Help! By llee52, 6 years ago on Tropical Fish. The ammonia will definitely, naturally lead to nitrates as you know, and so will decaying matter. I am not yet expert by far, but I am thinking when we change the filter and sponge etc that can mess with the bio in the tank and hurt the beneficial bacteria..I will wait also to hear what … I'm definitely not a plant guru. High Nitrite/Nitrate Levels in Planted Tank! I have a heavily planted 30 gal tank. Change 30% of the water. A planted tank that is developing a high nitrate reading is a tank out of ballance. Too many fish in a small aquarium will create more waste than the tank can handle, which is a surefire recipe for a spike in nitrite levels. I have a high tech tank where no matter how high the light or CO2 if I do not meticulously clean at the roots my nitrates would be obscenely high. Hello all, I know that many plants take up nitrates in the water column, using them as nutrients, and that very heavily planted tanks can even see 0ppm nitrates. The reason why heavily planted tanks can have high nitrates is that the plants hide waste and it accumulates and causes problems. Besides the addition of plants … either insufficient light to produce enough growth to use the nitrates, or insufficient CO2. These plants cannot be submerged, so most people just place the ends of the stems in water to root and grow the actual plant outside the tank. Nitrogen in the shape of nitrate is an important nutrient for aquatic plants… An extremely high nitrate content is primarily to be seen as an indicator that the ecosystem in the aquarium is not working properly or is overloaded. There are many plants available beneficial for nitrate … I keep pretty easy to grow plants, but in my understanding, they'll need less ferts when you first plant them as compared to when they are established and thriving, especially when you have an abundance of nitrates … If your tank is overstocked, you have two solutions: Get rid of some of … Sometimes aquarists use pothos plants to remove nitrates. An overstocked aquarium will have more nitrite problems than an understocked one. Some aquarists claim that they are even more efficient than aquatic plants. With this initial step, you aim to replace part of the nitrite-rich water. High Nitrite/Nitrate Levels in Planted Tank! Help! I have no ammonia and no nitrites. Basics like filtration, maintenance or feeding need to be reconsidered. They not only denitrify but also beautify your aquarium gorgeously. Can you take a look at my picture and see if you feel my tank is planted heavily enough to have 0ppm nitrates? To promptly lower the high nitrite levels in your freshwater aquarium follow these exact steps: 1. Before I go into the issues I'm facing with my freshwater planted tank, I figure I should outline some details of my setup: - TANK SIZE: 37 Gallon tank (Height: … 3,007 3.0K. Aquatic plants can absorb ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. My nitrates were up to 80 today so did 3o percent water change. Having live plants in the aquarium is an exciting idea. Pothos roots take in nitrates the same way aquatic plants do. This habit, while fine for fish only tanks, can lead to a lack of nitrogen, even if you are regularly dosing fertilizers. So converting your fish tank to a planted aquarium is the natural way to control nitrate formation. If the excel has a noticeable effect that is most likely the culprit, You should consider adding CO2, At least a DIY system. It’s unavoidable. 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