trennamw
Aquarium Advice Addict
So I was whining about my broken filter in another thread, but now it's seeming that the tank is better without???
For 4 months, with the filter and plants, the ammonia and nitrite were zero but the nitrate was at 20 with weekly water changes of 50%.
I've kept waiting for the water to get bad, with the broken filter, and not only did it not ...
After 1 week of no filtration, nitrates are about 10.
Total ammonia shows a tiny bit (less than .25ppm) but toxic ammonia (by the pH/temp charts and a Seachem stick on that I know is working) is practically nothing. No nitrites.
At first I couldn't figure out how water could be "cleaner" with plants only, but I wonder ...
I read in Walstad's book that plants prefer ammonia. Could it be that the plants are taking up the ammonia before it goes through the cycle?
I'll keep a close eye on it and continue water changes but ... Hmm.
Plants are a huge ozelot sword, some crypt parva and microsword, and pennywort. And more to come.
Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.
For 4 months, with the filter and plants, the ammonia and nitrite were zero but the nitrate was at 20 with weekly water changes of 50%.
I've kept waiting for the water to get bad, with the broken filter, and not only did it not ...
After 1 week of no filtration, nitrates are about 10.
Total ammonia shows a tiny bit (less than .25ppm) but toxic ammonia (by the pH/temp charts and a Seachem stick on that I know is working) is practically nothing. No nitrites.
At first I couldn't figure out how water could be "cleaner" with plants only, but I wonder ...
I read in Walstad's book that plants prefer ammonia. Could it be that the plants are taking up the ammonia before it goes through the cycle?
I'll keep a close eye on it and continue water changes but ... Hmm.
Plants are a huge ozelot sword, some crypt parva and microsword, and pennywort. And more to come.
Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.