How toxic are nitrates in fresh water?

Nitrates (NO3-) are the last stage of ammonia oxidation before the nitrogen cycle is completed.

Nitrates have much less toxicity than nitrites (NO2-).

In acute conditions, they only constitute a problem at very high concentrations (of the order of several hundred mg/L). Unless you are the owner of a particularly neglected aquarium, lethal concentrations are not encountered.

In the long term (chronic), at moderate concentrations (greater than 50 mg/L), we can note effects on fish: reduction in growth, reproduction, vitality, increased susceptibility to diseases. However, the mechanism of nitrate toxicity is not currently sufficiently understood. We suspect the presence of areas operating in anoxia (in a poorly maintained filter for example) in which nitrates would be reduced to nitrites which are toxic at low doses. nitrates).

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