So for those not doing water changes for so long in favor of chemical changes to stop or reduce nitrate production, what’s the TDS value of your tanks in comparison to your source water (tap water)?
I have well water with very high kh and gh 14d+ on both.
Got my tds meter today.
Tap is 282
Fahaka tank was 164, some plants.
Meeli grow out was 312, no plants.
Pea puffer tank 212, some plants mostly java fern.
All these tanks have a biocenosis basket in them. The two puffer tanks are roughly the same size with the same size baskets. The fahaka tank has a sponge filter and the pea puffer tank has a ac70. Both test at 0 nitrate at 6 weeks. The meeli tank.... I need to do more frequent wcs on, maybe I'll add another basket as the one in it is probably to small I didn't have another of the same size when I made them. The meeli tank was around 40ppm, way to high.
I realize that the plants are probably using some nitrate also but enough to make the test 0?
I don't have crazy plant growth.
The plants are obviously effecting the tds.
I'm going to be honest I haven't been testing like I should be, but I'm going to be doing weekly tests now and will be doing a round of wcs Saturday. I will test before and after the wcs nitrate and tds. I will continue testing every Saturday at least on the biocenosis tanks. I may use my shellie tank (no bcbs no plants) as a sort of loose control, which was my original plan. It has a medium stocking density and an ac70. It's also about the same gallonage as the puffer tanks. This tank gets weekly 50%+ wcs. In the past the nitrates are usually around 20ppm average a little more red then orange on wc day but not quite 40ppm, somewhere around 10ppm immediately after wc. The tanks with plants have lower nitrates on water change day then the ones without, obviously. I have never been able to obtain a below 10ppm nitrate reading on my tanks using only plants for an extended period of time (more then a week). I typically combine traditional aquatic, floating and pothos, the pond has a few other marginal plants too.
The fahaka tank is the "odd" man out so to say. Obviously it doesn't get as much food as the other tanks so should produce less nitrate over all but he is a messy eater and wastes quiet a bit of food. I have not been removing the debris except on wc day. Last wc was August 29th. He won't allow other fish or inverts in with him so nothing to eat the bits he leaves. His final tank will be my 180 with sump so detritus should be lower to non-existent. Making for a nicer looking set up. If the biocenosis baskets work like they have been it should be the perfect set up. Well positioned flow to keep tank debris free, socks to catch it, bcbs and plants to eliminate ammonia waste.
