How to treat high nitrate in an aquarium
What does it look like?
- can cause algae outbreaks
- High nitrate test results
What are the fish doing?
- Extreme levels may cause gasping and rapid gill movement
- No obvious behaviour symptoms
What should I do?
- Treat with Nitrasafe to bring the nitrate levels down to a safe level
- You can complete water changes if necessary. Test your tap water for nitrate levels before adding to the tank
- Strong plant growth will reduce Nitrate levels
Why does this happen and how do I prevent it?
Nitrate is a naturally occurring chemical in your aquarium and is created by the breakdown of Nitrite by bacteria in your biological filter as part of the Nitrogen cycle. Nitrate can also be introduced into an aquarium through the tap water you use.
To help prevent high nitrate:
- Introduce plants to your aquarium which will use the nitrate as a food source (this will also control algae blooms which can occur with high nitrate levels)
- Do regular water changes, testing your tap water’s nitrate levels before introducing it to our aquarium. If you’re tap water is high in nitrates you may need to start using conditioned RO water in your aquarium.
What treatment should I use?
Nitrasafe Nitrate Remover
Nitrate levels build up in aquariums because it is the main by-product of the biological filtration process (Nitrogen cycle). Tap water can also have high Nitrate levels from agricultural run off.
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