timwag2001
Aquarium Advice FINatic
is too much nitrate bad for plants? if so how much?
nitrate?
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AMDPhenomX4
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Not at all. Plants NEED the nitrate to live. They use it and turn it into Oxygen. Same reason why saltwater tanks have Refugiums, To remove Nitrate.
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
Just a gentle correction .... Plants take CO2 and Water & convert that to sugar (glucose) and Oxygen.
Nitrate (& other nitrogen compounds) are used to make proteins, the building blocks for plant tissue. <And oxygen is not released in that process .... the O in NO3 is incorporated into the protein or released as water. The process is energy consuming & actually uses Oxygen (& glucose).>
As to the OP's question, plants can stand a lot of nitrates, but fish is good up to 40 ppm or so. <Of course, crazily high nitrate will kill plants as well - think fertilizer burns .....>
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timwag2001
Aquarium Advice FINatic
my well water comes out at least 40 ppm. i have trouble matching the color after 20ppm in my kit. i started to try to plant an aquarium but i'm not having any luck. i cant even tell you what kind of plants i have right now because the lfs that i normally go to has a bunch of different kinds in one tank and only the owner (who is never there) can tell me what kind they are. my other lfs has some nice plants but i need more light for them. i'm gonna try to post some pics maybe you will all know whats going on.
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timwag2001
Aquarium Advice FINatic
some kind of fern. whats up with the brown stuff on the rock? it's nowhere else
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timwag2001
Aquarium Advice FINatic
grass?
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timwag2001
Aquarium Advice FINatic
[/ATTACH]the green and white one came from petco and lived longer than everything.
the green plant with the hole in it in the background is the red ones in the other 2 pics
I'm pretty sure that the plant in pic 17535 isn't a true aquatic. I think it's from the Dracaena genus. The other fern looking plant (in front of the rock) looks like a club moss, but I'm not 100% sure. If it is, it's not a true aquatic either.
Places like Petco and Petsmart tend to sell non-aquatic plants simply because they look good and the consumer doesn't know any better because they trust a 'reputable' company. I bought some plants from Petco once and they died about a month later. When I asked them why they died, they told me to buy more ferts and triple my iron dosing.
Places like Petco and Petsmart tend to sell non-aquatic plants simply because they look good and the consumer doesn't know any better because they trust a 'reputable' company. I bought some plants from Petco once and they died about a month later. When I asked them why they died, they told me to buy more ferts and triple my iron dosing.
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
Non aquatics are often sold to unsuspecting buyers ... they last a while, but eventually rot in your tank.
For nitrate removal, the best plant I found is hornwort. Pretty undemanding, it does do better in more light than stock. It will soak up nitrates and grow like a weed! <It is a weed in our lakes & pond!
>
For nitrate removal, the best plant I found is hornwort. Pretty undemanding, it does do better in more light than stock. It will soak up nitrates and grow like a weed! <It is a weed in our lakes & pond!
>
newfound77951
Aquarium Advice Addict
I agree that most if not all of the plants that you have are non-aquatic. It drives me nuts that large chain as well as small stores continue to sell these plants, but they do. The white striped plant is Dracaena, if it's still alive do it a favor and take it out of your tank and plant it in a pot. It will grow quite nicely as a houseplant . The purple plant is also non-aquatic and my guess is the "grass" is as well. The fern may be Bolbitis in which case it is an aquatic, however it should not be planted in the substrate but rather tied to a rock or a piece of driftwood (you can use cotton string, fishing line or a rubber band). I have not grown that plant so I am not familiar with its light requirements.
I second getting something like hornwort to try and suck up some of your nitrates. It's not the prettiest stuff but it does the trick. Using 1/2 deionized water for your water changes would also help, if you have access to DI water (you can buy it at some grocery or drugstores, or get a DI system for your house)
. The purple plant is also non-aquatic and my guess is the "grass" is as well. The fern may be Bolbitis in which case it is an aquatic, however it should not be planted in the substrate but rather tied to a rock or a piece of driftwood (you can use cotton string, fishing line or a rubber band). I have not grown that plant so I am not familiar with its light requirements.I second getting something like hornwort to try and suck up some of your nitrates. It's not the prettiest stuff but it does the trick. Using 1/2 deionized water for your water changes would also help, if you have access to DI water (you can buy it at some grocery or drugstores, or get a DI system for your house)
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timwag2001
Aquarium Advice FINatic
anyone know whats up with the brown stuff on the rock?
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timwag2001
Aquarium Advice FINatic
i find it weird that its only on those 2 rocks. i have another one on the other side of the tank that doesnt get any. its not on the glass, the filter, or substrate. is that normal?
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