Nitrate help

[nate]

The other day i was testing my water and i noticed the nitrate level was at an extremly dangerous 8 0. i changed the water, nothing happened. I have a fairly new tank so i have been laying off the water changes to get it into a balance, but i changed it once more a little later, not wanting to change too much at one time. It went down slightly. I just recently added a new plant, will this help? what are the ideal conditions as far as nitrate levels are concerned and how can you achieve them and keep them that way? thanks.

 

[nate]

One more thing, my fish seem to be doing alright when the nitrate was high but they seemed sluggish and hung out around the one top corner farthest from the filter.

 

[reefrunner69]

Did you mean nitrite? I do not believe nitrate levels of 0ppm are dangerous to fish. It may cause some undue stress, but it would be very minor. Any nitrite levels should be considered dangerous though. The plant may or may not help. If your set up is conducive to the plants growth, it will reduce your ammonia levels which in essence reduces the nitrite and nitrate levels. If it is not conducive to the plants growth it will not do anything to reduce any levels in the tank and may contribute to the problem.