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What Is A Safe Maximum Nitrate Level For Freshwater Fish?

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Offline Sue

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #40 on: August 26, 2019, 09:13:00 PM »
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If you use the API test in conjunction with a free ammonia calculator such as https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/FreeAmmonia.php it will give you a better understanding of your ammonia level. The aim is to keep free ammonia below 0.02 ppm.
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Offline dwindstr

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #41 on: August 27, 2019, 07:05:36 PM »
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Quote from: Sue on August 26, 2019, 09:13:00 PM
If you use the API test in conjunction with a free ammonia calculator such as https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/FreeAmmonia.php it will give you a better understanding of your ammonia level. The aim is to keep free ammonia below 0.02 ppm.
I am assuming this estimate cannot take into account the amount of additional "free ammonia" that has been bound as a result of using Seachem's PRIME; in which case the amount of free ammonia would be even lower. 

One other question: how do I derive the measure of "salinity" in this calculator.  I have a freshwater tank.  Could I use the results from the API GH or KH test kit?
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Offline Sue

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #42 on: August 27, 2019, 07:09:50 PM »
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In a freshwater tank the salinity is zero. The calculator is for both freshwater and marine so that parameter has to be included for marine tanks.
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Offline daveyng

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #43 on: September 18, 2019, 10:58:47 AM »
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When I first went down the tap/RO water change route. I created a simple graph based on a 50/50 mix of tap/RO water.
This gave me an idea of the number of days required to push the Nitrate level down from 40 ppm to 20 ppm.
This is based on daily water changes and uses a reduction based on the static volume of the tank and the percentage of water changed.
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Offline jaypeecee

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #44 on: September 18, 2019, 01:38:15 PM »
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Quote from: daveyng on September 18, 2019, 10:58:47 AM
When I first went down the tap/RO water change route. I created a simple graph based on a 50/50 mix of tap/RO water.
This gave me an idea of the number of days required to push the Nitrate level down from 40 ppm to 20 ppm.
This is based on daily water changes and uses a reduction based on the static volume of the tank and the percentage of water changed.

Hi daveyng,

What is the nitrate level in your tap water?

JPC
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Offline daveyng

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #45 on: September 18, 2019, 01:45:19 PM »
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@jaypeecee the nitrate level is quoted at a max of 38 ppm.
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Offline daveyng

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #46 on: September 18, 2019, 04:58:18 PM »
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Just to continue from my last message. The Nitrate Levels for my area range from 30 ppm - 38 ppm (average 34 ppm). I chose the figure of 40 ppm arbitrarily as it encompassed the worst case scenario.

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Offline jaypeecee

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #47 on: September 18, 2019, 06:49:23 PM »
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Hi,

If you do progressive water changes with a 50/50 mix of tap/RO water, then the GH and KH will also be reduced accordingly, won't they? If so, that may not be advisable. Other parameters would also follow the same pattern. In an unplanted tank, I would prefer to use an ion exchange resin to remove nitrate such as JBL NitratEx. In a planted tank, the plants will absorb the nitrate.

JPC
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Offline daveyng

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #48 on: September 18, 2019, 10:29:29 PM »
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Hi @jaypeecee I actually did the 50/50 tap/RO mix to reduce the GH and KH of the tap water. It’s moderately hard so even at 50% dilution has buffering capacity. I have some species of fish from soft water areas so this benefits them.
I have attached the water quality summary for information in PDF format.

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Offline daveyng

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #49 on: September 18, 2019, 10:46:28 PM »
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I think the attachment failed. This is the second attempt.
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Offline Hampalong

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #50 on: September 19, 2019, 10:09:20 AM »
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A quick note on ammonia. Just to clarify (if it isn’t clear) a dechlorinator that detoxifies free ammonia simply converts it into ammonium, temporarily.
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Offline Sue

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #51 on: September 19, 2019, 04:50:52 PM »
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With temporary being around 24 hours.



In regions where the water company uses chloramine to disinfect the mains water, ammonia is left after the dechlorinator removed the chlorine part. The ammonia detoxifier converts this ammonia to ammonium for around 24 hours by which time the 'filter' bacteria should have removed it.
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Offline jaypeecee

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Re: What is a safe maximum nitrate level for freshwater fish?
« Reply #52 on: September 20, 2019, 06:40:48 PM »
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Quote from: daveyng on September 18, 2019, 10:29:29 PM
Hi @jaypeecee I actually did the 50/50 tap/RO mix to reduce the GH and KH of the tap water. It’s moderately hard so even at 50% dilution has buffering capacity. I have some species of fish from soft water areas so this benefits them.
I have attached the water quality summary for information in PDF format.

Hi daveyng,

Thanks. Now I can see why you did the 50/50 water changes. Not to reduce nitrate but to reduce GH and KH. Like yourself, I have soft water fish - notably German Blue Rams (GBRs) and others. I use re-mineralized RO water. Thanks also for the water report. It's always interesting to compare with my own tap water - even though I don't use it for fishkeeping!

JPC
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