How to Lower Nitrate in a Fish Tank

High nitrate levels are a common problem for fish owners. The nitrate level often increases and can cause fish owners many problems. Nitrate in high amounts can cause your water to develop an odor, make the water cloudy, make your fish sick, or even kill them if left untreated. They sell testing strips at your local pet store that will test your water to see if this is a problem in your fish tank.

• Do not overfeed your fish. This is the most common reason of high nitrate levels in a fish tank. A general rule of thumb for how much food you should be feeding your fish is to time them while they are eating. If they are not able to consume the amount of food that you gave them within two minutes, then you are feeding them too much. It is best to feed them only the amount they need in small feedings twice a day to maintain a healthy nitrate level in your fish tank.

• Cut down on waste in your tank. If your tank is overcrowded chances are your nitrate levels are too high. Tropical fish can be in a tank with 1 gallon of water; if you own goldfish, the ratio should be 2 gallons of water per goldfish because goldfish are prone to releasing more waste than tropical fish.

• Change the water in your tank regularly to avoid a buildup of nitrate in your water. Your tank should be cleaned every one or two weeks depending on the size of the tank and the number of fish that you have. Regular maintenance will prevent your nitrate levels from increasing.

• Rinse or replace your tank's filter cartridges as needed. Sometimes they can be rinsed and replaced and this will do the trick. However, if they are exceptionally dirty or have food and waste debris clogging them you may want to replace them. Being that nitrate is raised by waste levels, your filter could be pumping nitrate back into your tank. It is recommended that you replace the filter cartridge at least once a month.