High Nitrate In An Aquarium

High nitrate levels in an aquarium can be harmful to fish and other aquatic life. Nitrate is the end product of bacterial reduction of ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate. The nitrate will accumulate in the aquarium water until it is assimilated by plants or removed by water changes. In freshwater, nitrate is relatively nontoxic even at high levels (200 mg/L or more), but in saltwater aquariums, it can be a problem for marine invertebrates, so it should be kept at lower levels (below 20 mg/L).

There are several ways to reduce nitrates in an aquarium. One way is to perform regular water changes with water that has little or no nitrate. Another way is to reduce the amount of food given and the number of fish in the aquarium. Adding live plants to the aquarium is also an efficient way to remove nitrate. Vacuuming the sand bed, installing a refugium or turf scrubber, and using liquid nitrate remover are other ways to lower nitrate levels in the aquarium. Ideally, nitrate should be kept under 15ppm for a saltwater aquarium