Java Moss not removing nitrates.....any idea why?

[studmaster]

Hello all,

I have java moss in my tank with a few mollies. I bought it so that the fry could hide somewhere and to remove nitrates. Well after a couple months I still have nitrates. From what I read Java moss does a good job at removing nitrates, but I'm not having luck with it.

Here's the funny thing. I have two tanks, I feed the tanks about the same amount. One has java moss the other one doesn't. The one that does have java moss has higher nitrate readings that the one that doesn't have it.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hara]

Is the java moss actually growing, or just staying static? Another thing you have to watch for is that alot of detritus can get trapped under the moss if you do not move the moss and vacuum under it during tank cleanings.

 

[studmaster]

It seems to be healthy and growing, but I wouldn't say it's growing like a weed or anything like I've heard. I try to vacuum up as much as possible.

 

[hulkamaniac]

I'm told Java Moss doesn't grow that fast in the first place. Mine certainly doesn't.

 

[fish_4_all]

I have never been able to get it to grow for more than a couple weeks and then it starts to die. Never had much effect on the NO3

 

[Robert H]

Nitrate is always going to be poduced by the fish, and while java moss will feed on nitrate like any plant, it does not grow fast enough to stay ahead of it. It also depends on your light level and how long you leave the lilghts on every day. Java moss is often thought of as a low light plant, but it still needs a minimal level of light in order to grow.

If your main goal is to keep nitrates low, you need a fast growing stem plant under moderate to bright light, or a house plant with its roots in the aquarium while the plant is outside the aquarium. Pothos is often used for this.

Robert
www.aquabotanic.com

 

[BillD]

Java moss is not a nitrate sponge, like fast growing plants such as hornwort. Hornwort would be my first choice to lower nitrates.

 

[fish_4_all]

I agree with the hornwort but I would get elodea/anacharis. Just a preference but either one needs to be left floating because it will grow like a weed, even faster and it gets much more light that way.

 

[studmaster]

Okay, thanks for the tips.

Between Hornwort and Eoldea/anacharis which one would require the least amount of light? I don't want to spend too much on a special bulb and plants. The light usually stays on from about 7am to 11pm, so that I can enjoy the fish as much as possible.

 

[BillD]

Either one will be fine. The hornwort will not root under any circumstances, so just float it.

 

[studmaster]

Hey, just an update. I added some hornwort to both of my tanks and within two days the nitrates are down to barely readable on the charts. They are huge nitrate sponges. The java moss didn't change the nitrates at all in two months, but in two days the hornwort brought it down so much. The unfortunate things is that I have to put some salt in my molly tanks because they really appreciate it. Hopefully it is not enough salt to hurt the hornwort. I guess time will tell.

Does anybody know if it's possible to successfully acclimate hornwort to salt gradually?

 

[dskidmore]

Either one will be fine. The hornwort will not root under any circumstances, so just float it.

It needs a fine substrate, but it certianly grows roots in my tank! When planting a stem, I strip off the leaves from the last couple nodes, and burry those nodes in the sand. It doesn't root as extensively as some others, but it does grow roots.

 

[BillD]

You must be the only one in the world to have hornwort root. It doesn't root even in nature. Perhaps you could post a picture.

 

[fish_4_all]

All of them grow roots, all over the place but I have never gotten them to "Take Root" in the substrate. They just rot wherever I plant them and then grow again after they float.

 

[IceH2O]

The problem with plants that use up nitrates is this:

You think well my nitrates are only 10 ppm I can skip a water change this week. Then you check the following week and its still 10 ppm so you skip another week of water changes. That tank might stay at 10 ppm for a year without water changes.

But nitrates aren't the real reason we do water changes. Nitrates are just something we can measure to let us know the water is getting thick. TDS ( total dissolved solids ) and organic wastes are the reason you need to do water changes.

You could have 10 ppm of nitrates and still have a TDS reading of 500. The higher the TDS the thicker the water is, the harder it is for the fish to pull through its gills and extract O2.

There is no replacement for water changes. So even if you're keeping your nitrates down you still need to do water changes to keep the TDS down.

 

[dskidmore]

You must be the only one in the world to have hornwort root. It doesn't root even in nature. Perhaps you could post a picture.

If only we had this conversation last week. I just re-scaped and took out all but a spring. Remind me in a couple months, and we'll see if this sprig roots or not.

 

[BillD]

I will await that. I have yet to see a root grow on the hornwort I have kept, for over 10. years.