What Causes Nitrates In Aquarium Water

First perform water changes with dechlorinated water to reduce the nitrite level.

What causes nitrates in aquarium water.

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. Before adding water to your aquarium test it for nitrate to discover if the levels are unusually high in your water source. Assuming there is 40 ppm of nitrate before a 20 water change 80 or 32 ppm will remain post water change. Nitrate occurs naturally in your aquarium as a byproduct of the breakdown of waste be it feces uneaten food or decaying organic matter.

If you use tap water for your water change test for nitrates before putting it in your tank. Any aquarium salt or marine salt mix can be used. If high levels of nitrates are found consider using a different water source like reverse osmosis ro water. Nitrate adsorbing filter media and anaerobic denitrifying biofilters will remove dissolved nitrate but they will do nothing to eliminate the cause of the problem.

That being said to fix the high nitrate levels in your aquarium water follow these exact steps. A common practice used to lower aquarium nitrates is the water change. Performing a water change will buy time until you can use another method listed below to get your nitrites under control. How to remove aquarium nitrate.

This will cause the levels of nitrites to increase. What you are essentially doing is diluting the amount of nitrites that are present in your aquarium. The addition of a half ounce 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon of water will prevent methemoglobin toxicity by blocking the nitrite absorption through the fish s gills. The simplest solution is a water change.

These are essential to transform toxic ammonia and nitrites into nitrates. Additionally tap water used to fill the aquarium may contain nitrate in it. Change 5 to 10 of aquarium water every hour. In the united states drinking water may have nitrates as high as 40 parts per million ppm.

You are swapping out nitrite filled water for water that is nitrite free. Also algae like nitrate because it fuels their growth. To lower excess levels of nitrate doing a water change is necessary to physically get rid of the contamination in the quickest possible way. Do not use iodized table salt.

If your nitrate levels are above say 10 or 15 parts per million ppm you ve got some stuff to do. In reality however water changes are more of a nitrate dilution then removal. Changing more than 20 of the water per week will affect the colonies of bacteria in the tank. If your aquarium is under control a water change should be all that is needed to adequately reduce nitrates to safe levels.