Why Nitrates Need to be Removed From Saltwater Aquariums

Nitrates and the Affects on Tank Life
Long term exposure to nitrates can have bad affects on your tank life. Some of the affects are slowed growth, poor appetite, stress, gasping, lethargy, and reduced healing just to name a few of the more common symptoms. Death can result if your fish and other tank creatures are constantly exposed to high levels of nitrates, so it is very important that you remove them from your saltwater aquarium. I gave a number of nitrate removal tips for saltwater aquariums in a previous post.

What Nitrate Levels Are Dangerous?
A number to shoot for when measuring nitrate levels is 25mg/L. Levels higher than that can be tolerable because fish can adapt to gradual changes, but if there is a spike in nitrate levels this can harm your fish very quickly, or if you have high levels for a long time, as we mentioned, this can result in poor health and death. Make sure to keep your water quality good by doing regular water changes, and keep an eye on your aquarium and look for large amounts of waste (poop), and uneaten food. Also, look for anything that is dead or decaying in your tank. You will want to remove these threats as soon as possible, so that you can control your nitrates. Not doing these things can result in higher levels of nitrates quickly and your tank enviroment will suffer.

Nitrate removal from saltwater aquariums and nitrate control is essential to allow your aquarium to thrive. Monitor these levels at all times and you will enjoy your tank for years to come.