Nitrates effects on fish - discussion

[zhuls1]

I have came across and thought I would share this article - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15667845. So, it seems that nitrate poisoning is basically a lack of oxygen carrying. Could it be that the lack of oxygen is what stunts discus rather than being bacterial? Could it be a combination of both of these things? That would also be a valid explanation of people buying discus and than they die shortly afterwards. Maybe they are basically just slowly suffocating?

Everybodys thoughts are welcome and appreciated, but I think it would be nice if we could get a response from al as he is a biologist. I also know a marine biologist who I might discus it with later.

[zhuls1]

"On the other hand, in
marine aquaria and aquaculture systems, where water
is recirculating with good oxygenation, nitrate concentrations
can approach values of 500 mg NO3-N/l"
https://www.golias.net/akvaristika/d...%20animals.pdf
Could alot of aeration be a replacement for extremely frequent waterchanges? Curious, any one found a correlation between heavy aeration and healthy discus?

[zhuls1]

Perhaps the cause of dieing / stunted discus is a reduced hemaglobin count due to high nitrates, causing the discus to have less oxygen in their system. maybe this than leaves them vulnerable with a weakened immune system allowing a bacterial or parasitic infection to ultimately lead to their demise.

[zhuls1]

If low hemoglobin is an issue, could folic acids help rectify it? maybe we need to feed more spinach?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21913500
2mg would be like 7 - 8 cups of spinach per kg

[White Worm]

yes, I believe there is a correlation between deaths and lack of oxygen in the water. Especially during large water changes from tap. It is more likely the dissolved gasses trapped in the lines. That's why it is a good idea to age/aerate water for 24 hours and treat with conditioner.