# How to raise nitrates in the tank



## flaviu.vlaicu (20 Jun 2010)

Hello.I have a problem.I have the nitrates <0.5 .Is there a DIY method to raise the nitrates in the tank.Can someone please explain why the nitrates are so low ? Thank you


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## tomsteer (20 Jun 2010)

Surely you want to lower them?

Nitrates are toxic to your fish, they are a byproduct of fish waste and you should be aiming for 0. 

Maybe I'm missing the point.

Tom


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## spider72 (20 Jun 2010)

Nitrates toxicity is very low for fish/shrimps. Even sensitive fish can cope with 40mg/l NO3 level. I have keept accidently level of 80 mg/l NO3 over 6 weeks and I didn't notice any dead shrimp or fish.
In planted tank (high plant biomas) with good light NO3 is used up quickly by plants, as it is the biggest macronutrient, and it is often required to add this nutrient to the tank. Only carbon is required in bigger quantities than nitrogen (about 30x more carbon is required than nitrogen) and carbon should be called megamacronutrient  .
Easy way to add NO3 is to add KNO3 salt which should be available in many gardening stores.

Edit:
I don't know what kind of ferts you are using if any, but if you've got low NO3 in your tank, it is very likely that you can also have PO4 and K deficiency. Hobby tests quality is another story.


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## flaviu.vlaicu (20 Jun 2010)

I am using the following  ferts : Every day 2ml of Ferropol ( normal ) + Ferropol 24 ( after the light goes on ) , Easy Carbo,and some DIY macro fert .I am dosign Co2 via reactor.PH 6.5 ,KH 7 . I have 0.6W / Liter of light 10 hours / day


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## GHNelson (20 Jun 2010)

Hi flaviu
I agree with spider Kno3 is the way to go.What is your nitrate level in your tap water approximately.
You need about 15 to 20ppm at least in a planted aquarium.
Regards
hoggie


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## spider72 (20 Jun 2010)

Ferropol and Ferropol24 basicly contain micronutrients + K and maybe Mg. I can not say if your dosing is sufficient as I dont know what is a nutrient concentration in these products, but macronutrients are far more important to plants.
It could be good to know what level of nutrients your DIY macrofert contains. If you don't know because somebody else mixed it for you than you can mix your own and it will be easier for you to have control over macro dosing.


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## flaviu.vlaicu (20 Jun 2010)

Every 1ml dose add the following to the tank : 1ppm NO3, 0.1 ppm PO4; 1.33 ppm potasiu, 0.1 ppm Mg  

PS : I have now bought Easy life Nitro and Fosfo but I don't know exactly how to deal with them.Can someone please help ?


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## spider72 (22 Jun 2010)

You will find manufacturer recommendations and examples of dosing in this leaflet 
http://www.easylife.nl/english/folders/ ... nglish.pdf
although I wold recommend dosing more Fosfo and keep higher CO2 level. And don't belive in Redfield Ratio mentioned in this leaflet  .
It looks like nitro is just KNO3 solution, maybe with some MgSO4 addition, and Fosfo is probably KH2PO4 solution. You can make similar ferts by yourself and much cheaper.


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## Fred Dulley (25 Jun 2010)

Tom Barr (I think) did some experiments that showed fish to exist happily in levels of up to 400ppm. Shrimp started to show signs of ill health at around 120ppm. Do we ever need our levels to be this high? No, but it shows you shouldn't be scared of nitrates. Since when have you heard of anyone killing their fish by overdosing nutrients? You are far more likely to find people killing thier fish with CO2 by accident.




> Surely you want to lower them?
> Nitrates are toxic to your fish, they are a byproduct of fish waste and you should be aiming for 0.


Where have you been?


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