Nitrogen Cycle Help

If I have a semi-planted tank that has high NitrAtes, is it recommended that I just do water changes to reduce the NitrAtes rather than disturb the substrate by gradually adding more plants (cant afford to buy the Full Monty of plants in one shot and have been buying one or two every couple weeks)? Note: I do 40% changes in h2o once a week.

I was thinking about getting some Bio Pellets to put in my filter as a way to curb the NitrAte increase I have been having (40ppm and even higher). I really dont want to stress my fish or induce a disease outbreak.

Any help reducing my High NitraAtes would be helpful. Thanks
 
Vino, your stocking level may be such that you need to do more than a 40% WWC. Plants do process some nitrates, but the only way to lower it reliably and with any regularity is with water changes. I hear you with the plant purchases. The stuff I have that takes over my tanks is the waster sprite and wisteria I bought from 42 Aquatics (E.Aurora) last year.
 
In my 29g all I have are wisteria and some Anubis, Ill have to check out the Sprites. And I was thinking about maybe trying some duckweed, but I hear that it take over the tank and would want it to hog the light.

It doesnt help my wallet that I can walk to 42 Aquatics in about 2 minutes...I swear I've already help them pay most of their mortgage..

Ill have to try changing more than 40% from now on. Any thoughts to adding the Bio-Pellets to my filter as a supplementary measure of reducing nitrAtes?
 
I hear you Vino, I'm about 6mi away from 42, but have spent about $250 there in the past week on my oscar setup alone.

Anyway, I wouldn't bother with any adds or hardware in an attempt to reduce nitrates. You'll have to decrease your stock or increase your water change volume and/or frequency to keep nitrates down. Bio pellets will do nothing more than potentially house more beneficial bacteria, which converts your ammonia to nitrites to more nitrates.
 
FreshyFresh said:
I hear you Vino, I'm about 6mi away from 42, but have spent about $250 there in the past week on my oscar setup alone.

Anyway, I wouldn't bother with any adds or hardware in an attempt to reduce nitrates. You'll have to decrease your stock or increase your water change volume and/or frequency to keep nitrates down. Bio pellets will do nothing more than potentially house more beneficial bacteria, which converts your ammonia to nitrites to more nitrates.
Click to expand...

That works for me. I dont mind increased water changes. Its cheap and easy enough, and so am I.
 
On "high" nitrate, I agree on water changes, and also that plants help; but the first important question to answer is where the nitrate is coming from. If nitrate is present in your tap water, as it is in some areas, more water changes will not help lower them significantly and other action will be needed. But second, if the nitrate is naturally occurring in the aquarium, then the reason must be identified and dealt with. The aim should be to get the nitrate low and keep it there between water changes.

Have you tested your tap water alone for nitrate (also for ammonia and nitrite is a good idea)?

And what exactly is the level of nitrate in the aquarium?

Byron.
 
Byron Amazonas said:
On "high" nitrate, I agree on water changes, and also that plants help; but the first important question to answer is where the nitrate is coming from. If nitrate is present in your tap water, as it is in some areas, more water changes will not help lower them significantly and other action will be needed. But second, if the nitrate is naturally occurring in the aquarium, then the reason must be identified and dealt with. The aim should be to get the nitrate low and keep it there between water changes.

Have you tested your tap water alone for nitrate (also for ammonia and nitrite is a good idea)?

And what exactly is the level of nitrate in the aquarium?

Byron.
Click to expand...

I haven't yet tested my tap water for any of the above. I will be doing that today. I just assumed the high levels of NitrAtes was from bio-load etc. I do know that my tap water is hard, which I believe is why my PH is also higher (7.8 ish). The PH is consistent.

With regards to the specific NitrAte levels in the tank. My usual readings are high- 40 to 60ppm. I do 40% WWC and by the time I am doing them a week later the levels are just as high. Maybe it is my tap water...
 
Vino, I'd think your pH would be like mine given we both use Erie County water. Mine has always been a steady 7.6. The highest on the API master test kit's low range.
 
Vino said:
I haven't yet tested my tap water for any of the above. I will be doing that today. I just assumed the high levels of NitrAtes was from bio-load etc. I do know that my tap water is hard, which I believe is why my PH is also higher (7.8 ish). The PH is consistent.

With regards to the specific NitrAte levels in the tank. My usual readings are high- 40 to 60ppm. I do 40% WWC and by the time I am doing them a week later the levels are just as high. Maybe it is my tap water...
Click to expand...

We can consider this better when we know your test results for the tap water. Another question, when you test the tank water, is it prior to the water change, or after? It is important to always do water tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH prior to the weekly water change so you can see what the "normal" levels are for the system. You can test these after as well, particularly if there is an issue with one of them.

Byron.
 
I haven't tested for Ammonia or NitrItes since I cycled my tank. Once a week I test for NitrAtes and PH. I usually test prior to water changes.

I just tested my tap water that I had in a bucket at room temp. The PH is 7.6-7.8 and the NitrAtes look to be 0, as its yellow on the API test. Therefore, my tank NitrAtes are extremely high regardless of the tap water levels.
 
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