I know some people stride for 5 ppm and never get there. I just wanted to see that 0 ppm one time. LOL. I guess I will stay with my same maintenance schedule since its working. I know Oscars are messy but he is my #1 fish. Thank you for confirming what I already knew.
Can't get nitrates below 5 ppm
- Thread starter Raim Man
- Start date
I know some people stride for 5 ppm and never get there. I just wanted to see that 0 ppm one time. LOL. I guess I will stay with my same maintenance schedule since its working. I guess considering the stock I keep I should be happy with my parameters. Thank you for confirming what I already knew. You could only learn more by asking questions in such a knowledgeable forum. Thank you to everyone has posted on this thread. I remember my first real aquarium when I was a kid 26+ years ago and how I knew nothing about the hobby, learning new things everyday since. I always do a ton of research and try new things to get to near perfection. This is such an interesting hobby and you really get so much more out of it then you put into it. Just wish my wife was on the same page as me. Lmao.
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It sounds like your providing outstanding care for your fish. Thats what MFK is all about!
If I"m gonna put my time and energy into this hobby I'm gonna do the best I can do.
Go big or go home.
Go big or go home.
I asked a UC Davis veterinarian what nitrate levels should be targeted and she said 150 ppm.
If you were to measure methemoglobin levels of fish, I'm not sure they'd be lower with frequent water changes or with higher nitrate levels and less water changes.
I'm sorry but this is not an excuse.
Your overstocked period.
I know I'm going to get a ton of flack for this but simply saying all guys with huge fish and big tank have high nitrates is not a reason to continue doing so.
If you had said something like x species normally lives in conditions that are 40ppm in the wild and therefore my tank at 40 is no big deal I buy that.
Just because the size of the fish is not a big deal in the tank doesn't mean it's waste isn't.
I am for 10ppm max. If I'm more than I do a water change and think about my stocking.
Just my .02
What are you basing this opinion on? I'd say my 480 is stocked pretty lightly compared to many...4 fish. I've seen incredible growth in the last year, and my rays are breeding. (Female is pregnant) My opinion is based on observation. I have 4 very healthy fish in this tank, rays have gained incredible size in one year, my dat has grown over 5 inches in one year, and my aro has grown over a foot in one year.
More perspectives on nitrate toxicity:
Tom Barr
Diana Walstad: "After I finished compiling this data, I wonder why I even bothered testing for nitrates."
John F. Kuhns: "Of course, we all know that nitrits[sic] is deadly in freshwater and it would be great if something besides ordinary salt (sodium chloride) would mitigate its toxic effects. Just like nitrate, nitrite, at ordinary pHs, simply isn't reactive enough to be easily removed from water. Of course, nitrate isn't toxic in either freshwater or marine systems, and nitrite isn't toxic in marine systems (due to the high concentration of chloride ions in seawater)."
Tom Barr
Diana Walstad: "After I finished compiling this data, I wonder why I even bothered testing for nitrates."
John F. Kuhns: "Of course, we all know that nitrits[sic] is deadly in freshwater and it would be great if something besides ordinary salt (sodium chloride) would mitigate its toxic effects. Just like nitrate, nitrite, at ordinary pHs, simply isn't reactive enough to be easily removed from water. Of course, nitrate isn't toxic in either freshwater or marine systems, and nitrite isn't toxic in marine systems (due to the high concentration of chloride ions in seawater)."
Thank you. This supports the point I was trying to make in the first place. Too many people are misunderstanding the role of nitrate testing in large aquariums. It's something we use to gauge the degradation of water quality, but it's not the nitrate that makes the water "bad" it's the other things we cant easily test...conductivity, trace elements, dissolved organics and such. With large fish the nitrates are rising faster than these things are degrading.
