Koi Pond Nitrite Levels, Pond Water Quality

High nitrite levels can result in a condition known as brown blood disease.

Koi fish pond in backyard. You may notice fish gasping at the pond surface or hanging near air stones. I originally ran a sieve and eb60 bead filter but as i was struggling i added a shower with 40 litres of csm which i hoped would help. The ideal range for nitrite is 000 parts per million.

Test the level of nitrates in the water using a nitrate testing kit. Bacteria convert the ammonia into less toxic nitrates but its crucial to keep levels in check to prevent algae overgrowth and eventual illness. The best way to control high nitrate levels in your pond.

At levels below 80 ppm nitrates are not a problem. Been doing 10 water changes for the last few weeks but did neglect over the winter. Before you start treating the water for nitrates.

The pond is 12k litres and i dont feed heavily. How nitrite is metabolized. Stage three converting nitrite to nitrate.

Every koi keeper should own a simple test kit to test the water quality of their pond water. Nitrates are the last chemical produced in the nitrification cycle. The result might be ammonia a compound that has nitrogen as a key element.

Nitrite is a naturally occurring chemical in your aquarium and is created through the breakdown of ammonia by bacteria in your pond as part of the nitrogen cycle. High nitrite levels can cause irreversible damage to your fishs liver spleen nervous system and cause kidney damage. As the ammonia in the water begins to reduce the secondary break down product nitrite will begin to increase and this is also very poisonous to fish.

Nitrite is a skin irritant and will cause the fish to display symptoms of irritability such as rubbing themselves jumping or even skimming across the surface of the pond. In most ponds they are consumed by the algae in the pond well before they kill the fish. The more fish you have in your koi pond the more nitrates will wind up in the water.

High nitrite levels will hamper a kois red blood cells from absorbing and moving oxygen through the body. A reading of 025 ppm or higher is dangerous to your fish and indicates that you need to take immediate action to reduce the nitrite level in your koi pond. Have always struggled with nitrates since the pond went in 18 months ago.

They are relatively not toxic compared to ammonia and nitrites but can kill fish at levels over 300 ppm. Known as brown blood disease resulting from the combination of the hemoglobin and nitrite your koi will eventually suffocateeven in the presence of high oxygen concentrations. It is possible and inexpensive to reduce the levels of nitrates in a koi pond.

Organic matter discharges nitrogen as it decomposes in a pond.