth a decline in coral health loss of color growth and fish invertebrate illness or death are all possible if you allow your nitrate levels to rise to dangerous levels.

Nitrates should be kept less than 5ppm with corals or less than 10 ppm in a fish only saltwater aquariums. Use a combination of both live rock and live sand. Overfeeding is a significant contributor to excess nitrate and other undesirable wastes such as phosphate. Keep the aquarium clean.

In order to maintain a healthy aquarium you should keep the ammonia and nitrites level to zero. In freshwater nitrate is relatively nontoxic even at high levels 200 mg l or more but in saltwater aquariums it can be a problem for marine invertebrates so it should be kept at lower levels below 20 mg l. Reliable nitrate readings can be quickly and easily obtained using a quality test kit such as the api nitrate fresh and salt water aquarium test kit. The honorable mention goes to the common eel which can live comfortably for as much as 4 days in water that has over 1600 ppm of nitrites.

Waste ultimately produces nitrate.