ideal level of nitrate?

[nuggets]

so what would it be i have two tanks at about 10 to 20 ppm and one at 40 to 80 ppm what is to high.

zero

 

[Toby_H]

Packer - Oosh was actually the one who said something that made me remake my point, not you. It just irks me when people have a mishap and claim 'the fish were fine'. We all have mishaps, I can't blame anyone for that. I just hate that we assume it had no impact just because fish don't die from it.

Oosh, I underlined that sentence in the post above to clarify that I am not suggesting you did anything wrong.

I understand the fish looked fine, and soon after acted fine... but if I did something to you that shaved 2 years off your life would you consider it fine? Obviously not, which is why I do not consider it "fine" to do something that shaves the same percentage off a fish's life.

So in conclusion, it's understandable, it's excusable, but I just can't agree that it's fine.

I've always been a stickler of using the right word in the right place... this is probably a simple example of this...

No offense meant and hopefully none taken...

 

[Oosh]

I know what you're saying, and I certainly haven't taken any offence.

I'm certainly no expert, and stand ready to be corrected, but I've yet to see any science that suggests short-term exposure to nitrates up to and even above 100ppm effects life expectancy of adult fish as you suggest. Fry however are more sensitive and can suffer permanent liver damage at much lower levels.