PB_Smith
Aquarium Advice Addict
30 ppm of nitrate really isn't any big deal and very highly unlikely that is the cause of your fishes behavior.
I have had tanks with nitrate well beyond 100ppm and the fish displayed no symptoms whatsoever.
High nitrate over time has an effect on growth rate and life span and it would need to be well over 150ppm to cause such distress and probably over 200ppm to cause death.
remember for decades people kept fish with regimes that kept nitrates pretty high, more because of gaps in the science/understanding, but fish still lived and bred in those tanks.
Nitrate is probably the most worried over thing that has the least impact.
think parasites and stop worrying about the nitrate, it's fine.
edit:
ok, so it was parasites. good you found out.
I have had tanks with nitrate well beyond 100ppm and the fish displayed no symptoms whatsoever.
High nitrate over time has an effect on growth rate and life span and it would need to be well over 150ppm to cause such distress and probably over 200ppm to cause death.
remember for decades people kept fish with regimes that kept nitrates pretty high, more because of gaps in the science/understanding, but fish still lived and bred in those tanks.
Nitrate is probably the most worried over thing that has the least impact.
think parasites and stop worrying about the nitrate, it's fine.
edit:
ok, so it was parasites. good you found out.