What's an ideal nitrate range?

[trennamw]

For freshwater low tech plants+fish+inverts. Presume zero ammo nitrite, happy stable pH/GH/KH.

Not supplemented nitrate, just end of nitrogen cycle nitrate.

My plants Weren't growing with levels below 5, and took off when I reduced water changes and vacuuming. Everyone seems healthy but I feel oh so guilty not doing 50% a week (that resulted in zero to two nitrate).

 

[Sk3lly]

Cutting back on water changes is not your answer!

You need to supplement nitrate if your levels are not adequate. I try to aim for 10-20ppm but stay closer to 10ppm


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[trennamw]

Thanks!

30% a week seems like a sweet spot, that's got nitrates at 5. More and stuff was unstable, maybe because my water is like distilled.

So I guess I'll keep it there ... The water change sure is the hot button around here, and with good reason, but it sure becomes a different conversation on the plant side.

 

[Britty]

30% WC a week is fine if your normal day to day water parameters are stable and you're not doing silly things like grossly overfeeding.

 

[BBradbury]

Water Chemistry

For freshwater low tech plants+fish+inverts. Presume zero ammo nitrite, happy stable pH/GH/KH.

Not supplemented nitrate, just end of nitrogen cycle nitrate.

My plants Weren't growing with levels below 5, and took off when I reduced water changes and vacuuming. Everyone seems healthy but I feel oh so guilty not doing 50% a week (that resulted in zero to two nitrate).

Hello tren...

Most aquarium fish will adapt to most public water supplies, so the pH, hardness, etc. aren't the most important things. You want 0 ammonia and nitrite. Nitrate isn't as toxic as ammonia and nitrite. If you can keep it in the 20 to 30 ppm range that's sufficient for most fish. Lower is a bit better.

I don't worry about the water chemistry in my tanks. I just change a lot of tank water and do it regularly, so I always know it's safe for my fish.

B

 

[Mebbid]

10ppm is about the lowest number that most planted yr ank owners try to get.

 

[trennamw]

Thanks guys.

I wasn't exactly going "oh low nitrate lets get the tank dirty" it was more "hmmm maybe this is overkill, if it's taking nitrates down to zero." I have super soft tap water that gets supplemented, and Otos and a few other sensitive fish that seemed stressed and a smaller pwc has seemed to make everyone happier.

Main question however was nitrates. I was reading low nitrate may be why I had black spots on java ferns.

And yes no over feeding. This is what my tank bottom looks like when I haven't vacuumed in over a month. Appropriate amounts of high quality food and lots of inverts, plus Pygmy loaches, is serving everyone well. My smaller tanks certainly get more water changes.

It's just a few months old and my first real tank but there have been no surprises yet. Even when the biowheel in the filter stopped spinning for a few hours I didn't get an ammonia spike.



I want to slowly change it over to a Walstad type setup, more Barr really as I'd prefer to avoid dirt ... We will see what happens when I move.

 

[NinjaTetra]

I've found that once ammonia and nitrite are down, they say that way for me. Nitrate, however, creeps up on me. I try and keep it 5-15, but it gets up to thirty if I wait too long. Especially if you have plants which typically float, the plants are absorbing a decent amount. you may want to do something like twice weekly 15% changes, so that there isnt huge drops.

 

[trennamw]

I've found that once ammonia and nitrite are down, they say that way for me. Nitrate, however, creeps up on me. I try and keep it 5-15, but it gets up to thirty if I wait too long. Especially if you have plants which typically float, the plants are absorbing a decent amount. you may want to do something like twice weekly 15% changes, so that there isnt huge drops.

That makes sense!!

So ... When there are a lot of plants ... A good water change schedule is frequent and keeps things pretty darn stable ... Ammo/nitrite zero, nitrate not too far either side of 10 ... Etc etc.

I also think my lack of vacuuming is a good plant thing ... The bottom appears very clean, the water is stable ... I have Malaysian trumpet snails tilling the sand. Loaches stir it up too. The top of the sand is slightly grey/gold (not diatom) and the snail trails are evident, that slightly darker color dragged down underneath. I am thinking this is fish mulm?

So am I completely misguided in thinking I have a good thing going as I add lots and lots more plants and progress to a Walstad type situation?

 

[trennamw]

And please don't misunderstand ... I'm not evading maintenance. I'm a chemistry geek, deeply fascinated by building the most self sustaining set of chemical reactions that keeps fish healthy!

 

[Mebbid]

That makes sense!!

So ... When there are a lot of plants ... A good water change schedule is frequent and keeps things pretty darn stable ... Ammo/nitrite zero, nitrate not too far either side of 10 ... Etc etc.

I also think my lack of vacuuming is a good plant thing ... The bottom appears very clean, the water is stable ... I have Malaysian trumpet snails tilling the sand. Loaches stir it up too. The top of the sand is slightly grey/gold (not diatom) and the snail trails are evident, that slightly darker color dragged down underneath. I am thinking this is fish mulm?

So am I completely misguided in thinking I have a good thing going as I add lots and lots more plants and progress to a Walstad type situation?

Sounds like you have a good thing going to me. Get on to more plants!

 

[trennamw]

Thank you!!!!!

Now you know you've asked for me to bug you with more questions ...

I have a few crypts, java fern, and anubias. Hair grass in a Petsmart pack waiting to be planted. Root tab by crypts. Water lettuce got beaten by the power head.

Low light, what should I try next? Not sure what to do with the big glob of hair grass. I think I need a big water lettuce and stem plants.

What do you all think?

 

[Fresh2o]

Yes to stem plants. Bacopa caroliniana as well as other Bacopa species should do okay in low light. Keep trimming and replanting. I used it in both a medium light and a low light tank. Retained its lime green color in both tanks and grew slower in the low light tank.
Attaching mosses to various spots on the large piece of DW might look nice in there as well.

 

[trennamw]

Thanks!!

I love hearing something would keep it's lime green color. Definitely want some brightening up. I think a big water lettuce would fill a void high and center, without getting as beaten up as the baby water lettuce did.

 

[Fresh2o]

I purchased the Bacopa from the gel pack bags at Petsmart.
Good luck with the water lettuce. I had mixed results with it. I had regular water lettuce that would be 6-8" outside but only 1-2" indoors. Years ago I was able to keep it alive for several months to a year in a small 6.6g tank, no ferts, single fluorescent bulb (and probably crappy water conditions). I tried again later with decent lighting (Finnex FugeRay), Seachem ferts, CO2 and it would just whither and die.
An alternate for water lettuce could be Frogbit. It also produces long trailing roots.

 

[Fresh2o]

Here's a pic of the Bacopa caroliniana in my shrimp tank 10 months ago. I no longer have it in that tank but managed to save a few strands which are thriving in my medium light planted tank. The shrimp tank is 20g and has no added ferts or CO2; root pellets for the crypts about once a month. Lighting is with a 30" Coralife dual T5 normal output. Shrimp and MTS only; no fish.

 

[trennamw]

That's beautiful! Thanks for the tips!

 

[Fresh2o]

That's beautiful! Thanks for the tips!

Thanks! At the top of the tank are some water lettuce (before I killed them off ).