Question about nitrates

[SpeshulEd]

I was reading Dr. Ross's book covering Freshwater Stingrays and ran over the section about nitrates.

It states:

"The majority of stingray species thrive at nitrate levels ranging from 100mg/L to 200mg/L. At levels of 300mg/L, some species in our collection have stopped feeding, while other species showed no ill effects. When exposed to levels of 350 to 400mg/L for one week, most species showed loss of appetite, but when the nitrate level was reduced to below 300, they returned to normal, suggesting that no permanent damage occurred to the fish during that time." - p.22

I'm not used to mg/L so I did a little googling to discover that 1mg/L = 1ppm.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Convert_mgl_to_ppm

So this would suggest that rays can handle nitrate levels up to roughly 200ppm with no ill effect.

Thoughts?

I've been struggling with keeping my tank at/below 40ppm - doing 50% or larger water changes every few days. I've added plants to the sump and have been feeding less as well. After reading this, it seems like letting the nitrates slide a little bit isn't such a big deal.

 

[RyanP]

300 - 400 ppm is awfully high for anything imo

 

[devder1]

thats very interesting, i think of 40ppm as high
also if you are having issues with nitrates, i would look into a fluidized bed filter, since i got mine my algae growth has almost ceased and the only thing i can think of is the lack of nitrates

 

[SpeshulEd]

Yes, but most folks on here shoot for 40ppm or below. This says they thrive at 100-200ppm. I would imagine they'd thrive at anything below that then.

I just ask, because my nitrates are driving me crazy. It doesn't help when you're getting anywhere from 5-10ppm right out of the tap. And doing 50% water changes on 450g tank every few days adds up...a lot.

 

[SpeshulEd]

thats very interesting, i think of 40ppm as high
also if you are having issues with nitrates, i would look into a fluidized bed filter, since i got mine my algae growth has almost ceased and the only thing i can think of is the lack of nitrates

I will have to look into those. Right now I've added 9 marimo balls to my sump because I've read those are like "nitrate sponges" - so far my levels have been better. I've also been looking at the algae scrubber idea in the DIY section.

 

[devder1]

I will have to look into those. Right now I've added 9 marimo balls to my sump because I've read those are like "nitrate sponges" - so far my levels have been better. I've also been looking at the algae scrubber idea in the DIY section.

yea i was going to do the algae scrubber thing but im just not that handy and to be honest there is too much that could go wrong

 

[PeteLockwood]

As you guys obviously know, Nitrate is the product of the nitrogen cycle. How, then, could an FBF result in less nitrate? The same amount of ammonia results in the same amout of nitrate. You can remove nitrate from the system using plants, algae or water changes, not by changing the type of pure biological filter you run.

 

[Conner]

I think the obsession with low (to zero) nitrates is simply a byproduct of the fact that we can test so accurately for them, as well as the fact that we strive for 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites. So why not 0 nitrates, right?

There have been several studies that I've read online observing that increased levels of nitrates (100-200ppm or even higher) are rarely harmful to most species of fish, let alone fatal. They can thrive and reproduce at those levels. I don't think nitrates are something to worry so much about.

But if you really want to keep nitrates as low as possible, use an algae scrubber, or a planted sump (with regular trimming of plants). They both suck up tons of nitrate.

 

[FireMedic]

I would have to agree with this last post. Nitrates happen, simple as that. Do your best to "manage" them. High nitrate values most often cause "unsightly" algae to grow and seldom result in harm to inhabitants. Ultimately we should find sound date from the native waters our rays come from and replicate that.

If we as a collective are going to be so fussy about Nitrate values then I guess we should start arguing dissolved oxygen content and the like. (I am being sarcastic)

All said, if you fish act, look and eat healthy, they are healthy. To quote a fellow Ray Keeper "K.I.S.S." - Nic.

Respectfully,
FireMedic.

 

[devder1]

so you guys are saying nitrates arent bad, but i thought fish could get stunted by permanently high nitrate levels