nitrate sponging mbuna plant eater plants?

[MyCatsDrool]

I have a difficult time, despite 3 HOB filters and 2x weekly water changes, keeping the nitrates within what i want to have in my african tank. I have a few pieces of floating watersprite in there, but that is it really.

What else can i put in a high PH, high KH, tough guy plant digger tank? floaters are fine with me, i just want healthy.

light isn't an issue, running 4 x 30in t-5s over the tank.

 

[travis simonson]

I found that it was a matter of getting better filtration. I was running two XP3s on a 125G planted mbuna tank and I simply couldn't keep nitrates under control; had all sorts of strange algae issues. I upgraded to two Eheim 2260s (I think those are their largest canisters) which were enough to filter an 800G tank, and my nitrate issues disappeared. While this is probably a bit of an over-reaction to high nitrate levels, I suspect that if you're keeping plants with mbuna, having seriously insane levels of filtration will help immensely. I wish I had some better advice, but this is what has worked for me

 

[MyCatsDrool]

Thanks.


I don't really want to full on plant that tank. just enough to soak up some of the nutrients, because those cichlids are poop factories.

EDIT: Nm, i answered elsewhere

 

[travis simonson]

I would love to come 'scape your tank but the Von Rio Tetra Death Squad Mafia has me nervous

 

[MyCatsDrool]

they are occupied poking each other's eyes out.

 

[JustOneMore20]

Anacharis is thought of as a nitrate sponge. I'm sure it would look really tasty to Mbuna, but you could try floating it.

 

[travis simonson]

As far as Mbuna salads go I've found that they prefer the following veggies:

Vallisneria (mine eat it like it's going out of style)
Downoi - aka Pogostemon helferi (don't even ask how sad I am about this development)
Dwarf Hairgrass (they seem to love the seed buds)
Blyxa japonica (nibble, nibble, nibble until it looks like Bermuda grass)
Moss (of any sort) - they don't eat it, they just love to pick at it and scatter it everywhere

 

[BillD]

Adding more filters will not reduce nitrates. Nitrates are the end product of the filters working properly. How big are the 2 water changes? Are they at least 50%?

 

[travis simonson]

But adding filters will reduce nitrites.

 

[MyCatsDrool]

Closer to 70%. I have to get out a lot of poop. The tank isn't overstocked, 8 africans, 5 giant danios and a dwarf pleco. in 60 gallons

 

[BillD]

But adding filters will reduce nitrites.

Adding filters will only reduce nitrites, if the original filter was inadequate. You can not reduce nitrites below 0, and adding filters beyond that will not alter the amount of nitrate produced which is the core of the post here; nitrates.

 

[MyCatsDrool]

Poop, in general, is the problem.


My africans poop....A LOT. It is a constant battle to keep it out of the tank, and thus, my end product, nitrAtes, are high.

I want to see less poop. and have lower nitrAtes. I figured plants will help absorb some of the nutrients. I can see were advanced filtration will improve water movement, thereby stirring the poop up more, and causing it to become trapped in the filter, rather than sitting in the tank.

whether the poop is in the tank or in the filter, i still have a high nitrAte problem.

I am thinking about throwing in hornwart, anacharis, and duckweed to soak some of the nutrients up. But how much do I need to add?

 

[O ALX O]

I had this same problem a few years ago. I used duckweed in my sump. Made a floating type pot to keep it out of my return pump. Anyways this dropped my nitrAtes from 100ppm down to 40ppm. Also my lfs gave me store credit on all the duckweed that grew in abundance.