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  • Results 1 to 8 of 8

    Thread: How to lower nitrite levels

    1. #1
      Leif is offline Member
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      How to lower nitrite levels

      What is the best way to lower the level of nitrites in the pond?

      Thanks!
      -Leif

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    2. #2
      vipldy's Avatar
      vipldy is offline The Fish Whisperer
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      Quote Originally Posted by Leif View Post
      What is the best way to lower the level of nitrites in the pond?

      Thanks!
      -Leif

      Water changes and salt will help to protect them.Salt is known to protect fish from nitrites. The percentage of salt in this case is.15%. When adding fish to a pond or q-tank pay attention to ammonia and nitrites!

      What is your Nitrite reading?
      Marie

      Have You Hugged Your Koi Today Ruby's Keeper

    3. #3
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      Marie, do you use .15% regardless of how high the nitrites read?
      Mary

    4. #4
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      Quote Originally Posted by graybird99 View Post
      Marie, do you use .15% regardless of how high the nitrites read?
      Yes we do..
      Marie

      Have You Hugged Your Koi Today Ruby's Keeper

    5. #5
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      there are products out there that claim to remove nitrites, but never seen any hard proof they work. Water changes to remove nitrites and salt to protect the fish is the best if you ask me.

    6. #6
      Roddy Conrad's Avatar
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      Nitrites have to remain very high for a very long time to do any significant health damage to the fish. A salt level of 0.15% is much more than adequate to protect the fish from very high nitrite levels for weeks or months.

      If water is changed to reduce nitrite levels, then there is not enough nitrite to cycle the filter, and high nitiite levels last even longer.

      The best approach is to NOT change water to reduce nitrites, use some salt to protect the fish, and wait the 6 to 8 weeks for a normal filter to cycle for nitrite removal.
      Last edited by Roddy Conrad; 01-18-2009 at 04:54 PM.

    7. #7
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      Some additional info ..

      There has been a lot of discussion lately about salt and nitrite. The general invalid assertion I am discussing is that with
      salt, fish can be kept alive indefinitely. I will attempt to add a little perspective to the subject.
      First off, the koi has to pick up lost salts from its environment, as the koi has to maintain a balance of 0.9 % salt solution
      in its body fluids (this is the equivalent of 1.5 ounces salt per imp gallon). The koi will be continually losing salt by
      diffusion across the gill lamellae.


      DIFFUSION


      Diffusion occurs with a solute (in this case salt) migrating from a higher to a lower concentration in an attempt to equalize
      the concentration. Once equalization is achieved, diffusion ceases. In the case of the koi, diffusion ceases when the
      0.9% internal concentration equals the outside ambient salt concentration. As the external salt concentration should
      never be more than 0.3% on a permanent basis, and even this high figure of 0.3% is contentious, It is easy to see that
      the koi is continually losing essential body salt. So, the koi must pick up salt/chloride, which it gets from background
      salt levels in the pond water. Again, diffusion occurs across the gill lamellae via special cells, called columnar cells.
      These cells actively seek out chloride ions; they also work against the concentration gradient, depositing the chloride ions
      in the blood stream (i.e., from a low concentration to higher one).

      The problem is that these cells although actively seek chloride ion’s, they are not that selective in what they pick up;
      hence, they will pick up NO2 (nitrite) ions. So, what do we do if we have nitrite ions present? We simply out-number the
      nitrite ions with chloride ions. The common statement about chloride ions competing with nitrite ions for entry to the gill
      whilst gets the point across, is perhaps a poor choice of words in this instance, as it implies that there is some direct
      conflict/ battle between the two ions taking place, the answer is far from being that complex,
      If we achieve a ten to one salt to nitrite ratio in the pond water, the gill still has a ten to one chance of picking up a nitrite ion, which will occur if one comes into range of these special columnar cells in the gill.
      An explanation?
      Imagine you have a bag with 100 balls and 50% represent nitrite ions and the other 50% chloride ions, you have a
      50/50 chance of picking up either a nitrite or chloride ion. Imagine the same mixture, but now the bag has 99 chloride balls
      and only one nitrite ball, there is a one hundred to one probability of picking up a nitrite ion. Salt does nothing to alter
      the toxicity of nitrite, we as koi keepers, just lessen the impact of nitrite by out-numbering the NO2 ions with the addition
      of salt. The koi will still diffuse NO2 ions as they come into range of the gill columnar cells.

      Nitrite Toxicity (how is nitrite toxic?)
      If the nitrite ions enter the blood stream, it oxidizes the hemoglobin to form methemoglobin - methemoglobin is absolutely
      useless as an oxygen carrier. A hemoglobin molecule contains four sub-groups (haem- groups) also each haem- contains
      ferrous iron, which gives the blood its red color and is also responsible for carrying oxygen. Each hemoglobin molecule
      can carry a maximum of four oxygen molecules, or up to 70% of the amount of O2 held in simple solution in its
      environmental pond water at any given O2 saturation. When a hemoglobin molecule is exposed to nitrite, its ferrous
      iron is oxidized by the Nitrite to form ferric iron. This not only changes the bloods color from red to brown
      (brown blood disease), but it also alters the haemoglobin’s affinity for attracting oxygen and further is incapable
      of oxygen transport.
      The hemoglobin molecule is now known as Methaemoglobin, and this is the prime explanation for the toxicity of
      Methaemoglobin. Once this happens, the hemoglobin molecule is finished, no amount of salt will repair this damage until
      it is de-selected by the spleen and recycled to form new haemoglobin, but replacement by the spleen and kidney has
      its own problems, because oxygen transport is now deficient – system’s which drive the
      spleen and kidney to replace haemoglobin will detect this deficiency in Haemoglobin/oxygen, and will go into overdrive producing extra hemoglobin
      to pull back the shortfall. The spleen/kidney cannot indefinitely produce excess hemoglobin if further nitrite poisoning
      persists.
      As haemoglobin production resources are used up by continual over production of haemoglobin, the fish will soon
      die of anemia, indicated by pale pink gills.
      Also, note that chloramine does the exact same thing to hemoglobin as nitrite (oxidizes it to form methemoglobin),
      which is a good a reason for not running low-level NO2 readings (No2 levels should be zero (un-measurable)).

      Another Phenomena that will alter the bloods affinity for attracting O2 and the carrying mechanism of o2, are a very low
      or acidic pond water ph.
      As an acidic environmental change in the blood chemistry is essentially the haemoglobin’s cue to off load newly acquired
      o2 into the body tissue and to acquire spent O2 in the form of CO2 carbon dioxide and H2CO3 carbonic acid for exchange
      at the gill.
      The spent oxygen in the tissue forms carbon dioxide, which in turn dissolves into fluid in the tissue as carbonic acid,
      thus lowering the body fluid Ph at this point, which, is the cue for the haemoglobin to release to O2 and pick up
      the CO2. On arrival at the gill if the haemoglobin is not met by a slight rise in ph the haemoglobin will want to hang on
      to the CO2 and not exchange it for O2 to continue the cycle.

      Why do koi die continually from nitrite poisoning?
      The above explanation is why a higher chloride to nitrite ratio or at least as high as is safe and practical, demonstrates
      why It is believed a 10 to 1 ratio is at best better than nothing but less than adequate, as this concentration will be
      found in most domestic water supplies,
      And why continual low level nitrite will have a detrimental effect on the long term health of the koi A 0.3% saline solution
      - is much easier on the fish short term. Also, it’s very important to get to the root of the problem to eliminate nitrite
      (or chloramine) in the pond. Otherwise, sooner or later you will pay the price with dead fish.
      http://www.koiquest.co.uk/nitrite.htm

    8. #8
      Leif is offline Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by vipldy View Post
      Water changes and salt will help to protect them.Salt is known to protect fish from nitrites. The percentage of salt in this case is.15%. When adding fish to a pond or q-tank pay attention to ammonia and nitrites!

      What is your Nitrite reading?
      According to the test strips I was using, it indicated it was at the 'stress' level (no number associated with it). I've ordered a new test kit and will be using it as soon as it arrives.

      How do you measure the amount of salt in the water to ensure that you get the right value?

      Thanks,
      -Leif

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