Reducing Nitrates

[BBradbury]

Hello AA..

Thought this thread might go best under "General Discussion", since the nitrate issue affects the majority of tank keepers. I was asked about a natural means of lowering nitrates in the fish tank water and suggest using the Chinese evergreen house plant. Attached is a photo of a small 20 gallon tank with a species of the plant immersed in the tank water. The root ball is rinsed of all the potting soil and they go under the water with the leaves above. An air pump is set up and tubing is positioned under the roots to supply oxygen to them. The plant grows naturally in the water as long as it gets oxygen. The fish provide nutrients and the roots take in all the nitrogen from the dissolving fish waste There's no trace of ammonia or nitrite and the nitrates are minimal in this tank. Nitrate will rise a little at night when the plant rests. As soon as the tank lights come on, the nitrate is removed in a few hours. The more plants you have, the cleaner the water.

B

https://imgur.com/CDdf8iH

 

[Mebbid]

What nitrate test kit are you using?

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Meb...

I use the 6 in 1 strips from Tetra.

B

 

[Mebbid]

Those arent nearly accurate enough if you're basing statements like this off of them. You need to invest in something like the red sea nitrate test kit.

 

[ZxC]

In my opinion "clean" water does not mean low NO3.

There are plenty of other compounds in the water that can build up, NO3 alone is a poor indicator of tank / water health.

BUT if you don't mind the look of these tanks and want low NO3, this is a good option.

 

[BBradbury]

Those arent nearly accurate enough if you're basing statements like this off of them. You need to invest in something like the red sea nitrate test kit.

Meb...

I used the API kits for a few years, but the process with this product takes too long if you have multiple tanks. I find I can get a reasonably accurate test in 60 seconds with the Tetra strips.

B

 

[BBradbury]

In my opinion "clean" water does not mean low NO3.

There are plenty of other compounds in the water that can build up, NO3 alone is a poor indicator of tank / water health.

BUT if you don't mind the look of these tanks and want low NO3, this is a good option.

Hello Zx...

The plants work the same as the fish and use their share of the trace elements. They will keep the nitrates lower between water changes, which the beneficial bacteria can't do. And, will maintain a steadier water chemistry if you were to miss a water change.

B

 

[Mebbid]

Reasonably accurate, yes. But not accurate enough to draw conclusions like these from.

 

[Brookster123]

If you're going to make claims like this than you need to documents accurate measurements at least 4 times a day for at least a week. Data backs up claims, otherwise these are more words on the internet.

 

[BBradbury]

If you're going to make claims like this than you need to documents accurate measurements at least 4 times a day for at least a week. Data backs up claims, otherwise these are more words on the internet.

Hello Brook...

The only claim I'm making is that the Evergreen plant will reduce nitrates in the tank water. From where I sit, all you need to do is introduce the plants and periodically test the water. You can also use the fish as a test. When I set up this tank, I put in a dozen fancy Guppies. There are considerably more than that now. As we know, high concentrations of nitrate in the water will slow or even stop reproduction. This certainly hasn't been the case with this tank.

B

 

[Caliban07]

Hello Brook...



The only claim I'm making is that the Evergreen plant will reduce nitrates in the tank water. From where I sit, all you need to do is introduce the plants and periodically test the water. You can also use the fish as a test. When I set up this tank, I put in a dozen fancy Guppies. There are considerably more than that now. As we know, high concentrations of nitrate in the water will slow or even stop reproduction. This certainly hasn't been the case with this tank.



B

You’d be surprised how much bioload a tank can take if set up and left to run correctly. Nitrates just don’t belong in our aquariums. It’s a real shame that most US tap waters run quite high. You definitely don’t need the Chinese evergreen to achieve these results though

 

[BBradbury]

You’d be surprised how much bioload a tank can take if set up and left to run correctly. Nitrates just don’t belong in our aquariums. It’s a real shame that most US tap waters run quite high. You definitely don’t need the Chinese evergreen to achieve these results though

Hello Cal...

Actually, the EPA here does set standards for nitrates in our tap water. The vast majority of water sources can't contain more than 10 ppm in a liter. But, the regulations depend upon how many people are on the water supply. It would take many, many times that level to affect a healthy child or baby.

You're correct. You don't need the plant. But, if you don't use it, you'll need to perform regular water changes to maintain a healthy nitrate level.

B

 

[Caliban07]

Hello Cal...



Actually, the EPA here does set standards for nitrates in our tap water. The vast majority of water sources can't contain more than 10 ppm in a liter. But, the regulations depend upon how many people are on the water supply. It would take many, many times that level to affect a healthy child or baby.



You're correct. You don't need the plant. But, if you don't use it, you'll need to perform regular water changes to maintain a healthy nitrate level.



B

Hi B. I’m not really interested in the human aspect to drinking water for this discussion. What I mean is, if you analyse the tropica data for most of the soft water fresh water biotopes you can see that it is extremely low or not detected at all.



What I mean is, for our livestock in my opinion, it should be as low as practically possible with zero addition.

What I’m trying to say is that, you do not need specifically the Chinese ever green houseplant in order to achieve low nitrate levels. You could use RO water and supplement other ions omitting nitrate nitrogen for example.

Or you can simply add plants and do nothing but feed your fish. Eventually the tank will balance itself out and nitrate nitrogen will be used up. Plants will then turn to ammonium nitrogen generated by the fish and fish feed. In this example, plant growth will be limited thus they will grow very slowly however, whenever a nutrient is made available it will quickly be used up. Said nutrient remains in the system as a whole until you prune the plant exporting a portion of the nutrients within. If you constantly prune, new growth will continue and you will always be removing any excess of nutrients.

This way you also generate a very efficient biological filter so in a plant/microbe friendly system much is possible AND the best bit is its all done without water changes.

 

[JasonRemigio]

Nitrogen cycle

I learned about the nitrogen cycle that using a live plant and fish will create waste. It mentions to make periodic water changes and keep a close eye on your fish tank buddies. Nitrates and nitrites and ammonia build up in the tank from waste.

 

[BBradbury]

Cal...

I believe I essentially agree with you. By introducing the plant and changing the water regularly, you can maintain a healthy water chemistry. I believe I can take the situation a step further. By simply using a large species of Chinese evergreen, you can eventually stop changing the water. Here's how that would work: You feed the fish a balanced diet that's a bit higher in phosphate, nitrogen and potassium. You introduce a large Chinese evergreen plant and replace water lost to evaporation with distilled water only. The fish provide the nutrients for the plant and the plant removes the nitrogen from the water.

B

 

[Caliban07]

I learned about the nitrogen cycle that using a live plant and fish will create waste. It mentions to make periodic water changes and keep a close eye on your fish tank buddies. Nitrates and nitrites and ammonia build up in the tank from waste.

It’s not really the whole picture. You will find most people who talk about ‘waste’ never really explain what they mean. You always hear the words ‘organic wastes’ or ‘organics’ but no one really knows what these ‘wastes’ actually are.

When I put the worms/lava from my bucket outside.



in a container of my tank water and they survive I know my tank is good. I leave the container for a week or so.

 

[BBradbury]

Cal...

The system is really as simple as feeding the fish a balanced diet, immersing the roots of the Aglaonema with the leaves above to take in the light and adding water that doesn't add minerals and create a buildup that pollutes the water.

The plants only need a large source of phosphate, nitrogen and potassium along with the trace elements. You can feed the fish those elements. They'll provide the plant nutrients in their waste material and the plants remove that waste. If you overfeed the fish, the plant simply grows larger to take in the added nutrients. By adding only distilled water to the tank periodically, you always have a balanced water system. The organic waste simply means there's no trace of a commercial fertilizer or pesticide.

B