Nitrate Poisoning - HELP!?

Question

Have done a ton of research on nitrate poisoning and seem to find alot of info on how and why it happens, how to diagnosis the problem, and how to solve the problem, but I can't seem to find any solutions as to how to treat my poor sick fish that are suffering. Have lost 2 bala sharks in the last 48 hours and am probably going to lose my 3 angels and a pleco within the next 24 hours! In the process of solving the problem but by the time it gets solved I'm going to have no fish left. Any suggestions, advise would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Are you absolutly sure this is from Nitrates and maybe not nitrites? Nitrate poisoning really shouldn't happen at all since this is the end stage of the nitrogen cycle, and prolonged exposure tends to leave them with weakend immune systems. I can only imagine how long your fish must have been exposed to this and at what levels too.

For them to die of this...wow. I don't know if there is any medications for this, MM would know as would copperhead. I can say that if you are 100% sure this is from nitrates, which is very odd, then you need to step up the water changes. You should do a good sized change now, like 40-50% and get those levels down. Take a reading on your nitrate levels if this is what it is again. If needs be, do another big change again tomorrow as well till you drop it down well under 40 ppm. Check out your tap water source as well. Make sure it is not already high in nitrates, and if it is, you may need to find an alternate source of water.

JV

Answer 2

Nitrate poising does happen, but is less common than ammonia and nitrite poisoning. Some fish show signs of stress at nitrate levels as low as 50ppm. That's why water test kits usually show 40ppm as "dangerous" so the water gets changed ASAP.

The only way to really "treat" the fish is exposure to water with nontoxic levels. This usually only means regular water changes of 25% every week for a filtered tank. If the tank is overstocked (too many/large of fish for the tank size) or overfeeding this will need to be done more often, as well as if there's no filter. In an unfiltered bowl, changes should be 100% every 2-3 days. Water changes/cleaning should be done with a gravel vacuum to remove any wastes built up in the gravel so they don't continue to add to the ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate in the tank.

Plants use nitrate as a fertilizer, so using live plants (preferably before aglae begins to be a problem) will help keep the levels lower, but still doesn't mean you don't need to do the water changes. And plants will even die if nitrate levels are too high (generally before the level reaches 60 ppm). There are also chemical resins that absorb nitrates that you can add to your filter.

Another possibility is that you're getting nitrates in your water supply (tap or well water). You can test your water before adding it to your tank to see if this is your source. Obviously, doing a water change in the tank won't kelp with this problem, as you'll only be adding more nitrate. For this, you may need to dilute your "regular" water with reverse osmosis water (at WalMart self-serve Culligan dispensers, this is $0.33 per gallon) or invest in a reverse osmosis filter for your home.

If you're unable to test, or get a sample to your pet store to have them test your source water, Doing a 50% water change with half the replaced water using the RO water would be a quick (if temporary) solution.

Answer 3

Nitrate poisoning can be a very serious, but overlooked problem with fancy goldfish. Due to the goldfishes natural high-bioload on the nitrifying cycle, nitrate levels build up quickly and if water quality is not maintained properly, fancy goldfishes' delicate fins are at risk of developing "bleeding" veins which can be somewhat difficult to cure.

Few people realize just how delicate fancy goldfish can be. They must have at least 10gallons of water per fish preferably at least 15 gallons. They must have a good diet, good filtration, and water changes must never be neglected.

Your little oranda will recover and his fins will become beautiful again, as long as you are certain to keep his water clean always. Although I cannot say for certain if his fins will fully recover. The red veins should go away with time. You must ensure to keep his water clean and well oxygenated. Good quality food will also help in his healing.

Changed 50% of his water every other day and keep the gravel well vacummed and filter running clean and smoothly. Feed good quality goldfish food supplementing with zuchinni,romain lettuce, algae tablets, and occasional frozen foods and your redcap Oranda should be well again.

Well, I wish you the best with your goldfish. I do hope he fully recovers ;-)
Feel free to write with anymore concerns,

Answer 4

Your not the only one that has the problem i used to have that problem when i first got my fish tank and i had 2 bala shark and 5+ other fish died it was really hard to keep them alive until i found a perfect spot.

The "76 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit" is extremely important for those not living in a tropical zone, and "Water Treatment" reduces the ammonia and nitrate.

Have a really good filter system, and change 20% to a max of 60% of the water per week or month depends on how heavy your bio-load gets on the fish type you have i hope this helps.

Answer 5

You need to do water changes until the filtering and/or bacteria catch up to the waste load produced by the fish. Do you have a carbon/charcoal filter?

The only way to help the fish is to remove bad water and add good fresh water. Make sure it is right temperature, or as close as you can get it and has no chlorine or it'll make more stress on the fish. It takes work to get a tank run smoothly. Have you tried the bacteria pills that make the water cloudy but break down the nitrogen in the waste?
I used those a long time ago when starting a new tank.

Answer 6

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RE:
Nitrate Poisoning - HELP!?
Have done a ton of research on nitrate poisoning and seem to find alot of info on how and why it happens, how to diagnosis the problem, and how to solve the problem, but I can't seem to find any solutions as to how to treat my poor sick fish that are suffering. Have lost 2 bala sharks in the...

Answer 7

can you get them out of there and in different water so they dont die i just lost 4 fish today too one of my baby fish got sucked into the filter just get them out and put them in different water my fish looked dead and when i got her into clean water she slowly got better (within 15 miutes) now shes back to normal and 1 of 4 that survived out of 8