Pet Forum / Aquaria / Cichlids / June 2005

I suppose it depends on whether you want the benefits that plants can give
to your tank or not. If they are deprived of nutrients they die (this is the
gardener in me rather than the tank keeper). Plants well fed and growing
have more beneficial impact on a tank than no plants - or dying plants that
add to the decaying matter in
the tank adding to the ammonia/nitrites...

A well balanced planted tank will keep the nitrates down.....without the
plants we need to do big water changes - for example my Malawi tank has
about 4 very manky plants....the nitrate values are higher than the planted
tanks where I add plant food to help the plants along - hence water changes
are more of an impotant issue...

Ultimately everything is a big balancing act in an artificial environment

Gill

It's funny - when I think of something odd to add to a tank, CO2 always
comes to mind.  You're turning off your airstone and adding what?!?  ;-)

It doesn't take much nitrate.  Recommended nitrate levels in planted
tanks are about 5-10 ppm depending on who you read.  That's not enough
to bother even discus but it can make a huge difference in plant health
and growth.  Rapidly growing plants can and will remove all the nitrogen
of all forms out of the water in lightly stocked tanks and then starve.

I have a 10 gallon heavily planted tank with only 4 guppies and 2 Otos
in it at the moment.  Nitrates go to zero a couple days after a water
change with my 4 ppm tapwater unless I add more.  If I don't add
nitrates, the java moss goes brown, the rotala stalls, the baby's tears
stop pearling, and sheets of blue green algae form over the substrate.
I add about 8 ppm nitrates, siphon off the BGA, and all is well again.

Another thing Mr. Zee should be adding is potash, if it isn't in his
trace element mix.  KN03 adds some, but ideally you want around twice as
much potash as nitrogen.