Fish hobbyists know that nitrates can affect the water quality of their tanks as well as the fish and coral inside of it, therefore it is important to deal with its presence in your aquarium immediately. Nitrates have a negative effect on fish, plants, corals and the general environment of your aquarium.

In addition fish may become stressed if the levels of nitrates are 100 ppm or above, which will make your fish prone to diseases and can also affect their ability to breed. Such levels of nitrates are much more harmful to young fish which if affected directly can stunt their growth because the levels of oxygen drop down due to the increase in nitrates in the water.

Also keeping in mind that a high level of nitrates promotes the growth of algae and although plants use nitrates in their daily routine, a sudden acceleration in the growth process may ultimately harm them.

Generally the source of high levels of nitrates is decay of plant material and overfeeding your fish.

Yet be careful before doing a water change because tap water tends to have some nitrates as well.

In water from all natural sources, the level of nitrates is very low wall, about 5 ppm. However you can consider the level up to 25 ppm as safe.

The bacterium which removes nitrates from your aquarium cannot work with high levels of oxygen in your water. But oxygen is required for fish and plants. So you need to use special filters to remove them. These filters are expensive but you need to have them for well being of your fish.

But if using filters is not an option take the following precautions to keep the level of nitrates in your aquarium water under control.

1. Clean your tank regularly to remove waste, clean water will always maintain the level of nitrates under control.

2. Never overfeed your fish, because extra food for your fish will automatically increase the undesirable wastes and consequently increase the level of nitrates your aquarium water.

3. Change at least 30% of the water in your aquarium frequently until your reach a stable level of nitrates. Also make sure that the new water is low in nitrates in order to reduce the overall level of nitrates in the tank.

4. Try keeping live plants in your aquarium. They will use nitrates which will reduce the level of nitrates.

Keep in mind that there is no quick fix to lower the levels of nitrates in your tank, therefore you must focus on quality of the water and you should also take extra precautions to keep your fish healthy.

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