# nitrate removal ?



## jusabuketin (Nov 27, 2008)

hi. any recommendation of floating plants tat can best remove nitrate ?

thxs =]


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

water changes.


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

You should rely on water changes to control nitrates. The amount of plants you'd need to remove the nitrates from the water is huge. A 20 gallon tank fully planted wall to wall with only a half dozen tetras or something like that.

Water changes.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

I agree that water changes are the primary means of nitrate removal, but fast-growing plants can certainly help. Duckweed, water lettuce, and hornwort grow like weeds and I've noticed considerable slowing in nitrate buildup in tanks that had these plants vs. the same tanks with the same stocking without them. However, be advised that these fast-growers can and will take over the surface of your tank and can kill off lower level plants that require higher lighting levels by keeping them in the shade.


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## andulrich4all (Nov 21, 2008)

My tank is pretty well planted and I have a good amount of fish. My Nitrate levels have been at bout 10ppm for a month and a half now.
I have also heard these freshwater clams can help a lot as well.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=1075+1642&pcatid=1642


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

I don't buy that at all. Clams are filter feeders and can remove detritus and free-floating algae from the water column, but they still digest food and produce waste which will end up as nitrate, just like any other creature in your aquarium. Apart from that, these guys can be very difficult to feed unless you buy them specialized filter feeder foods. They can clear up green water very fast, but will afterwards starve to death and cause an ammonia spike. 

Only plants (including algae) can remove nitrates from the water as part of their metabolic processes; no animal can do that.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

agreed. clams will clear up green water fast and ive heard someone say they got them and tried feeding Kents Microvert or Photoplankton, it was one or the other, however had no luck. 

i never scrape the back wall of algae in my tanks (whether its saltwater coraline or freshwater green) if anything its only helping to reduce nitrates, i still do my water changes and that is with a decently planted tank.
just stick with water changes, and besides even with plants you'll want to water change to replace trace elements that will be benificial to their growth.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

In my view NITRATE reading of 10 is very good. If one is getting reading of 10 with weekly 20 to 25 percent water changes then all is well. There are also chemical media out there that i understand do a fair job at helping control nitrates but none of them perform as quickly or as efficently as water changes and vaccuming a small area of the substrate ,a different area each time during these water changes.W;-)ater changes are also much cheaper than chemical media.


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

I'm starting to think my nitrate test is off because I can't get my nitrates over 10ppm ever. My tank isn't lightly stocked either, not like it used to be.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

I always hated the NITRATE test cause you gotta shake hell out of the test tubes to get accurate readings. I have since become aware through testing , how often I need to perform water changes and vaccuming so testing is not needed as frequently.Assuming i don't suddenly overstock or begin to overfeed the fish.


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

Yeah, it says to do that tumbling motion for a minute. I shake the piss out of it for about twenty seconds. I figure if its not stirred up by then it never will be.


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## Oldman47 (Sep 7, 2007)

If you don't do at least the full minute you will tend to get lower than actual readings. There is no point in testing if you won't do it right. 
As all the others have already said, nitrates are best controlled with water changes but plants can go a long way to controlling nitrates completely. I have 2 of my planted tanks that I add nitrates to for plant food, the fish do not produce enough to feed them. They are rather heavily planted but they need more nitrogen than the fish provide. That could be why you only see 10 ppm no matter what.


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