As many of you probably know, it is critical to track your water quality in order to keep the trout alive. Now is the time to be extra cautious because the trout are growing, eating more food, and producing more waste. As a reminder, I wanted to lend some insightful information about the ammonia and nitrification processes and how to deal with these deadly elements in your tank.
As in all environments, waste needs to be broken down and either eliminated or turned into something which can be utilized by another organism. In an aquarium, there is a population of bacteria that is responsible for this process. The breakdown of nitrogenous waste is a four-part process:
- First, the waste from fish, plants, and food breaks down and releases ammonia.
- This ammonia is very toxic to fish and is converted to nitrite by nitrifying bacteria.
- Nitrite is also toxic to fish, and is converted to nitrate once again by beneficial nitrifying bacteria.
- Nitrate is not nearly as toxic, and is used by plants or algae to help them grow. However, most schools are not growing plants so the nitrates just increase in the tank.
Because high levels of ammonia and nitrite are lethal for fish, it is critical that these products be efficiently removed or converted to nitrate. Nitrate, nitrite and ammonia can be removed through weekly water changes and removal of debris and dead fish.
Information from: https://www.liveaquaria.com/article/62/?aid=62
We aim to keep our readings at the following levels:
Ammonia: 0-.25ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0-100ppm
Temp: 52-54 degrees Fahrenheit
pH: 7-8.3
Nebraska Trout in the Classroom 