How many nitrates are ok??

[Connie]

My cycle is complete, and I have 80-100 ppm nitrates. I am doing a water
change now, and am ready to go and get fish. How many ates are safe for the
fish?

Thanks,
Connie

[Elaine T]

Connie wrote:
> My cycle is complete, and I have 80-100 ppm nitrates. I am doing a water
> change now, and am ready to go and get fish. How many ates are safe for the
> fish?
>
> Thanks,
> Connie
>
>
The fish will likely be coming from water with considerably lower
nitrate. I wouldn't leave more than 20 ppm in the tank to avoid
shocking them.

To fully answer your question, fish can tolerate nitrates in excess of
200 ppm if the buildup is slow. High nitrates can stunt growth and
cause algae blooms, though, so nitrate levels below 40 or 50 ppm are
considered desirable and below 20 ppm ideal.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[NetMax]

"Connie" > wrote in message
...
> My cycle is complete, and I have 80-100 ppm nitrates. I am doing a
> water change now, and am ready to go and get fish. How many ates are
> safe for the fish?
>
> Thanks,
> Connie


Ideally, you want to be within 10ppm of the nitrate level of the water
the new fish are coming from. It's a water shock issue. Generally, your
objective is to keep the NO3 level low, but the level depends on many
factors (planted or not, NO3 in your water, carnivore tank or not etc).
I keep most of my tanks around 5ppm typically, and 10ppm means I've been
slacking off, but it varies by setup.
--
www.NetMax.tk