diff --git a/cmd/query/app/query_parser.go b/cmd/query/app/query_parser.go
index 7d835d04c2f..931c4d918cc 100644
--- a/cmd/query/app/query_parser.go
+++ b/cmd/query/app/query_parser.go
@@ -30,12 +30,14 @@ import (
 
 const (
 	defaultQueryLimit = 100
+	defaultSpansLimit = 10000
 
 	operationParam   = "operation"
 	tagParam         = "tag"
 	tagsParam        = "tags"
 	startTimeParam   = "start"
 	limitParam       = "limit"
+	limitSpansParam  = "limitSpans"
 	minDurationParam = "minDuration"
 	maxDurationParam = "maxDuration"
 	serviceParam     = "service"
@@ -105,6 +107,16 @@ func (p *queryParser) parse(r *http.Request) (*traceQueryParameters, error) {
 		limit = int(limitParsed)
 	}
 
+	limitSpansParam := r.FormValue(limitSpansParam)
+	limitSpans := defaultSpansLimit
+	if limitSpansParam != "" {
+		limitParsed, err := strconv.ParseInt(limitSpansParam, 10, 32)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		limitSpans = int(limitParsed)
+	}
+
 	minDuration, err := p.parseDuration(minDurationParam, r)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -137,6 +149,7 @@ func (p *queryParser) parse(r *http.Request) (*traceQueryParameters, error) {
 			StartTimeMax:  endTime,
 			Tags:          tags,
 			NumTraces:     limit,
+			NumSpans:      limitSpans,
 			DurationMin:   minDuration,
 			DurationMax:   maxDuration,
 		},
diff --git a/cmd/query/app/query_parser_test.go b/cmd/query/app/query_parser_test.go
index 09448851f8f..cd8e550aeb5 100644
--- a/cmd/query/app/query_parser_test.go
+++ b/cmd/query/app/query_parser_test.go
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ func TestParseTraceQuery(t *testing.T) {
 					StartTimeMin:  time.Unix(0, 0),
 					StartTimeMax:  time.Unix(0, 0),
 					NumTraces:     200,
+					NumSpans:      10000,
 					Tags:          map[string]string{"k": "v", "x": "y"},
 				},
 			},
@@ -68,6 +69,7 @@ func TestParseTraceQuery(t *testing.T) {
 					StartTimeMin:  time.Unix(0, 0),
 					StartTimeMax:  time.Unix(0, 0),
 					NumTraces:     200,
+					NumSpans:      10000,
 					Tags:          map[string]string{"k": "v", "x": "y"},
 				},
 			},
@@ -81,6 +83,7 @@ func TestParseTraceQuery(t *testing.T) {
 					StartTimeMin:  time.Unix(0, 0),
 					StartTimeMax:  time.Unix(0, 0),
 					NumTraces:     200,
+					NumSpans:      10000,
 					Tags:          map[string]string{"k": "v", "x": "y"},
 				},
 			},
@@ -93,6 +96,7 @@ func TestParseTraceQuery(t *testing.T) {
 					StartTimeMin:  time.Unix(0, 0),
 					StartTimeMax:  time.Unix(0, 0),
 					NumTraces:     200,
+					NumSpans:      10000,
 					DurationMin:   10 * time.Second,
 					DurationMax:   20 * time.Second,
 					Tags:          make(map[string]string),
@@ -107,6 +111,7 @@ func TestParseTraceQuery(t *testing.T) {
 					StartTimeMin:  time.Unix(0, 0),
 					StartTimeMax:  time.Unix(0, 0),
 					NumTraces:     200,
+					NumSpans:      10000,
 					DurationMin:   10 * time.Second,
 					Tags:          make(map[string]string),
 				},
@@ -117,6 +122,7 @@ func TestParseTraceQuery(t *testing.T) {
 			&traceQueryParameters{
 				TraceQueryParameters: spanstore.TraceQueryParameters{
 					NumTraces:    100,
+					NumSpans:     10000,
 					StartTimeMin: timeNow,
 					StartTimeMax: timeNow,
 					Tags:         make(map[string]string),
@@ -133,6 +139,7 @@ func TestParseTraceQuery(t *testing.T) {
 					StartTimeMin: time.Unix(0, 0),
 					StartTimeMax: time.Unix(0, 0),
 					NumTraces:    100,
+					NumSpans:     10000,
 					Tags:         make(map[string]string),
 				},
 				traceIDs: []model.TraceID{
diff --git a/plugin/storage/es/spanstore/reader.go b/plugin/storage/es/spanstore/reader.go
index 722e61c3ac6..ecfaec181ea 100644
--- a/plugin/storage/es/spanstore/reader.go
+++ b/plugin/storage/es/spanstore/reader.go
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ const (
 
 	defaultDocCount  = 10000 // the default elasticsearch allowed limit
 	defaultNumTraces = 100
+	defaultNumSpans  = 10000
 )
 
 var (
@@ -136,7 +137,7 @@ func (s *SpanReader) GetTrace(ctx context.Context, traceID model.TraceID) (*mode
 	span, ctx := opentracing.StartSpanFromContext(ctx, "GetTrace")
 	defer span.Finish()
 	currentTime := time.Now()
-	traces, err := s.multiRead(ctx, []string{traceID.String()}, currentTime.Add(-s.maxSpanAge), currentTime)
+	traces, err := s.multiRead(ctx, []string{traceID.String()}, currentTime.Add(-s.maxSpanAge), currentTime, defaultNumSpans)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -231,15 +232,14 @@ func (s *SpanReader) FindTraces(ctx context.Context, traceQuery *spanstore.Trace
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	return s.multiRead(ctx, uniqueTraceIDs, traceQuery.StartTimeMin, traceQuery.StartTimeMax)
+	return s.multiRead(ctx, uniqueTraceIDs, traceQuery.StartTimeMin, traceQuery.StartTimeMax, traceQuery.NumSpans)
 }
 
 func (s *SpanReader) FindTraceIDs(ctx context.Context, traceQuery *spanstore.TraceQueryParameters) ([]model.TraceID, error) {
 	return nil, errors.New("not implemented") // TODO: Implement
 }
 
-func (s *SpanReader) multiRead(ctx context.Context, traceIDs []string, startTime, endTime time.Time) ([]*model.Trace, error) {
-
+func (s *SpanReader) multiRead(ctx context.Context, traceIDs []string, startTime, endTime time.Time, numSpans int) ([]*model.Trace, error) {
 	childSpan, _ := opentracing.StartSpanFromContext(ctx, "multiRead")
 	childSpan.LogFields(otlog.Object("trace_ids", traceIDs))
 	defer childSpan.Finish()
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ func (s *SpanReader) multiRead(ctx context.Context, traceIDs []string, startTime
 			if val, ok := searchAfterTime[traceID]; ok {
 				nextTime = val
 			}
-			searchRequests[i] = elastic.NewSearchRequest().IgnoreUnavailable(true).Type(spanType).Source(elastic.NewSearchSource().Query(query).Size(defaultDocCount).Sort("startTime", true).SearchAfter(nextTime))
+			searchRequests[i] = elastic.NewSearchRequest().IgnoreUnavailable(true).Type(spanType).Source(elastic.NewSearchSource().Query(query).Size(defaultDocCount).TerminateAfter(numSpans).Sort("startTime", true).SearchAfter(nextTime))
 		}
 		// set traceIDs to empty
 		traceIDs = nil
diff --git a/storage/spanstore/interface.go b/storage/spanstore/interface.go
index df642efece2..79dae80dfc9 100644
--- a/storage/spanstore/interface.go
+++ b/storage/spanstore/interface.go
@@ -51,4 +51,5 @@ type TraceQueryParameters struct {
 	DurationMin   time.Duration
 	DurationMax   time.Duration
 	NumTraces     int
+	NumSpans      int
 }