Does nitrate matter??

[dougzfresh]

as long as nitrates aren’t CRAZY. is it really that big of a deal to keep checking ? I’m feeding once a day mostly krill , shrimp, and emerald green entree. at least 25% water change every 2 weeks
lmk what guys think

 

[theishkid]

I can't say if it's Nitrates alone but mine were undetectable and I started dosing NeoNitro to get them up to 5+ and adding CoralAmino and a lot of stuff that was fading out has really colored back up and looking really good.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

I don't have a FOWLR tank, but here is a recent thread on the topic:
Thread 'Nitrate and the FOWLR' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/nitrate-and-the-fowlr.1142806/

 

[landlubber]

I can't say if it's Nitrates alone but mine were undetectable and I started dosing NeoNitro to get them up to 5+ and adding CoralAmino and a lot of stuff that was fading out has really colored back up and looking really good.

when you say colored up do you mean fish? OP is running a FOWLR system.
Mine are a little elevated right now so I did some digging and found while they clearly matter in a reef its not as imperative for the fish.
The one concern I would have is inverts which are more sensitive in many cases. I imagine if you aren't noticing any issues so far, keep an eye on your maintenance schedule and aren't noticing a rising trend things should be fine.

 

[rtparty]

Nitrates are simply a measure of “do you have enough nitrogen entering the system”

 

[get-salty]

Honestly, i cant remember the last time i tested Nitrate. I test po4, alk, and cal.

 

[Reeferbadness]

I didn't test mine for a long time and when i did, they were totally undetectable in both of my 200g tanks. . This was likely from my regugiums sucking up lots of extra Nitrate. Once i started dosing NeoNitrate, my SPS went from not doing well (lack of color and growth) to thriving. I try to keep the nitrates around 5 and use a dosing pump for the NeoNitrate to fine tune things if they go up or down too much.

 

[LPS Bum]

I’ve only tested nitrate in my 240 gal FOWLR a few times. They’ve always been off the charts. But my fish are very healthy and I don’t have algae issues, so I’ve never been concerned.

I’d be more concerned in my reef, but it’s packed with corals and has a ReefMat, so I struggle to keep nitrates detectable.

 

[Privateye]

There can be many situations where you'd want to test nitrate, but generally you'll find that the longer the tank has been running, the less often the owner tends to test nitrate. Once you find stability it becomes less of a concern from an owner's perspective.

If the tank has a lot of coral, it's good to test more often so it doesn't get depleted. If you're trying to breed fish, it can help to keep nitrate levels low. Nitrate isn't acutely-toxic to fish (at least not the levels we talk about) but it's an endocrine disruptor. If you want their hormones to operate optimally, it's safest to keep an eye on nitrate. The effects largely depend on species and concentration though.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

As folks have noted, at reasonable levels there's no need to test. But at high enough levels (hundreds of ppm), it can be a significant problem for fish.

 

[BryanM]

I think its good to test once a month just to make sure nothing's happening. Bottoming out either nitrates or phosphates can cause issues.