Ammonia Spike And Nitrates - The Ultimate Guide!

#aquarium #shrimptank #fishtank

LOWER YOUR AMMONIA NOW!

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Ammonia, NH3, is an invisible chemical that is highly toxic to your fish. Unfortunately, it also occurs naturally in every aquarium. As organic waste begins to break down, it releases ammonia. The only way to avoid ammonia is to not own a fish tank. Fortunately, in a healthy aquarium, nature takes care of ammonia for you. This process forms part of the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia exists in an aquarium in two forms: free or unionized ammonia (NH3) and ionized ammonia, called ammonium (NH4). Free ammonia is highly toxic compared to ammonium (not that this means you can relax if your ammonia is in the form of ammonium), and the proportion of toxic to less toxic ammonia depends on several factors, the most important being pH and temperature.

In nature, nitrate in water remains very low, generally well below 5 ppm. In freshwater aquariums, nitrates should be kept below 50 ppm at all times, and preferably below 20 ppm. If you are breeding fish, or are battling algae growth, keep nitrate even lower, below 10 ppm. Fish will feel the impact of nitrate by the time levels reach 100 ppm, particularly if these levels persist. The resulting stress leaves fish more susceptible to disease and inhibits their ability to reproduce. High nitrate levels are especially harmful to fry and young fish and will negatively affect their growth. Furthermore, the same conditions that cause elevated nitrate often cause decreased oxygen levels, which further stress the fish.

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