The Importance of Removing Nitrates from Ponds

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The Importance of Removing Nitrates from Ponds

Posted On : Aug-31-2010 | seen (987) times | Article Word Count : 495 |

Nitrates are most of the time overlooked by most pond owners. What they do not know is that they can cause a lot of problems if not taken care of. Luckily, there are a lot ways to eliminate these unwanted elements from the pond.

Most pond hobbyists tend to just stick to the end results of the nitrification process done by unpredictable beneficial bacteria. They focus too much on the eradication of ammonia and nitrites in the pond. Because of this, the production of nitrite elements is disregarded in most cases. It is important to know that unwarranted amounts of nitrates can essentially be a cause of a few fish illnesses.
Nitrates are commonly used by plants as their source of nutrients in the form of food. Plant-like organisms like algae and weeds partially depend on nitrates which resulted from the nitrification process. Hence, algae blooms and blanket weed development can be linked to the nitrates in the pond.
If the nitrates in the pond are controlled, the growth of algae can also be controlled. Small amounts of these organisms can actually be helpful to the balance and stability of the pond. Little amounts of nitrate can mean tolerable amount of algae for fish to leaf through.
Bacteria play very important roles in pond maintenance. Aside from the nitrification and filtration processes the do, they can also play a part in the eradication of too much nitrates in the pond. This is called the denitrification process—the breaking down of nitrates into nitrogen gas.
However the denitrification process appears, it is in reality easier said than done. It involves two complicated steps such as converting nitrate back into nitrite making the nitrification process seem useless. The other step is converting nitrites into three various gas types which are nitric oxide, nitrous oxide and nitrogen gas.
Building a denitrifying filtration system in fish ponds is more complicated than in aquariums. Surreal as it may be, a large denitrifier is needed in order to keep the nitrates in the pond in their tolerable amount. A stable organic carbon source is also needed to keep the effect of denitrification process. It is indeed difficult as it may seem.
Aside from the nitrification process, nitrates in the pond can also come from other sources which if avoided can contribute to the diminution of nitrates and thus less harm for the fish in the pond. Among the sources are:
1. Excess fish food
2. Fish feces
3. Fertilizer run-off
4. Decaying aquatic plants and animals
5. Overcrowding of fish
Nitrate build-up can be controlled if these things are monitored and kept in balance. The levels of nitrates should regularly be checked before they are converted to harmful forms. If you are out if choices and the use of chemical products is your only preference, be sure to keep the track of the toxicity of the chemicals you choose to use.
Pond keepers are very lucky to have a wide array of options to eliminate the nitrates in the pond. The easiest and simplest however, is not actually one of the choices. It is a part of the responsibilities of a pond owner. Regularly changing the water in the pond can lessen the problems that nitrates give.

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<h1>The Importance of Removing Nitrates from Ponds</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_lara davidson.aspx'>lara davidson</a> Most pond hobbyists tend to just stick to the end results of the nitrification process done by unpredictable beneficial bacteria. They focus too much on the eradication of ammonia and nitrites in the pond. Because of this, the production of nitrite elements is disregarded in most cases. It is important to know that unwarranted amounts of nitrates can essentially be a cause of a few fish illnesses.
Nitrates are commonly used by plants as their source of nutrients in the form of food. Plant-like organisms like algae and weeds partially depend on nitrates which resulted from the nitrification process. Hence, algae blooms and blanket weed development can be linked to the nitrates in the pond.
If the nitrates in the pond are controlled, the growth of algae can also be controlled. Small amounts of these organisms can actually be helpful to the balance and stability of the pond. Little amounts of nitrate can mean tolerable amount of algae for fish to leaf through.
Bacteria play very important roles in pond maintenance. Aside from the nitrification and filtration processes the do, they can also play a part in the eradication of too much nitrates in the pond. This is called the denitrification process—the breaking down of nitrates into nitrogen gas.
However the denitrification process appears, it is in reality easier said than done. It involves two complicated steps such as converting nitrate back into nitrite making the nitrification process seem useless. The other step is converting nitrites into three various gas types which are nitric oxide, nitrous oxide and nitrogen gas.
Building a denitrifying filtration system in fish ponds is more complicated than in aquariums. Surreal as it may be, a large denitrifier is needed in order to keep the nitrates in the pond in their tolerable amount. A stable organic carbon source is also needed to keep the effect of denitrification process. It is indeed difficult as it may seem.
Aside from the nitrification process, nitrates in the pond can also come from other sources which if avoided can contribute to the diminution of nitrates and thus less harm for the fish in the pond. Among the sources are:
1.	Excess fish food
2.	Fish feces
3.	Fertilizer run-off
4.	Decaying aquatic plants and animals
5.	Overcrowding of fish
Nitrate build-up can be controlled if these things are monitored and kept in balance. The levels of nitrates should regularly be checked before they are converted to harmful forms. If you are out if choices and the use of chemical products is your only preference, be sure to keep the track of the toxicity of the chemicals you choose to use.
Pond keepers are very lucky to have a wide array of options to eliminate the nitrates in the pond. The easiest and simplest however, is not actually one of the choices. It is a part of the responsibilities of a pond owner. Regularly changing the water in the pond can lessen the problems that nitrates give.

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Keywords : water treatment products, nitrates in ponds, removing nitrates,

Category : Reference and Education : Environmental

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