Randy, nitrite question....

[Pandora]

In your article:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.php

Marine species are less susceptible to nitrite toxicity because chloride (at 19,350 ppm in seawater) outcompetes nitrite for the same uptake mechanisms.

I did not know about this diff between SW & FW toxicity, thanks.

At the same concentration for concentration, wouldn't nitrite still be more toxic than nitrate, which I've always understood to be relatively harmless to fish in both media?

Oops, meant to post in the Reef Chemistry forum, can someone please move it.

 

[smiller]

[moved]

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Well, with many fish being fine at hundreds of ppm nitrite, I'm not sure that it is much more toxic than nitrate. However, I've not seeen a lot of data on nitrate toxicity, and it certainly is possible that nitrate is a bit less toxic than nitrate.

 

[Pandora]

Thanks Randy. It was in the context of a newbie asking about what tests he should get, and a lot of ppl recommended no nitrite but should still get nitrate. So how about with corals, I'd still imagine nitrite would be more harmful than the other? Or not enough data?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I think the reason to not bother with nitrite is that it isn't an ongoing issue and doesn't build up the way nitrate can, not that it is necessarily less of a problem than nitrate at the same concentration. For example, established reef aquaria can have nitrate up to 100 ppm or more, but never does nitrite stay above 1 ppm in most aquaria.

 

[Pandora]

I was suspecting the same, since nitrite is kind of the "middle man" in the cycle. Thanks!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You're welcome.

Happy Reefing.