Going in circles - how best to control phosphate?

[RTR]

Nitrates are the tank end product of nitrification, as the much less harmful oxidation product of ammonia and nitite. You do not want to hinder nitrification or you will kill your fish.

You produce less nitrate by lowering your stocking level, feeding carefully, having lots of live plants, and/or doing more water changes. The last is the most certain technique.

 

[FishInMaryland]

I knew there was something I wasn't thinking through. I just couldn't see that the amount of nitrates, by the end of the nitrification cycle is a direct result of the amount of ammonia that starts the cycle. Output is based on input, in other words, and the amount of bacteria that makes this happen will not reduce the amount of output. Right?

 

[RTR]

You got in one! Input equals output, but the nitrate output total weight is more than the ammonia total weight input. That because ammonia is lower weight than nitrate, three oxygens added and only one hydrogen removed. If you tracked it on nitrogen only, it appears to balance more rationally beacuse it only one N at each step (which is why ammonia-nitrogen, nitrite-nitrogen, and nitrate-nitrogen are sometimes used). The nitrification bacteria cannot produce more than what has been released in the tank by all inhabitants, and that is their job and why we try to protect them..