HIGH NITRATES ***Real or a "Follow the Money" SCAM?***

When it comes to nitrates in an aquarium, what is too high? What is a dangerous level? Is it higher or lower than commonly believed? Are fish keepers unnecessarily getting frightened into buying more and more water conditioning products that are not really needed?
Let's dive into the topic of nitrates and what is the best environment for our fish to thrive in.
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[@samperson8787]

Very good and honest information Ben. I respect you dawg plus I dig the humor you add every now and then 😁. No hidden agenda

[@awesomenesss]

One thing I like the most about Ben is he helps us keep this hobby in a simple way rather than making things complicated and confusing for the fish keepers.

[@PewSplat]

That’s my long way of agreeing with your opinion that nitrates are far less important than most people think… tank is looking crystal clear Ben keep it up!

[@jaymilo8425]

I keep a ton of plants in my aquariums both inside and outside with the roots growing into the aquariums and I can honestly say this has let me cut way back on water changes and cleaning. I also have snails, shrimps and assorted algae eating fish.

[@justinrvarga7236]

Yes. Cannot beat thorough waterchanges and plants for nitrate reduction.

[@aquariumaddickuk]

The nitrate issue with discus is commonly debated.i try to keep mine in the 10-15ppm range max but some keep them happily in tap water with levels of 40ppm or higher.your fish will soon let you know if they're unhappy.great info as always Ben!

[@ScruffyCityAquatics]

Great video Ben! I see it a lot online. Too many people say nitrates have to be low.

[@James_Hande]

I'm glad you added the fact that some fish are nitrate sensitive. In my 57+ years in the hobby I have found out the hard way that there is quiet a few fish on that list. I opted out of using commercial chlorine removers decades ago and use sodium thiosulfate which I buy in bulk for cheap. Performing regular water changes is for more than just removing nitrates. Creating a "balanced" healthy aquarium is another subject of discussion but water changes are still important. 😉

[@BenOchart]

Yes. I call a balanced system a “seasoned” well established ecosystem that remains stable. That occurs over time with a strong colony of BB and KG & GH at levels that prevent big swings.

[@James_Hande]

@@BenOchart Actually a balanced system is one that has enough minerals, substrate, plants and the correct load (inhabitants) to keep itself in check preventing climbing nitrates, lowering pH values, etc... A seasoned aquarium is pretty close but still needs frequent human intervention to keep it in check.

[@bearinbush1677]

Can sort of confirm. Never cycled my tank, slightly overfeed/stocked, very few plants and I only do water changes every other week and after a year the fish seem fine.

[@smileeyguy]

Wow what good solid advice. I believe the nitrate worry is "overlap" from the marine and sensitive fish (like discus) requirements. Nitrate isn't great but the fish adapt. Mine creeped up to maybe 60 or 80 and I did 3 water changes that week to slowly get them down again. Don't want to shock them.

[@paulrichardson2229]

So true Ben on this topic, i certainly believe we are caught up in the marketing hype, especially with a company you mentioned, so many ppl rely on a product beginning with P, to the point they are adding it all the time to control ammonia and nitrates, instead of getting back to basics, i have a African cichlid tank and used to do weekly water changes, but i've found my fish seem more healthier with just a fortnightly water change, and less aggressive, they used to always get really aggressive after a weekly water change as if they didn't like the change. keep up the great informative work , great videos and information

[@lots33ml]

Hey Ben, i hope you had a great time getting away for a while with your guests. Wow, i can not believe this video. Finally, someone says what I've thought and experienced for over 4 plus decades of fish keeping. Now I've kept predominantly africans chiclids, peas, and haps plus mbuna and tropheus with a few different plecos, so i can not speak to many other species. I believe you're right on with at least those types of fish. As always, very great information. Take care bro see you Saturday.

[@diannaleigh9914]

Thanks for your insight. My nitrates run at 80 ppm and I have never lost a fish yet. I run an overstocked tank but just keep your eye on your substrate because you may need a partial water change; that’s all. Personally I keep plants so that helps I’m sure.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Glad to hear your recommendations. Since I do twice monthly 80% water changes my nitrates range between 10 and 40 ppm in my most heavily stocked aquarium (my 500 gallon). Water changes reduce a lot of other metabolic waste priducts and my fish are visibly healthier right after those big water changes. There is a lot of fear mongering over nitrates and a lot of useless advice and products to bring nitrates down. Aquarists should focus on streamlining their water change process instead and forget about nitrates

[@BenOchart]

True. My reason for water changes have shifted from nitrate reduction to mineral replacement😀👍🏻

[@Lonewolfblue66]

To add to my last post, on the left side of the tank, I have a volcano I built with a large round bubbler under it, drawing water up through all the crushed lava rock. This is about 1/3 of the tank. The other 2/3 of the tank is the anoxic system. I also have a Rena XP3 that has been running on various tanks for over 20 years, mainly running sponges for mechanical filtration, along with an inline heater and an inline CO2 diffuser, which I run at about 3 bubbles per second.

[@janman723]

Great video, I’ve totally given up on the nitrate chase. I do my weekly water changes, clean my filters and just keep it moving. When I first started my tank I was panicking doing water changes every day, two days chasing the lower ppm. My fish are happy and healthy and I’m totally over it!

[@ponygirl1624]

Same here! Great thinking. If it aint broke.....

[@BenOchart]

Now my water changes are more for mineral replacement than for nitrate reduction. Those minerals are key to good health. Eventually they settle and are no longer available to the fish. Some fresh water replenishes minerals in the water column 😀👍🏻

[@tomcrossan8263]

I agree. I don't worry about nitrate levels A lot of channels are backed by product producers of all types and it is beholden on them to push the product line. By the time you get your fish goodness knows what water levels they have been in. One aquarium shop even told me that they don't check the nitrate levels - they just do water changes. By the way with my API ammonia test indicated that the level colour was around . 0 to .0.25 in my 500ltr Cichlid tank, but when I used a Hanna Ammonia checker it came in at 0.4 for Ammonia and .38 for Ammonia Nitrogen. Now my tank has been running at what I believed to be between 0.0 and 0.25 for the last 6 months with no noticeable effect on the Cichlids. They just keep spawning. I do 75% weekly water changes and have never lost any fish. I do a slow empty and refill via a syphon hose. Plus slowly add the premixed water conditioner and KH and GH conditioners as the tank refills. Perhaps this helps when doing large water changes. It works for me.

[@TnZs_Fish_House]

Good content Ben. I agree that the industry has expanded to a point where companies have figured out how to better maximize profit on the unsuspecting. I’ve been out of the hobby for 15 years and come back to a whole lot of hype, of sorts. What I have found though, there is a lot of good content by experienced fish keepers available through resources such as this. Over the 20 years prior to my leaving, I always tried to do and keep things as natural as possible. With the few exceptions of water conditioner, specific meds on occasion and rift lake mineral additives, I always try to figure out how to correct the issue naturally. ~Tim

[@TheSalient1]

I can Def get on board with that market strategy, nitrates harm fish when exposed to them for long periods of time, it starts to affect organs

[@eues803]

Ben, I have been following you already for 3 years, great to see how you got a lot of experience in this hobby, being able to share with the person's that follow you, since the new one in the hobby and like me already in this hobby already 50 years, but always learning new things and technology, great video, from PT.

[@Lonewolfblue66]

Hi, love the video. I have a 75G that's now been running approx 9 months, and have not done a water change in the last 7 months. I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and very rarely ever see color on the nitrate test, it's almost always showing 0. Highest I've seen was maybe 10 or a little under 10ppm. I'm running an anoxic system, a plenum at the bottom, with 1 inch of baked kitty litter and covered with a thin layer of laterite powder for the iron. Then I covered with about 4-6 inches of a mixture of Eco Complete and Fluval Stratum. And finally, capped with a black diamond sand. I have 1 uplift tube with air stone drawing maybe 3-5gph, drawing a very slow water movement through the substrate, creating the anoxic conditions (very low oxygen conditions), not anaerobic. I also have 0 algae, and have not had to clean the glass. Easiest tank I've ever set up. It's a 75G with 8 Rainbowfish, 1 SAE, 1 Gourami, approx 40 Bristlenoses, and well over 60 Julii Cory Cats. So lots of fish, and I feed alot. So a relatively high bioload. And still rarely ever see nitrates. Heavily planted, and all the plants doing great. No root tabs, but the only thing I dose once a week is Brightwell FlorinMulti, which is micros plus Potassium, as my Java Ferns are Potassium hogs. I uploaded a short video of my tank, here's the link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGTTp5WlbqiVgtU&ab_channel=JeffKoski

[@CascadianExotics]

These "Rule of Thumb" percentage changes are basically a starting point, as every tank is different. If you think about it in a mathematical sense, even with 50% changes, your nitrates will balance out with your changes after a while. So basically, it's more about keeping your water quality good, and THEN figuring out how much to change and how often.

[@darcygibbons3836]

Any chance you could turn down or not use the background music? I found it extremely distracting on this particular video especially. Thanks

[@Ishiisan]

I agree. Music should fade after five sec into talking

[@alinap5381]

Darn, I actually loved the music in this video 😅😅 to each their own

[@markadams5009]

I love his content but honestly I was distracted by the music, it's seems especially loud in this video. Although I personally don't care for any music at all on these type of informative videos.

[@darcygibbons3836]

@@markadams5009 yes, the content is excellent. I never care for background music in informative videos. Sometimes it is bearable, but for some reason in this one, it was very distracting.

[@aquasnouts]

lower the music next time please

[@PewSplat]

There was a study done with African cichlids under extremely high nitrates (2000+ppm) and there was no negative effect on the fish long term (several months). Not going to say 2000ppm nitrates is a good goal, but it illustrates the point that SOME fish are extremely tolerant to high nitrate levels. Take common ( NOT fancy) goldfish for example; bred for thousands of years in clay pots with NO filtration and NO water changes, and the damn things love for 15 years! they have been inadvertently selectively bred to tolerate the “worst of the worst” conditions in a home aquarium. I would argue that the most important “parameter” (besides adequate ammonia oxidization) is free floating bacteria count. Simply put, if you have enough surface area in your filter media, you form a colony of beneficial bacteria that eat dissolved organic compounds (these live right alongside the more well known beneficial nitrifying bacteria) and essentially starve the free floating bacteria in your aquarium. Your fish don’t have to use immune resources to constantly fight off benign bacteria and thus has a better chance of staying healthy and fighting off actual pathogens. This is a concept that has research to back it up, but unfortunately is the most misunderstood and overlooked aspect of fish health. It’s so frustrating to see “experts” blabbing on about saving money by getting a small, inadequate filter, but when you watch their videos, nearly all of their aquariums have cloudy, milky water, and they say “crystal clear water is just aesthetics”. FOR GODS SAKE PEOPLE! CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER IS HEALTHY WATER

[@cichlid_kings]

Great insight Ben. Much appreciated 😀

[@alitweed2164]

Damnnnn Ben, I like this video👍🏿 I’ve been thinking this way for a longgggg time sir. I quit driving myself nuts and just simply enjoy my fish.

[@botesyotes]

Absolutely true, less is more when it comes to fish. People overthink this stuff, their hearts are in the right place though and companies exploit that.

[@markjones3699]

Completely agree with you there Ben. Also, just fyi. Have had my motoro stingray for a little over a year now. Prior to purchase, I researched, too much information, which made me hesitant on acquiring a ray all together. Needless to say, he is in my community 1000L tank, where my nitrates average at 40ppm +, with weekly water changes. He's doubled in size, is a non fussy eater, very personable, and the least amount trouble I've ever had with an aquatic specie. In my experience, if you ever thought of a ray, I say go right ahead. I minimize testing, as I think it only causes unnecessary stress to the hobbyist. If its not broke, dont fix it.

[@BenOchart]

Great comment, thanks!

[@OneWhoWas]

I've run nitrates at levels that would make many soil their pants. It will make that tank look grungy over time especially if you give it some light, but I have a feeling that the number where nitrates are a problem is a lot higher than anyone expects.

[@BenOchart]

I think you’re right

[@GSP-76]

Yes, I've had 160ppm nitrates before and it was never a problem...water was crystal clear.

[@bridgeportfishkeeper7845]

I’ve had good success keeping nitrates down with floating plants. Some people don’t like duckweed but it helps with the nitrates and some fish even eat them. They can be grown in the main tank or some people even use them in some sump setups. They can get out of hand if you don’t remove them on a regular basis but I haven’t found them uncontrollable.

[@markbaumgardt2868]

I have a discus planted tank my nitrates are barely registered with the API kit my fish are very healthy and vibrantly colored I do two small water changes a week loved the video Ben welcome back

[@botesyotes]

Bro you even watch the video? Ben advocates for less water changes lol and I agree. You should try it although I know it's scary considering how expensive discus are.

[@markbaumgardt2868]

@@botesyotes tell me how educated are you on Discus do you even know what the Discus farms in Malaysia do I do and I've so far never had an issue with disease

[@TheSalient1]

Wc number one but doing things like putting pothos on top aquarium with roots in water sucks nitrates, using purigen and matrix has proven to help

[@mikezizis3725]

Thank so much Ben! I have pothos looking like a thick rainforest growing out of my 210 {overstocked for 4 years} & 77 gal tanks. Zero nitrates.

[@russellturner579]

Ben I got 2 magnet wave makers withe controls best buy yet I been really supping up 10 1000 gallon tan I had for year

[@alt7244]

Since I'm re entering the hobby after 40 years being away and have done hours of video watching over the past 4 months from all sides of the spectrum, ( so much i didnt know) I don't see much push for chemical products for high nitrates. Maybe 98% say to do regular water changes. Maybe once a week or every other week. Thanks for the food for thought.

[@aheimsvensson1573]

The nr.1 problem and by far the most dangerous effekt you get with a big waterchange to remove high concentration of nitrate is the change of alkalinity, the sudden lowering of alkalinity can can cause the fishes membrane to explode by the change of osmos pressure. If you really have to make a big waterchange you can add salt as a substitude for the loss of nitrates...

[@BenOchart]

Very good point. I also suggest filling tanks a bit slowly to avoid shock. When there's been a long period between water changes the tank pH and the tap can diverge and a big water change can be very stressful.

[@dylanneff]

I've been trying to figure this out myself as well. I do notice that I have a higher death rate of some young fish if nitrates get above 30-40 ppm, but many other species don't seem to be affected by it. Camargo, Alonso, & Salamanca (2005) recommend nitrates of 2 ppm as being the safe level for freshwater species, and indicate that some freshwater fish fry start dying at around 5 ppm. I really wish I could find more information about the species we actually keep in aquariums because it seems to be highly species dependent.

[@spiritualminds5461]

I highly appreciate your Video I feel at ease thank you very much for your inspiring video we'll share it with other friends and family God-bless

[@BenOchart]

Thank you

[@canadiandartsreviews-sorry]

Thank you, for the past few months trying to get my nitrates in my 75 gallon tank that is mostly Tetras (about 50) to zero when it shows at about 30 PPM to 40ppm and do weekly 30% water changes. I can relax now, thanks

[@henrybowman7887]

I use seachem matrix in my canister filters... Mostly though I do a big water change every 7-10 days..

[@medkow7415]

Of everything we test for I believe Nitrates are the most misunderstood and /or what we know the least about. I've read a few college studies that dealt with Nitrate poisoning in fish. Their Nitrates are read on a different scale then our test kits read. Don't quote me on this but their 100ppm Nitrate reading would equal something like 1000ppm with our kits. I've wondered if this is where our thoughts on Nitrates come from.

[@bigrayray74]

A lot of people say 40 ppm is a safe level but it comes out that from my tap. I just do my weekly water changes and everyone's happy.

[@Ragehol]

I read from aquariumscience in the article Safe Nitrate Levels and heard from people like Dan Hiteshaw at everyday fishkeeping on youtube that nitrate PPMs can be in the hundreds for most freshwater adult fish and it doesn't really seem to seriously harm them so forget about it killing them. They discussed where you can find 21st century experiments on this issue that seem to show incredible things about freshwater aquarium fish nitrate tolerance compared to the 40/80 ppm mantra that water treatment companies got us hooked on. Maybe instead of worrying at 40, people could start worrying about 400. Yeah, 400! I barely believe it myself but it could be true! Adult cichilds seem to be some of the most resilient fish to nitrate levels and could likely tolerate nitrate ppms well over 1000. If that is true, we might be doing 10 times the water changes or more than we need to chasing this 40 ppm number.

[@AndrewSparkfish]

Another great informative video. Music was a tad louder than usual which became irritating.....for me anyway.

[@BenOchart]

Thank you and I agree on the music.

[@knowsbeans]

I always understood nitrates to be like smoking cigarettes. It’s not gonna kill you right away but isn’t good for the long term. Definitely not an acute emergency like ammonia

[@phillipamond3317]

I chnaged my subscape of a two year old reef tank from black to live white sand. Going trough a small diatom right now and begun sucking it up as it shows up. Not sue if that raised my nitrates to 70 ppm of not but that is where they are. Cut back feeding a little and unstall a claisea 5000 and cheato refergium but the choeto doesn't seem to reduce any nitrates as advertised after 2 months. Phosphates at 10 and all other numbers good. What I can't figure out is way stoney corals slowy die, touches, hammers etc. Anyhow, after years now still learning and enjoying the success I have had with most fish and corals.

[@BenOchart]

Part of the fun is all the new challenges we have to learn about and overcome.

[@aquariumhacksbymarcus5653]

Very true when I had a mbuna tank my nitrates was always high 40-60 ppm sometimes 80 ppm if I missed a water change never lost one fish now some fish might truly be more sensitive but most fish we keep can handle a lot higher nitrates than what we think

[@bonnieeden228]

Hi Ben I have many nano tanks. I change water and vac twice a week. I have some plants in some tanks abs when using Easy Green fertilizer for my plants the nitrates went up high. I keep my nitrates in low end and use root tabs in my plants now. Never use Easy Green again as I found my bettas were stressed. You have huge tanks and can manage your tanks without as much worry regarding nitrates. I find the smell tanks need more water changes and vac Great info though for those who have large tanks. Have a great holiday season.

[@yalarosae]

The owner of Aquarium Co-op Cory has stated on his blog that he believes that a planted tank should have 40ppm nitrate and encourages the use of easy green to bring it up, so it makes sense that your nitrates shot up. Planted tanks always will need a little but at the end its dependent on the fish you have and the set up, stability over number

[@mauricematla8379]

In the meanwhile as a planted tank nutter i find myself ADDING the stuff... To keep things going well

[@BenOchart]

It that in the form of plant food that includes nitrogen?

[@mauricematla8379]

@@BenOchart KNO3.

[@yalarosae]

My planted community tank gets 50% wayer changes every two weeks. Nitrate stays at 20ppm. It's stable and my tank is thriving. We don't talk about things like KH and GH that also have an effect on the mineral balance of the tank.

[@DanielMorris766126]

in regard's to planted tanks... contrary to popular belief - plants thrive mainly and remove ammonia and nitrite, they will consume some nitrate, however the plant must first convert nitrate in order to use it and plants are not very efficient removing nitrate. the main reason you may have lower nitrate is because your plants have reduced the ammonia and nitrite thus producing less nitrate.

[@redlion6505]

Thanks Ben. My Cichlids love this info

[@atfinthehouse8631]

Over 56 years here of fish keeping. Innumerable species. Bred many. Rarely if ever check nitrates. It makes no difference if your water looks clean, you change water and do filters service regularly then you don’t need to worry. Temperature in freshwater is major issue. In saltwater you need stable salinity, temp and pH.

[@razinfishes1918]

Show me the money!!! Haha great video. I think you speak the truth. Although tank maintenance is a requirement for a good fish keeper, businesses want to make money, I get it. New fish keepers can easily fall into the trap that, I got gotta have this and that and this other thing or all my fish die. I think experience and research are key to becoming a better fish keeper. And remember if we don't fail sometimes we will never get better. Failure is just a lesson for future success.

[@alejandrolisdero4531]

NitrAtes test is the way to measure the acumulation of elements that are not good for the fish. And nitrAte test also indicate the need of adding elements that fish need to live. There are 15 advanced elements we don't test. Some need to be replenished and some need to be taken out. Two examples: 1- TDS is a test for total dissolved solids. They increase over time, usually same as nitrAtes. 2- Minerals are consumed by fish and beneficial bacteria. 😀👍🏻

[@medkow7415]

But what is in the TDS you're testing for. It's just a bunch something that nobody ever knows what that something is.

[@BenOchart]

These days my water changes are more for mineral replacement than nitrate reduction. Minerals eventually settle and are no longer available to the fish. Water changes replenish those vital minerals.

[@John-bx9re]

Yet another great video. I agree 100%.

[@Lonewolfblue66]

And as for lighting, the Fluval Planted 3.0 running 13 hours a day. First 3 hours is ramping up, and last 3 hours is ramping down, the rest of the time is full blast on all colors except blue. Blue only at 5%. All other colors 100%.

[@terrygorsch386]

Right on 👍🤓🐠🎸

[@awesomenesss]

100 % fact revealing information.

[@Curtis.StMartin]

I worry more about TDS I've had as high as nearly 600 before my nitrates have gotten to 60 and about all I add is food & some calcium because nearly every tank I have has Mystery Snails. Depending on the tank I can go 2 weeks to a month between water changes using a combination of new RO & tap water. My TDS out of my tap is 170.

[@davidsenger7694]

What I do to get a complete cycle is I don't touch my aquariums substrate for 6 months. That's with fish but only a few and regular water changes

[@jzan8616]

Great follow up video to the survey about filter maintenance. Enjoying the content. Your female Nicaraguan needs a mate! The males, though very aggressive, they become beautiful in a totally different way then females.

[@djl9154]

Nitrate is typically a problem in drinking water for young children above 10mg /l. Dealing a lot with water quality criteria in PA, there is no aquatic criteria in the state. Not to say that high concentrations of nitrates can cause an issue for some species. Also to treat for nitrates typically requires anaerobic conditions along with a carbon source. So Ben is correct on all accounts.

[@RaulsAquaticsandReptiles]

🔥🔥

[@gunnerneikoify]

OK, here's the deal on Discus. I have a 250 gallon filled with 28 WILD CAUGHT Discus, about or around 40-50 Rummy Nose, 7 larger Misc Angels in the 4" range, about 8 Corys, 1 Brittle Nose and 10-15 Ottos. I do a once every other week 50-75% water change and my nitrates are always hovering around the 50-60 ppm range. I've had that tank up and running with those fish in it for almost three years without a problem at all. Coincidence?, I don't think so with 28 Discus staying alive, brilliantly colored and healthy for that long. Same goes for my pair of 125's that have 10 Discus in one and 12 in the other. Although those Discus were all domestic bred and raised. Here's the best part, I do my water changes straight from my tap, no RO no aged water etc etc that all these "so called" experts say you have to use if you want to keep Discus. Water changes straight from the tap once every other week dosed with either Prime or Safe and all is good for my Discus. My problem is, my tap water where I live is crap and exits the faucet with 20+ ppm nitrates already in it. Almost all fish are highly adaptable to higher nitrate levels with a few exceptions. Heck, there's been times my Discus tanks were as high as 80+ ppm nitrates and the fish were fine. My community tanks are HEAVILY stocked and are always in the 60-70 ppm range with zero ill effects on the fish. Same as with my Discus tanks, all the community tanks get a every other week 50-75% water change straight from the tap. Sometimes I'll do water changes sooner if the nitrates are pushing the 90-100 ppm envelope, just to be on the safe side. But yeah, all the BS talk about watching your nitrates, and OMG don't let your nitrates get above 30-40ppm is just that, BS, for most fish.

[@BenOchart]

This is very interesting, especially considering the wild caught discus. Have you found live plants to make a difference with nitrates?

[@gunnerneikoify]

@@BenOchart I have no live plants in my Discus tanks, none, just artificial. Here's another thing I just thought of though....Discus are "supposed" to require SOFT slightly more ACIDIC water to stay happy and healthy, especially wild caught strains. That being said, I guess my water would be considered "soft" as I have a whole house water softening system in place but have never tested the GH to see where it's at, but as for the acidity, a water softening system does nothing for that and the PH in all my tanks is always 8.4 or higher than what the API test kits high range PH test even goes too.

[@gunnerneikoify]

@@BenOchart It's all about acclimation in my opinion. And my belief is that "most" fish have a much higher acclimation ability that most people give them credit for.

[@gunnerneikoify]

@@BenOchart Ben, I have zero plants in my Discus tanks. I have 5 other community tanks that are planted and yes, I can say that the nitrate levels in those individual tanks are slightly lower than what it is in all my other tanks by around 20ppm. Another thing I was just thinking about when it comes to my Discus tanks is that according to the "experts", Discus, especially the wild caught strains, require SOFT and more ACIDIC water. Well I'm assuming my water is soft since I have a whole house water softening system but have never tested the GH just to see how soft the water really is. But a water softening system does nothing for the PH and the PH in all my tanks is always at 8.4ppm or higher than what the API test kits high range PH test will even measure!!! So yeah, my Discus are swimming around happy and healthy as can be in very very alkaline water.

[@mcaquatics3143]

i kinda think that its a follow the money deal. i have many tanks, most the nitrates are around 20 ppm, BUT i have one tank that its well over 80 and the fish show no signs of stress they are breeding happy and healthy ive added new fish to it as well with no loss, theres a channel here on youtube where hes keeping discus in a tank with well over 80 ppm nitrates and they are doing great.

[@BenOchart]

Interesting. Do you happen to know the name of that channel?

[@badhands5604]

The channels name is "Everyday Fishkeeping". He also has videos about falsely beating up on nitrates

[@hellrazor2050]

sound advice have had nitrates up to 160+ ppm before (was a 3 week trip away friend feeding in my defence) brought them down slowly with water changes ,But the fish were fine, The parameters that need most attention and you should be chasing are 0 ammonia 0 Nitrite and a stable PH

[@suenosdeltanganyika]

hi Ben I think that nitrates is one of the elements that we can measure, but it is not the only one for which we have to change water. I do not use commercial conditioners, sodium thiosulfate or vitamin c

[@TheSalient1]

Then how do you de chlorinate ur water during water changes?

[@TheSalient1]

Reverse osmosis ?

[@suenosdeltanganyika]

@@TheSalient1 for a year I have been using sodium thiosulphate, it is very cheap. now i am trying vitamin c. 0 problems.

[@41keystar14]

I have borrowing fish that help to stir up the substate that eliminate the need to vacuum it. I do not get a build up of detritus. However I do get the benefit of anaerobic bacteria. ( banjo catfish)I have a Fine sand on the bottom and fluval stratum on top in a planted tank

[@badger3044]

In my experience with my freshwater motoro Stingray she was all by herself in a 220 gallon extra high and I fed the absolute hell out of her one of the most fun fish to feed especially by hand, this thing was very wasteful it was almost like having an Oscar as far as how they can mess up your tank my parts per million shot up to 90 on a regular basis and it never affected the stingray one bit not coloration not diet not activity, I just stayed up on my water changes once a week and that Stingray went from a 3-inch disc to a 24 inch disc in exactly one year, so in my experience with nitrates with my Stingray it didn't matter one bit how high they got

[@UncalBertExcretes]

Some fish may be more sensitive to nitrate than others its not the worst compound in the world but nitrate in high enough quantities can cause bowel cancer in humans so no doubt its no good for our fish in high doses but the fish are not digesting it like us humans thats why they reccomend to not eat too much red meats especially ham and bacon as these meats have nitrate injected into them to give a more appealing red colour, otherwise bacon and ham would look grey and unappealing in its natural form, but one thing I know for sure is that goldfish and koi carp can handle hella nitrate, they reccomend never let it rise above 40ppm but Ive had it at well over 300ppm in my tank fish seemed normal. But since adding the bio home filter media my nitrate sits at a steady 50ppm after it colonised the anerobic bacteria.

[@BenOchart]

Had a nitrate free ham for Thanksgiving. Best ham I ever had. Thanks for watching and the great comment.

[@danmedina383]

Hi Ben, quick question: Does it matter whether you do water changes in the morning or at night? Can the fish be harmed by a night time water change? Thank you!

[@bigrayray74]

There has been many times I have did midnight water changes with no ill effect.

[@relicthominoid]

Might scare them if you're doing it with lights off? Then again some get scared during wc's either way so it's probably perfectly fine tbh.

[@BenOchart]

I have seen no difference. When it’s extremely cold, below freezing, it might be harder to get that water warm enough but otherwise no difference.

[@justinrvarga7236]

It’s hit and miss. I’ve tried seachems de nitrate, nitra zorb, aqyaforests zeo mix. Nothing beats plants and thorough water changes and filter/sump maintenance.

[@charlessloop1552]

If you were to test my tank I bet it would top the charts. I have a 55 gallon I would say moderate to high stocking running 2 canisters filters on it that could each handle the tank separate. No plants due to the fish in the tank and no water changes in probably close to 6 months or so with no deaths or stressed fish, just top of the tank from evaporation but doing a large water change this weekend cause I am changing the decor. Also I have a article that I read that shows that there is almost 0 chance of completing the cycle in a aquarium at home and the very large aquarium like the shed or the one in Atlanta would struggle to do it because we simply can’t recreate what GOD has made and scale it down properly to fit our tanks

[@darrelc5411]

I think people get the misconception about nitrates from the freshwater vs saltwater talk. Nitrates are not super bad in freshwater as they are in saltwater, especially in a marine invertebrates tank.

[@russellturner579]

I do 500 gallon water change once week is heave job but got do it

[@Jayr2374]

Water changes are only solution besides plants

[@stevenduncan1042]

What products are you referring to that these companies use to reduce nitrates? Wouldn’t the only cause of this be that we do more water changes, which wouldn’t make any of these companies money?

[@BenOchart]

It’s the routine adding of conditioner during water changes that makes them $$$. If I can scare you into more water changes than you need because you think the fish will suffer above 20ppm NO3, then you’re going to buy a lot more water conditioner.

[@bryanprather783]

So the nitrogen cycle isn't complete?

[@memeguyTM]

I also don't worry about these readings like it's been marketed on KZbin these days. People are striving for scientific conditions yet fish don't need that.

[@unclejohnieplays5651]

I’ve had up to 220 in my tetra tank 70 in a 55 they were fine

[@catfishcave379]

Nitrate numbers are very overrated. I know they are too high when I get algae in my non planted tanks.

[@frankiefingerz8047]

I notice people that cry about nitrates is all the people w overstocked tanks This is too common among af cich keepers dont get so many fish prob solved My nitrates r always 5-10 ppm 90 gal 2 sunsun 704b’s filter maint every 4 mos water change every 3 weex 12-15 4-6” fish no probs w nitrates

[@GaZaGaMer1876]

Great video Ben and honestly I never really chased nitrate plus seachem matrix will help reduce nitrate but I still do my water change

[@Vikingsroar]

I panicked when the nitrates in my new 2ft tank spiked during the first week..so I added Seachem Prime and did 25% water change daily ..now it has settled to 5ppm.. some products are worth investing in if it gives us hobbyists peace of mind ..water 🌊 changes and these product cures go hand in hand

[@BenOchart]

You have to have that peace of mind and do what gives that to you with your tank.

[@fishlove1854]

Here's one for you when I was a kid I knew little about fish care I had a Oscar that I grew out and never did 1 water change and he did just fine I do water changes now because I believe fresh water is good for the fish flush that toilet👊

[@mikech60]

Like you said, too much Seachem promotions, there is NO scientific test proof of what level nitrate is harmful to what type of cichlid, it is all based on a hunch. Look at the video and write up on Goliad farms, the owner doesn't do water changes in his farm, only circulate water thru his plants and add water. His fishes are big and beautiful.

[@danielbarrett6026]

👍

[@greygoose117]

My africans seem to color up and breed better with a little bit higher nitrates

[@BenOchart]

Now that’s quite interesting!

[@greygoose117]

@@BenOchart for sure. I have a trio of iceberg fryeri in a 75 and about 10 deep water haps in a 90, both tanks side by side, same filtration on both, an fx4, aquaclear 110 and a huge sponge filter, 90 gallon has sand, 75 has Carib sea eco complete mix, I haven’t done a water change on them probably in a month or so and they breed like crazy! Kinda wish they’d chill out for a while so I can catch up on where to put all the fry 😂

[@plushpossum]

I have to disagree. Nitrates are the byproduct of the Nitrogen Cycle. The only way to remove them is by changing water, which doesn't cost anything. So that doesn't benefit any companies selling filters or media. When my nitrates get over 40ppm I do a water change. Not getting rid of Nitrates will lead to "Old tank syndrome". While your fish my get used to the high nitrates, any fish you add may get sick (or even die!).

[@BenOchart]

The point is at which point do nitrates truly become dangerous? And when you consider that with every water change water conditioner is used, yes it costs money and makes money for the makers of water conditioner.

[@barryjames3747]

what's with the music?

[@FishCow]

I dislike "Creeping Nitrates" - they really can't be trusted.

[@iHeartOiSkanks]

Caveman aquatics

[@BenOchart]

🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️

[@DanielMorris766126]

I do like and have watched a handful of your videos. FYI I am 100% disabled, I did online research for 3-4 years before buying my first tank. I have literally done 10's of thousands of hours of research. (most online info is BS) and tons of bad info on KZbin and Facebook groups, as a result, I killed a hell of a lot of fish. I now have 13 tanks and 2 ponds over 200 fish and 3 turtles. I am on a fixed income so I cant afford the biohome scam or all these high price products. basically only chemicals I buy is prime, api general cure and PraziPro. as I stated earlier, natural unpolluted bodies of water do not have measurable nitrate, I tested the lake water near my home and I found 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate and a PH of 7. we really can not replicate this in glass boxes, this is why we do water changes. if your nitrates were not an issue, other than remineralization, why would we change water?

[@derekellisCAN]

I was reading an article about nitrates. These water tests test nitrates and the oxygen atoms attached to it. You are suppose to divide the nitrate number you get from the test by 4.4 and that's your actual nitrate level.

[@51inches]

HI BEN; TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN.....YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD....ITS ABSOLUTELY A SCARE TACTIC.

[@BenOchart]

Hello my friend. Us older guys are not that easy to sell🤣🤣🤣we understand that much of what is presented to us as “vital” Is just, in the end, a sales pitch. 😀👍🏻

[@American_King]

Ben I think you are right it all seems like a scam

[@lw7238]

I had fish long ago and I am getting back into it. I never had problems before and never did water changes ever. After watch YT videos for the last year I now have a fear of failure. I think I will stick to my old way of fish keeping. No goldfish, no large fish, and do not overpopulate the tank with too many fish. Also have real plants The only problems I ever had came from where I bought fish with a disease and didn't know it.

[@jimmynorton1001]

Very controversial view. I stopped checking my levels of the big three. You just know intuitively after a while.

[@BenOchart]

That’s the TRUTH.

[@josephtavares8178]

Been keeping ALL types of aquarium environments for forty Years.This passion is ripe with snake oil and misinformation.Use common sense.