Planted tank and Nitrates help

[RUBE31]

I have a 75g newly planted low tech tank, i have 2 Aqueon 55/75 HOB (modified) each one is rated for up to 90 gallons, regular gravel, heater, and 6" air stone. I have 6 snakeskin barbs, 6 (small) denison barbs and 2 odessa barbs. About a week and a half ago (1/) petco had a plant sale and my wife bought 2 anubias barteri, 2 Java ferns, 2 cryptocoryne parva, 2 parva, a handful of java noss and a 14" piece of mopani driftwood. I have a fluval P48 that i run for 6 hours. About a 3 days after i plated the tank my nitrates went up to 5ppm, ive noticed a small circle of brown algae and did a 20% WC. It was good for a few days but my nitrates are up again. My ph is 7.4 ammonium is at 0, nitrites are at 0 its only my nitrates. I did use API leaf zone (half of the recomeneded dose) once and the plants are doing good. I figured my nitrates would spike do to moving the gravel but i figured it would go down but still hasnt. My fish are doing and i want to keep it that way. Any suggestion? Last night i did a DIY yeast CO2 but its slow because i dont want to drop the ph or kill the fish. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advanced.

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[BBradbury]

Your Tank

Hello RUBE...

I keep larger tanks too. Low tech. Low light plants don't need added CO2. There's plenty just in the surrounding air. Air stones aren't necessary. The surface agitation they make, will remove CO2. The plants just need half the tank water changed every week to maintain good mineral levels. Fertilizers are an option, but not needed. If you want to, use Seachem's Comprehensive and dose according to the instructions and only after performing the weekly water change. As long as you have a well stocked tank and feed the fish a varied diet, they'll provide the bulk of the nutrients the plants need.

B

 

[Caliban07]

I have a 75g newly planted low tech tank, i have 2 Aqueon 55/75 HOB (modified) each one is rated for up to 90 gallons, regular gravel, heater, and 6" air stone. I have 6 snakeskin barbs, 6 (small) denison barbs and 2 odessa barbs. About a week and a half ago (1/) petco had a plant sale and my wife bought 2 anubias barteri, 2 Java ferns, 2 cryptocoryne parva, 2 parva, a handful of java noss and a 14" piece of mopani driftwood. I have a fluval P48 that i run for 6 hours. About a 3 days after i plated the tank my nitrates went up to 5ppm, ive noticed a small circle of brown algae and did a 20% WC. It was good for a few days but my nitrates are up again. My ph is 7.4 ammonium is at 0, nitrites are at 0 its only my nitrates. I did use API leaf zone (half of the recomeneded dose) once and the plants are doing good. I figured my nitrates would spike do to moving the gravel but i figured it would go down but still hasnt. My fish are doing and i want to keep it that way. Any suggestion? Last night i did a DIY yeast CO2 but its slow because i dont want to drop the ph or kill the fish. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advanced.

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How new is the whole setup? There's a lot of opinion about what level of nitrates are acceptable but it seems that the general consensus for the average community aquarium is. <40ppm. 5ppm nitrates is pretty normal and nothing to worry about. Nitrates are not removed by the aerobic biological filter and the only way you can keep them below 40ppm is by doing regular water changes and keeping live plants as they require a steady source of nitrogen to be healthy.

Ammonia and nitrite on the other hand need to be and should be at 0ppm.

Aim for around 20ppm at the end of the week just before your next water change and everything will be fine.


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[Caliban07]

You may also want to look in to Seachem flourish comprehensive. This provides many more nutrients than the leaf zone which I believe (quick google search) only provides iron and potassium? Plants require an array of other important minerals to be healthy. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sulphur, magnesium to name a few.

I couldn't find the PAR rating for your fixture but a YouTube video led me to believe that it is suitable for med to med/high light requiring plants. Your plants are beginner plants better suited to lower PAR rating <30. This doesn't mean that the plants won't grow, it just means that they may need more carbon and nutrients to remain healthy and grow without deficiencies as the higher light drives higher demand.

I see you have the co2 going already swords and crypts I believe are heavy root feeders which means they would benefit from root tablets that are pushed under the substrate next to or beneath the roots. I am having success without tablets as of yet but I have them to hand if need be. Don't waste money on brand named tablets though. Search out Mebbid for some high quality DIY tabs for a good price. Tabs should be replaced every 1-3 months.

Every tank is unique and what works for one person may not work for others. For example, if your tap water is very hard and contains a good concentration of minerals you may not need to use additional fertilisers, more so if you have low light plants and a low PAR as the plant is not in as higher demand.

Hope this helps. Good luck.


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[RUBE31]

Thank for the info BBradbury and Caliban07.

Calban07,
The tank and stand are 2 months old but i had a 55 gallon set up i ran for 2 years, i used all the gravel, water etc etc from that tank in the 75 gallon set up. I had everything good till the wife decided to drop plants and surprise me and drop everything in all at once. My levels before plant were all at 0, now the nitrates went up so i wanted to make sure it was normal (due to the plants and ferts) or if i should be worried. The plant seem to be doing good and a few are sprouting and my fish seem more active now with all the plants so thats good. Thanks again.

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[RUBE31]

Here are a few pics of the tank.

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