Nitrate impact on fishes ?

[anewbie]

I believe someone - maybe @Colin_T or @Byron indicate that nitrate levels above 20 had negative impact on cichlid - is there a reference to a paper with this information ?

 

[AmyKieran]

‘ High nitrate levels are especially harmful to fry and young fish and will negatively affect their growth. Furthermore, the same conditions that cause elevated nitrate often cause decreased oxygen levels, which further stress the fish.’

Just got this from Google from a website so not overly reliable. I was always told 25 nitrate and above is detrimental. I also believe nitrate is only really bad for fish if they are constantly exposed to it, rather than just for 1 day a week before a water change but I could be corrected

 

[AbbeysDad]

It's held among old fishkeepers that nitrates above 20ppm have long term negative effects on fish and that low/no nitrates is even better.
Now having 'said' that, some, especially in the planted tank community feel that nitrates can be beneficial, at least to plants. Now I'm a fishkeeper with plants to aid in water purification, NOT a plantkeeper with fish!!!
I believe that lower nitrates are better. Can I easily point to some other document that may prove this to you beyond a reasonable doubt??? - well, I'd suggest that I know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west (well actually the earth is rotating in that direction and the sun stays where it is!) but rather than point to a document, I'd suggest a simple Google search on how nitrates affect fish.
One other note is that I've read that in some parts of the wild, unspoiled by man, nitrates are so low in native waters that they can not be measured.

 

[Colin_T]

Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all harmful to fish. Ammonia is the most toxic, then nitrite, then nitrate.

Nitrite and nitrate are known to cause cancer in all types of birds, animals and people, so it probably harms fish in the same way.

Nitrate levels above 20ppm kill or contribute to the death of marine invertebrates like shrimp, crabs, corals, starfish, etc. This is where the maximum level of 20ppm nitrate came from, marine tanks. It applies to freshwater tanks too.

Nitrates do damage to the body and long term exposure weakens the fish and makes them more likely to die prematurely. There is plenty of literature on the effect of high nitrates on cichlids, and hole in the head disease is regularly found in cichlids kept in tanks with high nitrates.

As a general rule, try to keep the nitrates as close to 0ppm as possible, but always aim to keep them under 20ppm.

Fish in the wild are not exposed to ammonia, nitrite or nitrate, and these chemicals all do damage to all birds, fish and animals.

 

[anewbie]

Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all harmful to fish. Ammonia is the most toxic, then nitrite, then nitrate.

Nitrite and nitrate are known to cause cancer in all types of birds, animals and people, so it probably harms fish in the same way.

Nitrate levels above 20ppm kill or contribute to the death of marine invertebrates like shrimp, crabs, corals, starfish, etc. This is where the maximum level of 20ppm nitrate came from, marine tanks. It applies to freshwater tanks too.

Nitrates do damage to the body and long term exposure weakens the fish and makes them more likely to die prematurely. There is plenty of literature on the effect of high nitrates on cichlids, and hole in the head disease is regularly found in cichlids kept in tanks with high nitrates.

As a general rule, try to keep the nitrates as close to 0ppm as possible, but always aim to keep them under 20ppm.

Fish in the wild are not exposed to ammonia, nitrite or nitrate, and these chemicals all do damage to all birds, fish and animals.

The thing is that I'm looking for a scientific reference and not just hersey. It isn't that I don't believe you it is that i want something a bit more scientific.

 

[Uberhoust]

A quick search on Google Scholar came up with these case studies. https://actavet.vfu.cz/media/pdf/avb_2005074010129.pdf I don't have time to read these now. But I expect with a bit of looking you will find better papers.

 

[itiwhetu]

Why the interest in proving this, it is well recognized that nitrates are harmful to fish?

 

[anewbie]

I know a lot of people state that nitrate is harmful but i would like to see a paper that provides detail on nitrate level/impact on fish health and how it impact the health. If enough people say the same thing it becomes 'well recognize' but if none of those people have every studied the raw data it becomes baseless hersey.

 

[itiwhetu]

In New Zealand, the dairy farmers have been pouring Nitrogen on their paddocks for years, now our water ways are reading high nitrate levels and the fish populations are dwindling.

 

[anewbie]

In New Zealand, the dairy farmers have been pouring Nitrogen on their paddocks for years, now our water ways are reading high nitrate levels and the fish populations are dwindling.

Look there is no doubt that 'too much' nitrate is bad for fishes; but so is drinking too much water. I'm looking for something a bit more detailed. Also i recognize that there is no clean answer here since different species will react differently to nitrate level. Part of this is due to seeing many people say 80ppm is ok; other suggest 40ppm is ok; other suggest anything over 10ppm can be harmful - the numbers you see people quoting are all over the place and usually it is independent of fish species.

 

[itiwhetu]

Look there is no doubt that 'too much' nitrate is bad for fishes; but so is drinking too much water. I'm looking for something a bit more detailed. Also i recognize that there is no clean answer here since different species will react differently to nitrate level. Part of this is due to seeing many people say 80ppm is ok; other suggest 40ppm is ok; other suggest anything over 10ppm can be harmful - the numbers you see people quoting are all over the place and usually it is independent of fish species.

I say "aim for zero".

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

As low as you can keep them, my nitrates are at 5-10 ppm, I also dose ferts 2x a week as I have several plant species that burn through the nutrients like wildfire. Poor water quality will directly affect the life of your cichlids, why risk it, many cichlids can live 10+ years. I keep several cichlid species and have never had hole in the head issues, ever. Only 20-30% of HITH is actually caused by hexamita infection, the rest likely caused by poor husbandry and stress. Water quality is important, especially with many cichlid species growing to 6+ inches and having thick bodies, they are heavy waste producers.

 

[anewbie]

As low as you can keep them, my nitrates are at 5-10 ppm, I also dose ferts 2x a week as I have several plant species that burn through the nutrients like wildfire. Poor water quality will directly affect the life of your cichlids, why risk it, many cichlids can live 10+ years. I keep several cichlid species and have never had hole in the head issues, ever. Only 20-30% of HITH is actually caused by hexamita infection, the rest likely caused by poor husbandry and stress. Water quality is important, especially with many cichlid species growing to 6+ inches and having thick bodies, they are heavy waste producers.

Again hersey unless you can quote a peer reviewed article.

 

[itiwhetu]

Maybe you need to do some experiments with your fish and then post the results. For me, I'm just sticking to what I know.

 

[anewbie]

Maybe you need to do some experiments with your fish and then post the results. For me, I'm just sticking to what I know.

You are being argumentative. This thread isn't about what nitrate I should keep the fish it is about scientific proof to how nitrate impact fishes. You are way off topic.