so its finally happened...
- Thread starter inkyjenn
- Start date
i do have loaches. they just arent in my planted tank (55 is too small).
my bf said once he gets his big tank i can have his 75
i will have more space for plants! i will have to figure out some fun stocking too...MORE CONGO TETRAS. and i think i may move my L239s to it as well. ill need to hit up spunjin for more driftwood...O MAN...its going to be awesome. and once its well planted, then its time to sell off clippings...
my bf said once he gets his big tank i can have his 75
i will have more space for plants! i will have to figure out some fun stocking too...MORE CONGO TETRAS. and i think i may move my L239s to it as well. ill need to hit up spunjin for more driftwood...O MAN...its going to be awesome. and once its well planted, then its time to sell off clippings...Whoo hoo! I thought you did have loaches but they're not in your sig? You just need some smaller loaches for a 55 or more cool plecs or ...
I add about 20-45ppm of NO3 a week(KNO3). This does include the well loaded and fed fish population.
I'm sorry but I think many of you are under the assumption NO3 is somehow bad and toxic. It is if it's derived from fish waste alone, because every NO3 came from NH4/NH3, which is several orders of magnitude worse as far as toxicity to all aquatic livestock.
If it starts from NO3, then it is relatively harmless(unless you just never do water changes and do not have plants/decent growth).
So tap water, and KNO3 etc dosing is very different than the typical sources in fish aquariums. Plants remove it even further and plants take up NH4 directly also, so it has much less toxic effect on fish and live stock.
You should never even measure NH4 in a planted tank.
As far as using test kits and tap water, please use reference standards if you use test kits, most/many are very very far off when compared to a reference, they are not perfect, they are cheap hobby grade test kits, some are expired, many are way off in their readings.
Do not dose based on uncalibrated test kits(or any real decisions).
Calibrate them with known NO3 standards(or which ever parameter you are choosing).
To do so:
Here's a way to make 10, 20, 30 and 40 ppm NO3 reference solutions:
Add 1.631 g of KNO3 to 1 L DI/RO water. This makes a 1000 ppm NO3 solution. (It's really a 1000.29 ppm solution.)
Add 2 mL of the 1000 ppm solution to 18 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 20 mL of a 100 ppm NO3 solution.
Add 15 mL of the 100 ppm solution to 15 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 30 mL of a 50 ppm NO3 solution.
To make a 10 ppm NO3 solution:
Add 2 mL of the 50 ppm solution to 8 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 10 mL of a 10 ppm NO3 solution.
To make a 20 ppm NO3 solution:
Add 4 mL of the 50 ppm solution to 6 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 10 mL of a 20 ppm NO3 solution.
To make a 30 ppm NO3 solution:
Add 6 mL of the 50 ppm solution to 4 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 10 mL of a 30 ppm NO3 solution.
To make a 40 ppm NO3 solution:
Add 8 mL of the 50 ppm solution to 2 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 10 mL of a 40 ppm NO3 solution.
Repost from LeftC
Then you check your test kit over the suspected range with the known above. Many hobby kits will measure 20-40ppm when there's none, some will measure none when there is some.
Just like a pH meter, that requires 2 point reference calibration, so does a NO3 test kit or PO4 etc............otherwise you are just guessing and praying.
I've bred cories, CRS, RCS, tetras, Discus, Angels, various other catfish, killis, cichlids etc all at these dosing rates listed above in planted tanks.
If the shrimp and fish are breeding, then maybe there's much less to it than what's been suggested.
Regards,
Tom Barr
I'm sorry but I think many of you are under the assumption NO3 is somehow bad and toxic. It is if it's derived from fish waste alone, because every NO3 came from NH4/NH3, which is several orders of magnitude worse as far as toxicity to all aquatic livestock.
If it starts from NO3, then it is relatively harmless(unless you just never do water changes and do not have plants/decent growth).
So tap water, and KNO3 etc dosing is very different than the typical sources in fish aquariums. Plants remove it even further and plants take up NH4 directly also, so it has much less toxic effect on fish and live stock.
You should never even measure NH4 in a planted tank.
As far as using test kits and tap water, please use reference standards if you use test kits, most/many are very very far off when compared to a reference, they are not perfect, they are cheap hobby grade test kits, some are expired, many are way off in their readings.
Do not dose based on uncalibrated test kits(or any real decisions).
Calibrate them with known NO3 standards(or which ever parameter you are choosing).
To do so:
Here's a way to make 10, 20, 30 and 40 ppm NO3 reference solutions:
Add 1.631 g of KNO3 to 1 L DI/RO water. This makes a 1000 ppm NO3 solution. (It's really a 1000.29 ppm solution.)
Add 2 mL of the 1000 ppm solution to 18 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 20 mL of a 100 ppm NO3 solution.
Add 15 mL of the 100 ppm solution to 15 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 30 mL of a 50 ppm NO3 solution.
To make a 10 ppm NO3 solution:
Add 2 mL of the 50 ppm solution to 8 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 10 mL of a 10 ppm NO3 solution.
To make a 20 ppm NO3 solution:
Add 4 mL of the 50 ppm solution to 6 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 10 mL of a 20 ppm NO3 solution.
To make a 30 ppm NO3 solution:
Add 6 mL of the 50 ppm solution to 4 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 10 mL of a 30 ppm NO3 solution.
To make a 40 ppm NO3 solution:
Add 8 mL of the 50 ppm solution to 2 mL of DI/RO water. This makes 10 mL of a 40 ppm NO3 solution.
Repost from LeftC
Then you check your test kit over the suspected range with the known above. Many hobby kits will measure 20-40ppm when there's none, some will measure none when there is some.
Just like a pH meter, that requires 2 point reference calibration, so does a NO3 test kit or PO4 etc............otherwise you are just guessing and praying.
I've bred cories, CRS, RCS, tetras, Discus, Angels, various other catfish, killis, cichlids etc all at these dosing rates listed above in planted tanks.
If the shrimp and fish are breeding, then maybe there's much less to it than what's been suggested.
Regards,
Tom Barr
i do have loaches. they just arent in my planted tank (55 is too small).
my bf said once he gets his big tank i can have his 75
You live in CA, go collect some Manzanita wood(dead grey and dry from up on the hillsides), Congos are an excellent choice.
Regards,
Tom Barr
id rather pay spunjin to get the manzanita wood for me. he cleans it and soaks it too and is just a nice guy 
i need to update my sig; i have more tanks set up now that what is in my sig. i dont want loaches for my community tank. id rather have an ARMY of cories
i love congo tetras. they are just beautiful fish
i know nitrates arent terrible. and that they are necessary for plants. i was merely suprised to see them drop as low as they have. it hadnt happened in the past (not as many plants). i personally think that less is more in fish keeping; aside from water changes. the less you deliberately muck with the parameters, the more stable the tank which seems to lead to happier fish.
i need to update my sig; i have more tanks set up now that what is in my sig. i dont want loaches for my community tank. id rather have an ARMY of cories
i love congo tetras. they are just beautiful fish
i know nitrates arent terrible. and that they are necessary for plants. i was merely suprised to see them drop as low as they have. it hadnt happened in the past (not as many plants). i personally think that less is more in fish keeping; aside from water changes. the less you deliberately muck with the parameters, the more stable the tank which seems to lead to happier fish.
