# removing excess nutrients



## Flear (Oct 5, 2012)

does anyone have ideas for removing excess nutrients ?

what comes to mind is for excess calcium, to use snails, let the snails grow and remove the larger shells (removing the calcium with them)

does anyone have other ides ?
-for calcium ? or any other nutrients ?


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## Chesh (Feb 17, 2012)

Ro water is what comes to my mind! ^____^

I do weekly water changes, snails grow too slowly to be of any help in most tanks, I think. 

I'm sure there are other ways. . .?


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## Flear (Oct 5, 2012)

what else do snail shells remove ?

yes R/O prevents those toxic elements & chemicals from entering the fish tank, ... but once they're there, ... what do you do ?


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## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

Flear said:


> what else do snail shells remove ?
> 
> yes R/O prevents those toxic elements & chemicals from entering the fish tank, ... but once they're there, ... what do you do ?


Water changes!

R


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## Chesh (Feb 17, 2012)

Water changes!!! ^___^

I'm not sure about snail shells, though in order for your theory to be tested you would have to ensure that the shells of the dead were removed. I think they would add the calcium back into the water as they degrade. . .this might be tricky if you don't often vacuum your substrate, I imagine. . .


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## Flear (Oct 5, 2012)

yes, no simple thing for sure


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## equatics (Apr 26, 2012)

Removing snail shells would prevent the calcium they contain from going into the water but wouldn't actually lower the calcium level of the water immediately. It would prevent the calcium level from getting higher. I would read about Calcium in the Planted Aquarium and ask questions to people who are hopefully smarter than me. 

Water changes are the way to go assuming you can live with the source water in the pipes. The Estimated Index method of dosing fertilizers does a 50% water change weekly to get rid of excess ferts. This is not a bad amount to change.


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## Flear (Oct 5, 2012)

my excess fertilizers are ... insane 

(trying this again)
plant trimmings, dried & crushed, then added to a bucket of water to remineralize, ... add some ph 7.0 buffer and i'm good to go

add to that there are no water changes, ... that's a lot going into the tank, ... and over-all, it never really leaves.

i don't fertilize otherwise.


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## rsskylight04 (Nov 9, 2013)

Of course fast growing plants use a lot of minerals and nurtients. Keep removing clippings and your removing nutrients from the system.
I like where your head is on the natural biological methods.
As a totaly non- natural method, I belive that cationic water clarifier will cause calcium to precipitate out of solution. Weather or not it will create good aquarium water I do not know.
Good luck!


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## Sally M (Nov 14, 2013)

I took out my charcoal after reading that it may absorb nutrients. Maybe adding it.....


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